It seems like finding yummy desserts that make your mouth water and don’t leave you feeling bloated is nearly impossible. We could spend hours scrolling through Pinterest searching for the most dreamy dessert only to find out there is enough sugar in it to send you through the roof. Which may taste great, but we know all too well that it won’t leave you feeling great. The struggle is real, y’all. Not to worry we are here to help you satisfy that sweet tooth, without the guilt. So we gathered our favorite nutritionist-approved desserts, and we promise these WILL taste just as good as they look!
Almond Butter Brownies
Ingredients
2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
6 tablespoons water
1 cup almond butter
1/2 cup lakanto monk fruit sweetener
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 dark chocolate bar, chopped
Pinch of sea salt
Coconut oil cooking spray
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C. In a mixing bowl, combine the flaxseeds with water and mix well. It will form a jelly-like liquid. In a larger mixing bowl, combine the almond butter, monk fruit sweetener, vanilla extract, baking soda, chopped chocolate, and a pinch of salt. Mix well with a fork. Add in the flaxseed mixture and mix well until combined. Spray an 8×8 glass baking dish with coconut spray and add the mixture. Spread out evenly with a spatula. Bake for 25 minutes until golden. (Serves 9)
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars
Ingredients
For the crumble:
2 1/2 cups rolled oats (divided)
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the filling:
3 cups sliced strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup sliced rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
3 tablespoons arrowroot powder
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. Add two cups of rolled oats to an upright blender, or food processor fitted with a metal “s” blade, pulse the oats until ground down into a flour. Transfer to a large bowl, add the remaining 1/2 cup rolled oats and the rest of the crumble ingredients. Using a spatula or your hand, combine the ingredients until the dough begins to stick together. You want everything to be moist and come together, but it can be slightly crumbly (hence the name!).
Measure a heaping 1/2 cup of the dough for the topping and set aside. Spread the remaining dough evenly into the prepared pan. Press firmly and flatten into the bottom, sides, and corners. It may help to slightly oil or wet your fingers or spatula. Wipe out the food processor and add the strawberries and rhubarb. If using frozen fruit, make sure it is slightly thawed. Pulse 5-6 times until the fruit is broken down into small pieces. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the arrowroot powder and lemon juice.
Spread the filling evenly over the crumble crust. Take the remaining crumble dough and use your fingers to break it up evenly over the fruit filling. Gently push the crumble dough into the filling to set. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and filling is bubbling. Let the bars cool completely before slicing. They can be eaten cold or warmed up slightly. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. (Makes 12 bars)
Cherry Cake
Ingredients
3 eggs
3 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons fiber syrup or honey
1 tablespoon monkfruit sweetener
4 tablespoons coconut yogurt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 cup almond flour
2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
Coconut oil cooking spray
Toppings
2 cups pitted cherries
1 cup water
1 tablespoon amaretto
4 tablespoons monkfruit sweetener
1 cup coconut Cool Whip
Directions: Preheat oven to 375 F or 190 C. In a mixing bowl, add the eggs, coconut oil, fiber syrup, and coconut yogurt. Whisk until well combined. Add the baking soda, walnuts, cocoa powder, almond flour, and dark chocolate. Mix well. Line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with coconut oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Check with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Set aside to cool. In a small saucepan, add the pitted cherries, water, amaretto, and monkfruit sweetener. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes. Refrigerate for an hour before topping the cake with the jam. Top the cake with coconut Cool Whip and the cherry jam. (Serves 10)
Cacao Zucchini Muffins
via Cara Clark Nutrition (photos by Angelica Marie Photography)
Ingredients
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/4 cup cacao powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 large zucchini, shredded and squeezed dry with a clean kitchen towel (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup almond butter
1 egg, beaten (option to use flax or chia egg)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the flours, cacao powder and baking soda in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine zucchini, almond butter, egg and maple syrup and mix well. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon batter onto large cookie sheet (like big cookies). Bake for 25 minutes or until done. (Makes 6)
Raw Caramel Apple Nachos
Raw Caramel:
Ingredients
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup organic coconut oil
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons of raw almond butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 dates, pitted
1 tablespoon of local honey
1/4 teaspoon salt (to taste)
Directions: Simply blend all of the ingredients together into a Vitamin or high-speed blender until thick and smooth. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. You may chill this after serving (if you have leftovers). You will need to sit it at room temperature before eating again as the coconut oil will solidify.
Raw Caramel Apple Nachos:
Ingredients:
1-3 apples (depending on how many you’re serving)
Garnish and topping options: fresh blueberries, fresh blackberries, dried mulberries, unsweetened coconut shreds, shaved dark chocolate, toasted pecans (or almonds, hazelnuts), fresh lemon juice
Directions: Thinly slice the apples of your choice in rounds or long ways. Evenly spread them on a large platter, followed by drizzling the raw caramel sauce, then top with desired garnishes. Enjoy immediately or store leftover raw caramel based on recipe above.
For the filling:
2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water until soft
1 1/2 cup melted coconut butter
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
Heaping 1/2 cup black tahini
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt, adjust to taste
1/2 cup filtered water
Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons juice)For the crust:
2 cups dates, pitted (about 20 large dates)
1 cup walnuts, lightly roasted
1 1/2 cup pecans
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
Directions: Soak cashews in water overnight, discard the water (this is for the filling). For the crust, which can be made the evening before (i.e. the same night you soak the cashews): in a medium-high dry skillet, place the walnuts and pecans in the pan and gently toss back and forth with a wooden spoon or spatula until lightly browned and fragrant. Be careful not to overcook these, nuts/seeds burn very quickly. Make coarse flour by grinding the nuts into a food processor or nut/seed grinder.
Transfer to a food processor, and blend the nuts with the pitted dates. Continually scrape the sides of the bowl until the mixture starts to come together. Add in the melted coconut oil (this mixture will be sticky). Using coconut oil, grease a springform pie pan and evenly press the crust into the bottom, working your way from the center out. Spread evenly and apply pressure with your fingertips. Once the crust has been evenly spread across the bottom, you have the choice to create a small side edge by pressing the crust mixture onto the side – if you prefer to leave the crust just on the bottom, skip this step. Place the crust in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
For the filling: in a high-speed blender, combine soaked raw cashews with all the filling ingredients until smooth. Adjust to taste with the maple syrup and sea salt. Pour the cheesecake filling into the hardened pie crust pan and spread evenly. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours-overnight or in the freezer for 3-4 hours until hard. When you are ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the pie tin, and slice using a warmed knife (run it under hot water for a minute). The cheesecake should be cool. I recommend leaving it out at room temperature for about 20 minutes before eating – just enough time for the cheesecake to thaw and for the center to stay cool.
Hey, we want to know what you thought of these nutritionist-approved desserts!! Let us know in the comments which one was your favorite! And don’t miss these 3 new superfoods you need to know about, and these 4 healthy fruit smoothie recipes to try!