2 Can Desserts Be Healthy And Taste Good?

Confession time - I'm a horribly picky eater.  Growing up my father had been forced to eat every piece of food on his plate, including liver, which he absolutely despised.  If he didn't eat it that night, he had to eat it for breakfast in the morning.  He vowed that his children would not have to endure that, so when I was young and said, "I DON'T LIKE THAT", I didn't have to eat it.  Now he regrets his decision to go to the totally opposite side from his childhood because I am so picky.  As I've grown older, it frustrates me to no end as well.  I have widen my pallette, but I am still picky.  I do try new things, but the majority of items I do not like.  I'm not a fan of veggies outside of onions, lettuce, green peppers and carrots.  I'm not a fruit fan outside of oranges, apples and grapes.  But I like my junk food, THAT I can eat prety well, so any way to add a healthy AND tasty alternative to my diet is always appreciated!  I also have made sure that my children do not follow in my footsteps and have implamented the "no thank you" bite.  They must try EVERY thing on their plate even if they think they don't like it they must give it a try with a "no thank you" bite.  But back to me - todays guest is perfect for me!  Most of the recipes she shares are a healthy alternative to sugar filled treats.  So please welcome Pamela from Pamela's Heavenly Treats!

I have asked myself that question many times, when I used to see recipes or articles that talked about healthy desserts.  The picture was beautiful but did it taste good or like my husband says, does it taste like cardboard. I have had some healthy desserts that I didn't care for, because they either didn't have any taste or they didn't look very appetizing.

Many studies say that healthy eating habits like practicing moderation and avoiding processed foods are key to successful long term weight management.  In a society that struggles with obesity, and where some school systems have even resorted to banning the tradition of birthday cupcakes (because of food allergies,  but mainly because of the high sugar in the treats).  The verdict on the cupcakes role in a healthy diet can be in now, all you have to do is tweak any recipe that you come across and make it healthy for you and your family.

 I am the mother of 6, ages 14 to 21 months, I like my children to have homemade and healthy treats, not all the processed snacks that are out there.  I started to tweak my own dessert recipes and recipes from my childhood.  I came up with healthy desserts (cupcakes and cookies).  All of my recipes didn't taste and look good at first, so I just kept making them until I got them to where the kids were asking for more, so I knew I was doing something right.

All of the treats that I make are made with either 100% whole wheat flour (cupcakes), or whole wheat white flour (cookies).  I make my own buttermilk which I use in my cupcake recipes.  I use  unsweetened apple sauce for some of my cookie recipes (they make the cookie so chewy).  I use light brown sugar in place of granulated white sugar, canola oil in place of vegetable oil, organic eggs (they make good cupcakes and cookies), fresh fruits for my cupcakes and cant forget Madagascar Vanilla (has a nice subtle taste), and then there's my secret ingredients.

So before you say no to Healthy desserts, try this recipe:

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup of natural peanut butter

1 cup of light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350

In a medium bowl, mix peanut butter, light brown sugar, egg and vanilla until combined well.  Spoon 1 tablespoon of the mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Flatten the mounds with the lines of a fork, making a crisscross pattern on the cookies.

Bake for 10 minutes, transfer to wire rack to cool, continue with the rest of mixture. You will get about 20 cookies.

What really makes this recipe pop, it's flourless, and you really get that true peanut butter flavor.

Enjoy!

I want to thank Kim for having me be a guest poster here at seven thirty three!

You can find me at Pamela's Heavenly Treats come on over for some healthy cupcake and cookie recipes and pictures of my creations.