Healthy, Quick & Easy Dessert Recipes

Crisp and chewy, this bar is a good-for-you alternative to store-bought cereal bars. The secret ingredient, silken tofu, will give your day a protein-packed start. The recipe also works with other fruit-and-nut combinations.

This frothy delight is a great summer treat when the summer heat makes hot coffee less appealing.

Patti Anderson, a professional quilter, had never entered a cooking contest before she took our challenge. This quick, no-fuss, chewy chocolate cookie is made on your waffle iron. No need to haul out the big mixer, you can mix the batter with a small hand mixer or even by hand. Kids love these!

"I was inspired by the news that chocolate can be good for you," wrote reader Jennifer Sanders of Cambridge, Ontario. "Why not eat it for breakfast?" She shared her recipe for this heart-warming chocolaty hot cereal. If you are looking for a way to get your kids to start their day with a bowl of oatmeal, this is it. The microwave is convenient, but you can also cook the oatmeal on the stovetop following package directions. Top the cereal with milk or soymilk and sweeten with brown sugar or no-calorie sweetener, if desired.

This warm pudding has a marvelous deep chocolaty flavor, but it's low in fat and super-quick to make. Don't skimp on the quality of cocoa with this one--treat yourself to the good stuff.

We like to use chocolate with 60-72% cacao content in these rich, fudgelike brownies, as it imparts a deeper, fuller flavor than less-chocolaty choices. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

Rich, creamy and thick enough that you may want to scoop it with a spoon, this European-style drinking chocolate is something different from the usual hot cocoa. Serve it in a demitasse or espresso cup for an elegant treat.

A little low fat dairy and some vitamin-rich fruit and you've just started your day right, nutritionally speaking.

Blending vanilla yogurt and reduced-fat cream cheese creates a topping that's as virtuous as it is delicious. Any fresh berry can be used in this recipe.

We like to use chopped frozen peaches, but you can use frozen berries or whatever frozen fruit you have on hand in this ultra-quick frozen yogurt that is made without an ice cream maker.

You won't mind serving dessert on a busy weeknight after assembling these quick parfaits.

Frances Van Vynckt, 78, combined dates, toasted rice cereal and coconut into an easy no-bake treat that won EatingWell's 2008 cookie contest.

Sweet satisfaction in seconds.

The bananas have to get in and out of the pan in 1 1/2 minutes, no longer, so they stay firm in the center. If you are cooking for 4, you can easily double the recipe; it is important not to crowd the skillet, so get everything ready to go and make it in 2 batches.

This simple dessert works any time of the year, but its flavors will be the best and brightest in the winter when oranges are at their peak.

You don't have to sit around a fire to enjoy s'mores. Just be sure to watch them carefully under the broiler--the marshmallows can go from perfectly toasted to charcoal in a hurry.

Your kids will love helping you make these peanut butter-graham treats.

This rich, healthy chocolate shake recipe is dairy-free and gets its creaminess from avocado instead of ice cream. If you aren't avoiding dairy, you can use regular low-fat milk and any type of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips in place of the nondairy chocolate chips.

Take a trip to the tropics with our piña colada inspired parfait. It even makes a great breakfast when you need a sunny start to your day.

Pudding snack cups are great to have on hand for those times when nothing but a smooth and creamy treat will satisfy. Substitute your favorite nut for the pistachios if you prefer.