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.

If you like zucchini bread, you'll love these moist zucchini cookies with melted chunks of dark chocolate. We love the pieces of chocolate you get by chopping your own, but chocolate chips will work well too.

Here's a new idea for dessert on a camping trip or in the backyard. Because you don't need the recipe for s'mores. But you could totally crumble some graham crackers on top to add some crunch to these grilled peaches.

Highway 61 is Minnesota's unofficial pie trail, and a stop for a slice is a must on a road trip. This summer pie recipe is adapted from Rustic Inn Café in Two Harbors.

Warm and caramelized spiced peaches and a light cakey topping star in this slow-cooker peach cobbler. Delicious! Just stir it together and then forget about it and it will be ready to serve warm when you want it.

This fruit-topped cake got its name because of the way the batter buckles as it bakes. We omitted the traditional crumb topping to let this plum cake shine.

A blitz torte--or "lightning cake," roughly translated--is a German-American layer cake. This cake has buttery, almost cookie-like cake layers, creamy orange curd filling and a crisp meringue decorated with crunchy almonds. Though it looks impressive, the cake is relatively cheap to make with only a handful of ingredients: Egg whites are used in the meringue, while the yolks go in the cake; both the zest and juice from a single orange flavor the curd. The rest is just flour, sugar, salted (regular) butter and a splash of vanilla. Serve this beautiful cake for any special occasion.

This simple peach pie filling is the perfect recipe to whip out when you've got fresh summer peaches on hand. No time for pie? No problem! Use the filling as a topping for yogurt or ice cream and as a topping for cream cheese bars.

Gluten-free flour makes light and fluffy biscuits in this easy gluten-free peach cobbler. Fresh summer peaches and just a few spices make this simple dessert shine.

Strawberries and rhubarb are a classic springtime combo, but you could use cherries or apricots if you prefer. Baking this pretty galette on a heated surface like a baking stone creates a crisp, sturdy bottom.

This cake is a spin on bizcocho mojadito, which is often served at celebrations in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. We made this gluten-free almond cake using a cup-for-cup blend with xanthan gum, such as King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour. If gluten-free isn't your priority, you can substitute 1 cup all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup white whole-wheat flour for the GF flour.

This mint chocolate cake is an homage to Andes Crème de Menthe Thins. It's rich and quite easy to whip up. Add a touch of food coloring to make the mint buttercream filling pale green if you'd like.

This grown-up version of ice cream cake is a little sweet and a little salty. The yogurt cake gets its distinct flavor from freeze-dried banana slices--they can be pulverized into a powder (unlike regular dried bananas, which have a chewy texture).

No one will guess that this moist, decadent devil's food cake is vegan. Aquafaba, the liquid from canned chickpeas, is the secret to whipping up the gloriously light buttercream-like frosting on this vegan chocolate cake.

Be sure that your tube pan is free from any grease or flour--the batter for this homemade angel food cake needs to be able to climb the sides of the pan as it bakes to hold its structure.

A double dose of lemon juice and zest brings fresh and tangy flavor to these easy brownies. They're the perfect dessert for any holiday or special occasion--or when you just need a little something to brighten your day.

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).