Low-Calorie Thanksgiving Desserts

Indulge your PSL obsession with these pumpkin spice cookies. Instant espresso powder gives these soft, cakey cookies a subtle yet recognizable coffee flavor. Spread with cream cheese frosting (with more pumpkin pie spice flavors) and sprinkle with cinnamon to finish. And, go ahead, drink a pumpkin spice latte while you eat them for the full PSL experience. After all, it's only fall for so long (though we'd eat these cookies year-round). To make these cookies kid-friendly, simply omit the espresso powder.

These pretty little two-bite almond and pear tarts are perfect for party buffets, especially in the fall when pears are in season. Thinly slicing the pears lets you roll up the tarts more neatly, giving you a bakery-worthy presentation. If you have a mandoline, this is a good time to pull it out. Cold puff pastry is important to ensure you get irresistibly flaky results. Want to make this easy, healthy dessert gluten-free? Just swap in gluten-free puff pastry, found in the freezer section of most grocery stores. And don't forget to use an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend to roll it out!

One batch of dough does double duty as both the crust and streusel topping to make one of the easiest desserts around.

Here's a simple recipe for low-fat vanilla ice cream. Our version has all the richness you'll need but about 90 fewer calories than store-bought premium ice cream and a whopping 15 grams less total fat and 10 grams less saturated fat per serving.

In this healthy take on apple pie, egg roll wrappers stand in for pie crust, saving you calories and the headache of rolling out dough. We like to use Granny Smith apples because they hold their shape and provide tart balance to the sweet filling. Try dipping these handheld crispy treats in whipped cream.

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.

This low-fat crustless pumpkin pie is a perfect dessert for the dieters at your holiday meal or people who are watching their carbs.

Inspired by the old-school, ultra-rich, mousselike chocolate cake that usually called for a whole pound of chocolate, half a dozen eggs and lots of butter, this enlightened rendition has deep bittersweet chocolate flavor and dense melt-in-your-mouth texture. No one will guess it's healthier. The secret is excellent natural cocoa powder and good-quality bittersweet chocolate, preferably with 70% cacao. Although the cake can be eaten once it's completely cool, it comes out of the pan much easier and even tastes better if it has been chilled at least overnight.

Skip the bottom crust to save time and carbs by making mini baked stuff apple pies.