Low-Fat Bar & Cookie Recipes

Perfect meringues depend on totally yolk-free whites. The seemingly fussy step of separating each egg into a small bowl before combining them guarantees yolk-free whites for bakeshop-quality meringues every time. These crispy little morsels travel well and make great gifts too.

Perfect meringues depend on totally yolk-free whites. The seemingly fussy step of separating each egg into a small bowl before combining them guarantees yolk-free whites for bakeshop-quality meringues every time. These crispy little morsels travel well and make great gifts too.

French novelist and notorious shut-in Marcel Proust was passionate about the plump little cakelike cookies called madeleines. Perhaps the aroma of this chocolate version baking would have drawn him out of his room.

The deep flavors of molasses, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg make these wholesome pumpkin cookies delicious without the addition of butter--and they lend themselves beautifully to the inclusion of whole-wheat flour. They are also the perfect texture for a sandwich cookie--fill them with a slightly sweetened cream cheese frosting.

Packed with dried cranberries and low-fat granola, these firm bars are excellent travelers, full of complex carbohydrates, vitamins and trace minerals.

These tiny, lemon-flavored meringues must be cooked slowly so their outsides are powdery and crisp, while the insides are chewy and yielding. Serve with sorbet.

Cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg add lots of flavor to these rich pumpkin cookies.

If these devilishly chocolaty cookies don't get gobbled the day they are baked, store them, well-wrapped, in the freezer.

Applesauce rounds out the flavor of this quick, low-fat remake of classic oatmeal cookies.

Full of oats, nuts and raisins, these chewy oatmeal raisin cookies can be enjoyed any day of the week.

Dates add a sweet counterpoint to these spicy gingerbread cookies.

Authentic biscotti are low in fat and easy to make. To achieve the characteristic crisp texture, they are “twice-cooked,” first as a log, then again as slices. These fragrant spiced biscotti are excellent dipped in a steaming cup of tea or coffee.

These wholesome cinnamon-sugar-crusted apple-oatmeal cookies--without a gram of saturated fat--make snack time enjoyable for everybody.

These brownies are a high-energy treat you can pack in your lunch bag or tuck into your fanny pack when you are out walking. Wrap cooled brownies individually for fast picnic assembly or lunchbox fill-ups.

These festive sugar cookies are proof that you can add whole-wheat flour to a baked good without anyone ever knowing it. We've replaced some of the butter with healthier canola oil, cutting the saturated fat by about 75%. They freeze well so you may want to consider making extras to have on hand for a sweet treat.

Redolent of cloves and ginger, these chewy molasses cookies are great for after school snacks.

A shortbread base is topped with raspberries swirled with a lemony yogurt “cream.”

These updated lemon squares are sure to be the hit of any picnic or potluck. We've improved the shortbread crust by using white whole-wheat flour and a butter-canola oil blend to cut saturated fat. The velvety filling has fewer eggs and gets a flavor boost from freshly grated lemon zest.

These Sicilian Christmas cookies are filled with dried fruit and almonds.

The first time I spent Christmas far away from home I was working in Texas. The combination of newfound friends and cinnamon-flavored Mexican chocolate warmed my heart and kept the homesickness at bay. For these meringues, use Dutch-process cocoa, which has a mellower flavor than American-style.