24 Healthy Christmas Treats for Kids

December 16, 2020

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Celebrate the holidays with these healthy Christmas treats for kids. These dessert and snack recipes feature plenty of seasonal flavors like peppermint and cinnamon. Recipes like Cranberry White Chocolate Popcorn and Peppermint-Chocolate Greek Yogurt Bark are delicious, fun and easy enough for kids to help make!

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Peppermint-Chocolate Greek Yogurt Bark

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This eye-catching frozen peppermint-chocolate bark was inspired by Williams Sonoma's Original Peppermint Bark--our loose interpretation of the treat is frozen and made with Greek yogurt, chocolate and crushed candy canes. For the creamiest bark, be sure to use full-fat yogurt, as fat-free yogurt can get icy when frozen. Serve this healthy dessert when you want all those festive holiday flavors in a lightened-up--and totally delicious--package. Just don't stuff your Christmas stockings with this bark because it melts quickly.

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Strawberry Nutella S'mores

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Upgrade classic s'mores when you use chocolate-hazelnut spread instead of a chocolate bar in this quick recipe. We also added fresh strawberries and swapped graham crackers for thin lemon cookies in a fun, healthy twist.

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Mini Gingerbread House Cookies

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Holiday cookies don't get any cuter than these mini gingerbread houses that kids and adults alike will love. Use a mini gingerbread house cookie cutter to cut out all the parts (the kids will love helping with this part), then build the houses and let the kids go to town decorating. Line up your finished creations to make a gingerbread house village, eat them up or prop them up on mugs of cocoa for dipping and munching.

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Chocolate Mint Fro-Yo Cupcakes

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We use nonfat chocolate frozen yogurt and peppermint extract to create a flavorful and light ice cream cupcake with a chocolate cookie crunch that captures the classic mint chocolate chip ice cream combination.

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Cranberry White Chocolate Popcorn

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Popcorn and chopped sweetened dried cranberries are tossed together and drizzled with white chocolate.

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Chocolate-Peppermint Energy Balls

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These festive no-cook energy balls have all the flavors you love in peppermint-chocolate bark but in healthy snack form. Whip up a batch for an office or after-school treat, or take them along to a holiday cookie swap. The recipe is easily doubled or even tripled. Be sure to store the bites at room temperature rather than the refrigerator--the moisture from the fridge will melt the candy cane coating.

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Crispy Peanut Butter Balls

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All you need are four simple ingredients to make healthier crispy peanut butter balls that kids and grownups will love. Make this easy recipe for a bite-size treat, on-the-go snack or easy homemade gift. You can swap the peanut butter for almond butter or even sunflower seed butter if you need a nut-free snack for school.

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Chocolate-Coconut Thumbprints

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These double-chocolate thumbprints are filled with chocolate ganache and topped with toasted coconut. The ganache will set as it sits, but won’t harden completely, so if you’re going to pack the cookies up, layer them between pieces of wax paper to prevent them from sticking.

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Vanilla Candy Cane Peppermint Bars

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These festive bars are easy to make for a cookie swap or holiday treats for friends and family.

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Snowman Meringue Cookies

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You've never made a snowman like this! These cute lightened-up cookies are awesome on their own, or float one in a cup of hot chocolate and watch it melt away. When making meringues, make sure that your bowl and beaters are clean and that there is not a trace of yolk in the egg white; the smallest amount of fat will prevent the egg whites from forming meringue. Depending on the humidity in your kitchen, the baking time might vary considerably. Check to make sure your cookies are crisp throughout before removing them from the oven.

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Hot Cocoa Microwave Popcorn

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When it's chilly outside, enjoy the best of two spectacular snacks with this delicately sweetened popcorn treat made in the microwave.

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Dark Chocolate S'more Apple Dippers

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You don't have to be sitting by a campfire to enjoy the taste of s'mores! Refreshing apple slices dipped in bittersweet chocolate and sprinkled with crushed graham crackers and miniature marshmallows make a delicious treat.

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Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

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Gluten-free flour stands in for regular flour in these crisp, festive cut-out cookies that taste amazing. To decorate, dust cookies with sanding sugar before you bake them or drizzle and pipe on royal icing once they've cooled.

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Raspberry-Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

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These cookies taste decadent, yet are made with ingredients that have healthful benefits: oats, almonds, fruit and chocolate. The thumbprints are versatile as well--use a different type of filling or different extracts to create a completely different cookie.

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Chocolate-Dipped Clementines

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Dip clementine segments into melted chocolate for a healthy dessert. Chopped crystallized ginger is a zesty garnish for this chocolate-dipped fruit recipe.

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Dark Chocolate-Peppermint Cupcakes with Whipped Frosting

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These appealing diabetic-friendly cupcakes are super easy to serve anytime. But when you want a real show stopper, try the Dark Chocolate-Peppermint Layer Cake option.

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Peppermint Mocha Chocolate Bark

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With just a few simple steps, you can transform plain chocolate into a divine treat with this chocolate bark recipe. We stir chopped peppermint candies and chocolate-covered espresso beans into this chocolate bark, which is perfect for a gift.

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Cherry-Cocoa-Pistachio Energy Balls

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Minced dried cherries and pistachios make these energy balls a salty-sweet snack to satisfy all your cravings. Almond butter and cocoa add substance and chocolaty appeal. Serve any time of day as a snack or dessert, or pack them for a hike.

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Cinnamon-Sugar Microwave Popcorn

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This easy cinnamon-sugar microwave popcorn recipe serves up a hint of something sweet in a whole-grain snack you can feel good about enjoying.

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Chocolate Snowcap Cookies

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This fudgy chocolate crinkle cookie recipe is a hit with chocolate lovers. Bake the cookies right after rolling them in confectioners' sugar: if they sit, the sugar absorbs into the dough and the rich chocolaty cookies lose their snowcapped look.

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Peanut Butter-Chocolate Apple Dippers

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Caramel apples are a delicious treat but can contain up to 60 grams of carbs. Satisfy your sweet craving with these lower-carb apple slices, dipped in peanut butter and sprinkled with chocolate pieces.

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S'mores Energy Balls

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These two-bite, protein-packed snacks have all the flavors of a campfire favorite rolled right in. Mini chocolate chips and graham cracker pieces are blended into the base mixture, while a mini marshmallow is tucked into the center. Even better, they're no-bake and you can make a big batch in about 30 minutes.

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Popcorn Crunch Mix

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This sweet and savory popcorn mix is ready in just 10 minutes and is a bit of a magic trick--it's so good it disappears right before your eyes! Honey-nut cereal squares, lightly-salted popcorn, and chocolaty peanuts are drizzled with melted chocolate and provide amazing taste in each bite.

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Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies

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This healthy gingerbread cut-out cookie recipe has all the flavor of traditional gingerbread cookies but incorporates white whole-wheat flour and uses less butter. Pull out all your cookie cutters and decorate these adorable cookies with natural decorating sugar and icing.

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