Just Sweet Enough: Desserts Made Without Refined Sugar
No white stuff here! These baked goods and frozen treats rely on honey, agave nectar and other natural sweeteners.
By Lynn Andriani
A Healthy Spin on Grandma's Specialty
Soft oatmeal cookies studded with dried fruit are a cookie jar staple, and while Alicia Silverstone's take on the classic has some intriguing twists, it still stays true to the original. She keeps the oats but uses dried plums (aka prunes) instead of raisins. Her recipe also includes a dash of molasses plus one-third cup each of maple syrup and
maple sugar, which is prepared from the sap of the sugar maple tree and pours like granulated sugar.
Get the recipe: Oatmeal, Walnut and Dried Plum Cookies
The Energy Jolt Without the Sugar Crash
By stashing a few of these addictive bars in your bag, you'll never have to face a vending machine full of off-the-charts-sweet snacks again. Sesame seeds, dried cherries and walnuts make for a perfect sweet-savory mix, and they stay bound together with coconut butter and either agave nectar or dark honey (which has a richer flavor than light).
Get the recipe: Sesame Fruit-and-Nut Bars
A Pie Recipe That Highlights the Pumpkin, Not the Sugar
Traditional recipes for this beloved winter pie call for at least a cup of white sugar or a mix of white and brown. Chef Aine McAteer's version uses stevia instead; the zero-calorie substitute is 200 to 300 times sweeter than white sugar, so two-thirds cup is all you need for a dessert that's decadent—but won't spike your glucose levels.
Get the recipe: No-Sugar No-Dairy Pumpkin Pie
The Sweet and Tart Breakfast for Dessert
If you love Greek yogurt drizzled with honey for breakfast, try this frozen treat, which combines plain yogurt with just a half cup of whole milk, a healthy glug of honey and a ton of lemon juice. Sliced almonds make a light, crunchy topping.
Get the recipe: Lemon Honey Sherbet
The Giftable Cookie
Known for her vegetarian recipes,
101 Cookbooks blogger Heidi Swanson is adept at satisfying a sweet tooth too. Her recipe for ginger cookies calls for whole grain flour, not white; and unsulphured molasses. It contains less than a cup of granulated sugar, along with raw or turbinado sugar (which is less refined than the traditional kind).
Get the recipe: Ginger Cookies
Next: High-protein recipes—rich in flavor, low in carbs
Published 11/20/2012
