Healthy Cookie & Dessert Recipes

EatingWell reader Beverley Sharpe of Santa Barbara, California, contributed this healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe. She gave chocolate chip cookies a healthy update by cutting back on sugar and incorporating whole grains. To increase protein, Sharpe replaces the rolled oats with 1 cup almond meal.

You don't have to have pumpkin pie to still enjoy pumpkin and spice in a Thanksgiving dessert. Pumpkin helps keep this cake tender and moist while, delicate spices add the classic Thanksgiving flavors.

Turn an easy vanilla cupcake recipe into an impressive mythical creature with just a couple marshmallows, a dash of sprinkles and a perfectly placed candle. Kids will flip for these unicorn treats, and you'll flip over how easy and quick they are to decorate. A birthday party win for kids and adults alike!

Honey and almonds flavor this simple (and gluten-free) cake. It's lovely for afternoon tea or a spring holiday dessert. Be careful not to overbeat the egg whites--they should be white and very foamy, but not at all stiff or able to hold peaks. If you beat them too much, the cake may sink in the middle as it cools.

Almond butter and coconut oil melt together to bind these stovetop cookies without using any eggs. To take the flavor to the next level, try subbing in your favorite nut butter.

This simple two-layer cake has colored sprinkles baked right in for a fun surprise in every bite, just like a Funfetti cake. It's perfect for birthdays or any occasion that calls for a celebration. Look for naturally colored sprinkles in the baking aisle of your local natural-foods store or find them online.

These perfectly portioned molten cupcakes combine two of your favorite things--red wine and chocolate. When cut open, this easy yet decadent dessert oozes with a gooey chocolate center that pairs perfectly with the wine-and-chocolate ganache drizzled on top.

The pumpkin puree in these delicious vegan pumpkin cookies gives them a great orange color and fall flavor and also acts as the "egg" to help bind everything together. Coconut oil takes the place of butter in these cookies and should be solid when you use it--if it's not, stick it in the fridge for a few hours until it firms up. When we were developing this recipe, tasters said they wouldn't have known the cookies were vegan if they hadn't been told. We call that a win!

Can't get enough pumpkin spice and pumpkin? Get those fall flavors you love in this dairy-free and vegan ice cream alternative made with bananas and pumpkin puree. This easy and healthy dessert contains no added sugar, unless you use the optional maple syrup--which is a delicious touch. Add some chopped pecans to make it really special.

Renowned author and spice aficionado Lior Lev Sercarz loves these French sablé-style cookies so much, he sells a collection of five different flavors twice a year. In this variation, he uses tart amchoor (ground dried green mango) to give them a citrusy brightness. These healthy cookies will get you in the holiday spirit.

A mashed russet potato gives a light and tender crumb to this tea cake recipe. Slices of the loaf are wonderful the next day, toasted and glossed with butter.

Expand your holiday desserts repertoire with this cranberry galette. Frangipane is a sweet pastry cream typically made with ground almonds; here we substitute ground sesame seeds in the form of tahini to give it a complex, earthy flavor. If you've made the Cranberry-Almond Thumbprint Cookies (see Associated Recipes), you can use some of the leftover jam in Step 9.

A dip in egg white and a quick roll in sugar adds a delightfully crisp crust to these holiday cookies. You'll have leftover jam--perfect for spreading on toast or for glazing the Cranberry Galette with Sesame Frangipane (see Associated Recipes).

Apple butter and applesauce make this spice cake exceptionally moist and tender. The bright berry compote and billowy whipped cream provide perfect counterpoints.

The key to these decadent treats is the portion size--baking them in mini-muffin tins keeps the carbs and saturated fat in check. And maple syrup allows you to make this pecan pie recipe without corn syrup.

There's no need to peel the apples for this easy apple galette recipe--the skins lend a touch of color and texture.

Round pear slices make whimsical toppers for this cheerful mini cake recipe.

These light and creamy desserts are a welcome departure from traditional cake or pie. Put these easy pudding cakes in the oven to bake just before sitting down for a meal, and you'll get a perfectly timed warm dessert.

This mini pie recipe is an easier option for a holiday dessert that will dazzle a crowd. You can prepare these mini pies through Step 6 up to a day ahead. Remove from the freezer (Step 7) just before serving to keep the whipped topping from melting.

This sumptuous pumpkin-coconut cheesecake with a graham cracker crust and a caramelly topping is adapted from a recipe that chef Leticia Moreinos Schwartz, author of the cookbook Latin Superfoods, developed for her family's Thanksgiving dinner. The combination of coconut and pumpkin is a flavor profile that nods to Moreinos Schwartz's childhood in Brazil. We've cut down on the sugar and the calories in a traditional cheesecake for this version of the treat but left all of the flavor and silky texture of the original.

Burfi is an Indian sweet treat often served and gifted during Diwali and other festivals--or whenever one has a craving. Usually made with either condensed milk or ghee (or both), it's a decadent sweet that's not quite a cookie, not quite a candy, but something in between. It's often described as a kind of fudge. Throughout South Asia and the diaspora, different families have their own unique ways of making it, and that's the beauty: from the size and shape to the toppings and mix-in spices, everything can be customized. Even chocolate burfi is a thing! This version uses nonfat dry milk powder, almond flour and less sugar than most other burfi recipes for sweet satisfaction that's just a bit lighter, so you can feel good about serving up seconds.

This riff on the Thanksgiving favorite combines a traditional pumpkin pie filling with swirls of sweetened cream cheese. And since it's only Thanksgiving once a year, we've topped it all off with a buttery spiced-pecan topping. This easy pie recipe will please anyone at your table this holiday.

This custard filling is what takes this buttermilk pie recipe to the next level. It tastes like a panna cotta with a bit of attitude from the tang of the buttermilk and a generous sprinkling of cranberries on top.

Who knew a pie recipe could taste so good? Homemade chocolate pie is a must-have at many holiday gatherings and this one will set a new bar. The velvety filling is lightened up by swapping in some cornstarch for some of the egg yolks traditionally used for thickening. The pairing of bittersweet chocolate with the nutty amaretto flavor is pure almond joy that's only better topped with cinnamon-spiced whipped cream (included!).

This homemade apple pie recipe has a simple and classic flavor, with fresh apples, spices and butter that's been sizzled until it's brown and nutty. The top crust is where you have the opportunity to add a touch of pizazz. Here we suggest cutting the dough into leaf shapes for an autumnal motif, but you could cut any shape you want.

The "magic" ingredient in the filling of this chocolate-bourbon pecan pie (and many gooey baked goods) is sweetened condensed milk, which delivers that craveable texture. This pecan pie recipe without corn syrup is a wonderful Thanksgiving dessert. A little bourbon adds its complex, oak-aged perfume to the sweet mix but, if you prefer, vanilla extract tastes great too.

For this pie's filling we call for fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, but store-bought (not frozen) works well and may even give you more brightly colored results. The Italian meringue topping is made by beating hot sugar syrup into egg whites that are already beaten to stiff peaks. It's a bit more effort, but the meringue holds its shape longer.