Healthy Christmas Desserts
One of the joys of the holiday season is the treats! So, this Christmas, why not experiment and make some of your most favorite holiday desserts a little healthier (without sacrificing their delicious taste of course!) Below we have found some great recipes for you to try out. This is a fun activity that the whole family can get in on! Keep reading to find out more.
Soft Gingerbread Cookies
This delicious recipe hails from acouplecooks.com! With the use of almond butter, wheat flower, and apple sauce- these cookies are much healthier than the traditional gingerbread cookie recipe!
Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons applesauce
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons allspice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup wheat flour
- Turbinado sugar (for garnish)
Instructions:
- In a medium bowl, add 1 egg, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup molasses, ¼ cup almond butter, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 2 tablespoons applesauce; vigorously whisk to thoroughly combine.
- To the wet ingredients, stir in 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 teaspoons allspice, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour, and ½ cup wheat flour until well combined. Turn out onto plastic wrap and form into a rough ball; cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour, or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Flour a flat surface and a rolling pin, then roll out the dough ¼-inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out gingerbread men, about 25-35 total. Place gingerbread men on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
- Bake about 8 minutes, until puffed and slightly firmed. Let rest on the pan for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Store covered at room temperature for several days or freeze for several months.
Coconut Bliss Ball
This dessert is for the coconut lover! It comes from cinnamonandcoriander.com and really does not disappoint!
Ingredients:
- 200 g coconut cream * from a refrigerated can
- 125 g unsweetened shredded coconut + more for rolling
- 50 g maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 3-4 drops of each almond and rum extract see text for product recommendations
- 100 – 150 g dark chocolate depending how many Bounty you want – 100 g for 10 pieces
Instructions:
- Make sure the can of coconut cream has been refrigerated overnight so that you can scrape the 200 g of cooled cream into the food processor easily.
- Combine the first 4 ingredients, adding a pinch of salt to heighten the flavor, and process until well combined. It should hold together fairly well when pinching together. Add more coconut cream if needed.
- Divide the batter into 2 equal portions. Add the almond extract to the Raffaello batch and the rum extract to the bounty batch. Process again or use your hands to combine it.
- Using a heaping tsp of batter at a time, roll the coconut mixture into neat little balls and refrigerate. Try not to keep rum and almond flavored bliss balls separate.
- Melt chocolate in the microwave or over a hot water bath and cover the rum-flavoured balls with the chocolate. Sprinkle some coconut on top, if desired. Roll the Raffaello ones in the shredded coconut. Store the Bounty and Raffaello Coconut Bliss Balls in a sealable container in the fridge and ENJOY!
Cinnamon Apple Chips
This tasty and healthy recipe comes from trialandeater.com. And, it only requires two ingredients- an apple and cinnamon!
Ingredients:
- 2 apples
- cinnamon
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 200ºF.
- Thinly slice the apples, removing any seeds.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Bake for 1 hour. Flip the apples. Bake for another hour.
- Let apple chips cool, and eat!
No Bake Healthier S’mores Pie
This delicious and easy recipe comes from dishingouthealth.com!
Ingredients
-1 1/2 cup graham crackers
-5 tbsp melted butter
-1/4 cup granulated sugar
-2 medium ripe avocados
-1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1/3 cup milk of choice (almond ect)
-4 tbsp maple syrup
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 cup plain full fat Greek yogurt
-1 cup marshmallow fluff
-optional toping: mini marshmallows
Directions:
- Prepare Graham Cracker Crust: Use a food processor to pulverize graham crackers into fine crumbs, or crush them in a zip top bag with a rolling pin. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and granulated sugar together with a rubber spatula in a large bowl until combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9″ pie plate and slightly up the sides. Use the bottom of a flat measuring cup to make sure it’s tight and compact. Refrigerate while you prepare avocado pudding.
- Prepare Avocado Chocolate Filling: Wipe food processor clean, and add avocados, cocoa powder, milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Blend until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the food processor as needed.Dollop the chocolate avocado pudding over the graham cracker crust, and smooth to the edges. Refrigerate while you prepare topping.
- Prepare Marshmallow Yogurt Topping: Combine Greek yogurt and marshmallow fluff in a large bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to beat mixture for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy. (Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer with whisk attachment.)Very gently dollop marshmallow mixture over chocolate pudding, and smooth to all edges.If desired, place mini marshmallows over the marshmallow yogurt topping. For more of the camp fire experience, broil s’mores pie on the top oven rack under the LOW broil setting for 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely to not burn.
- Chill pie for a minimum of 4 hours (or ideally overnight) before slicing into.
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