3 Healthy Dessert Recipes
Be it cake, pie or ice cream, desserts serve as the sweet and savory end point of any meal’s culinary journey. However, scan the back of your favorite whipped topping or boxed cake mix, and you’ll often find that these goodies are high in trans fats and calories,Time magazine reported. It doesn’t have to mean the end of dessert time, though, as there are plenty of recipes to explore in your online pastry school that are both delicious and nutritionally viable.
Healthy fudge treats
Because of its base ingredients (marshmallow, sugar and fat), fudge is often seen as an unhealthy dessert. However, this tasty treat can be made healthy by removing those ingredients from the equation, notes The Frugal Mom. Several recipes involve just a few organic choices, namely honey, coconut oil and cocoa powder. According to NPR, cocoa powder is a chemically beneficial mixture; not only does it help with weight loss, but our bodies break down the powder into antioxidants that help battle heart disease. Though the recipe for the fudge itself might be basic, the mixture can be enhanced by mixing in some of your favorite ingredients. Some options include sugar-coated almonds or lightly-slated peanuts. Not only can these fudge treats be enjoyed on their own, but they can later be re purposed into other desserts. Try melting the fudge for a healthy sauce or topping on other desserts, or use it as the base for your next cake or pie recipe.
Healthy birthday cake
Worried about your well-being as you celebrate another birthday? Then healthy birthday cake, like the one whipped up by the Chocolate Covered Katie blog, is a sweet treat without all that added sugar. For most healthy cake recipes, you’ll want to use natural ingredients that won’t sacrifice sweetness. To that extent, try to seek out ingredients like coconut oil, which serves as a spongy base for the cake itself, and white or apple vinegar, the latter of which has shown potential in lowering blood sugar, notes Reader’s Digest. For the frosting, try to avoid any store-bought toppings, which are usually heavy in sugar, for either a homemade mix or organic jam like raspberry or boysenberry; either way, only frost the cake immediately before serving (that way, it doesn’t get soggy). Not only do many of these cakes have less sugar than box mixes (between 10 and 20 grams each), many are high in selenium, which nutrition guru Andrew Weil notes as aiding liver function.
Kombucha float
With some sodas containing 70 grams of sugar per liter, according to NPR, kombucha offers a great alterative for those still hankering for an ice cream soda. As Wake the Wolves notes, kombucha is a drink that dates back 3,000 years and is jam-packed with antioxidants, B vitamins and probiotics (bacteria that aid in digestive health). To make kombucha, steep tea and sugar in boiling water. Once the tea reaches 75 degrees Fahrenheit, add in the SCOBY, a disc-shaped collection of bacteria that aids in fermentation. These SCOBY’s are usually grown with yeast and fungus and resemble a mushroom. From there, you’ll need to do a bit of waiting, as the tea has to ferment for seven to 30 days. Once it’s finally done, though, add in your ice cream of choice; opt for something without a lot of sugar or dairy, like organic ice cream, sorbet or something made with cashew milk. Also, be aware of the tea you use: as Seeds of Health note, some kombucha teas can taste like champagne or sparkling cider.
