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.

Sweet summer peaches and blueberries shine in this peach-blueberry pie recipe. While they can't compete with fresh fruit, thawed frozen peaches and blueberries can be used in a pinch. Just be sure to add more cornstarch (up to double the amount if you're using all frozen fruit) to soak up the extra liquid.

Galettes are fuss-free desserts to pull together, and this peach galette is no exception. Fresh in-season peaches are the star here, surrounded by a flaky crust with whole-wheat pastry flour. Peach preserves add a fruity flavor and help keep the added sugar in check.

In-season strawberries shine in this simple strawberry cobbler recipe. The biscuits on top are light and fluffy, with crispy tops and hint of sweetness. This strawberry cobbler creates the perfect amount of sauce for serving with vanilla ice cream.

These adorable bunny cupcakes are oh-so-simple to make. A split marshmallow dusted with colored sparkling sugar makes "ears" that say "rabbit" at a glance.

Here's a great, all-purpose recipe for sugar cookies, but the real gem is the method for making a beautiful set of royal icings to decorate them. We've used a trio of berry powders to make the colors here, but you can make other colors with almost any freeze-dried fruit (or vegetable).

Store-bought decorative sugars just add color and sweetness to baked goods. But when you make your own, like the blueberry sugar here, you add flavor and antioxidants as well.

Cake batters require a lot of food coloring or they end up looking faded. For these un-fried doughnuts, we use both sweet red beets and powdered freeze-dried pomegranate arils to deliver a rich, natural red color along with bonus antioxidants and fiber.

These incredibly easy-to-make cake bars get a touch of sparkle and crunch from a sprinkle of turbinado sugar over the top. If you use frozen berries, thaw and pat them dry before topping the batter with them.

People will ooh and aah over the light-to-dark-shaded ombre-style frosting, but they'll be even more impressed to learn the colors come from fruit alone. The pro look of this ombre cake may seem daunting but it's easy to pull off. Just be sure that the three shades of frosting you mix differ enough to contrast nicely on the cake.

This green-as-a-shamrock "nice cream"--made with almond milk, coconut cream and bananas--is loosely inspired by the Shamrock McFlurry. Whip up this dairy-free dessert for St. Patrick's Day or anytime you're craving a minty treat.

Celebrate Valentine's Day with these heart-shaped sugar cookies! This recipe uses whole-wheat pastry flour, cream cheese and lemon extract to make a healthier (and delicious!) cookie perfect for decorating. Set out a plate to get the conversation started.

The intense blend of spices in these cookies is a tip of the hat to Venice's history as a conduit for the spice trade between Europe and the Far East.

One of the tasters of this dairy-free pumpkin pie called it a "vegan's dream come true." The filling has just the right amount of spice, while the crust--made with part whole-wheat flour--has a wonderful nutty flavor and crispy texture. The pie is great as is, but to really please the plant-based eaters at your Thanksgiving table, top it with Coconut Whipped Cream (see Associated Recipes).

With summery, bright fruit, this pie is a crowd- pleaser and pretty enough to be the centerpiece for a summer dinner party. The crust is tender, with a deeper flavor from the whole-wheat flour than you would get with a plain white-flour crust.

This chilled dessert offers all the flavors of a s'more, but you don't need a campfire. It also features a protein boost from the Greek yogurt.

You don't have to be vegan to enjoy this vegan lemon cake! It's moist, delicious and plenty lemony thanks to a combination of lemon juice and zest. A glaze made with lemon juice, confectioners' sugar and almond milk adds a sweet-tangy finish.

This Irish stout cake can't get any easier: everything is mixed in one bowl, poured into the cake pan and is in the oven in 15 minutes flat. Lining the cake pan with parchment paper makes removing the cake easy and helps with cleanup. After this rich chocolate cake has cooled, enjoy it with the espresso- and Irish whiskey-laced whipped cream topping.

Fresh blood oranges are so sweet they almost create their own caramel under the broiler--a little brown sugar on top seals the deal. A hint of cardamom enhances their aroma. Once you scoop out and eat the caramelized sections, squeeze the remaining blood orange juice over the yogurt.

Upside-down cakes have a built-in wow factor with a layer of glacéed-looking fruit. This cake includes almond flour to give it richness and added moisture, plus zest for a more intense layer of blood orange flavor.

Intensely chocolaty with a seductive fragrance of almond, chile and cinnamon, this flourless chocolate cake is complex and rich. It's also an easy do-ahead dessert.