Do the words “healthy” and “delectable” seem like they’re mutually exclusive? We know exactly what you mean, but we’ve dug up some healthy dessert recipes that prove that eating well doesn’t mean sacrificing your sweet tooth.
Now, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t chocolate or even a little bit of butter, but the other ingredients are considered healthy and replace the high fat versions.
This first recipe is courtesy of our friends at foodnetwork.com.
No Bake Peanut Butter-Chocolate Bars
The prep time for these yummy bars is only 10 minutes, and then they hang out in the refrigerator to firm up for 4 hours (or more).
Ingredients
For the crust:
Cooking spray
24 chocolate wafer cookies
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 ounces semisweet chocolate morsels, melted
For the filling:
4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
½ cup creamy all-natural peanut butter
½ cup 2% Greek yogurt
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
For the topping:
¼ cup chopped, roasted unsalted peanuts
Kosher salt
Directions
Crust: Line an 8 inch square pan with foil so it overhangs on two sides and lightly coat with cooking spray. Process the cookies in a food processor until finely ground. Add the melted butter and process again until the crumbs are coated with the butter. Add the melted chocolate and process until the mixture is the texture of very wet sand. Using an offset spatula, press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan, cover and refrigerate while preparing the filling. Finally, clean out the bowl of the food processor.
Filling and topping: Add the cream cheese, peanut butter, yogurt and sugar to the bowl of the food processor and process until smooth and combined. Pour the mixture over the crust and smooth with a spatula. Top with peanuts and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. Cover and refrigerate until set so it is slightly looser than cream cheese, about 4 hours or even up to overnight.
Run a knife around the edges of the mixture to loosen, use the foil handles to lift it out, and cut into 12 bars, serving chilled.
Strawberry Shortcakes
This low fat, low calorie and diabetic-friendly dessert is from our friends at health.com.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon calorie-free sweetener
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup orange juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
1 ½ cups sliced fresh strawberries (about a pint)
6 sponge cake dessert shells (5 ounce package)
Directions
Combine sweetener and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Stir in the orange juice and bring to a boil, stirring constantly for about a minute or until the mixture is thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat and stir in the extract. Cool completely.
Combine the orange juice mixture and strawberries in a bowl, stir gently. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
Spoon the sauce over the dessert shells and enjoy.
This is a versatile sauce that can work many ways. You can use this to top sugar free ice cream, angel food cake or even fat-free pound cake.
Photo Credit: istockphoto.com
