The holiday season means sugary sweets and holiday treats will be everywhere. So if you’re craving some classic festive cookies and desserts, but still want to keep your diet clean this winter, then the solution is simple: Whip up some better-for-you snacks of your own.
Not only are these treats have better macros than whatever’s bound to end up in your stocking, but they follow the age-old advice that if you want something you should make it yourself. Seriously, any elf on the shelf can go and purchase a box of gingerbread cookies but if you actually take the time to bake it then you’ve more than earned a quick snack.
Here are 10 of my favorite classic holiday treats, which have been made healthier and lower-calorie than usual thanks to some clever swaps from registered dietitians.
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6 Ways to Keep Your Diet on Track for the Holiday
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10 Clean Holiday Treat Recipes to Get Festive Without Getting Fat </p>
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<p class="slide-count desktop-hidden">1 of 10</p><img width="1109" height="614" src="/uploadfile/2024/1207/20241207123846369.jpg"><p class="photo-credit">Martha Graham</p>Apple Pecan Bread Pudding
This bread pudding features whole grain bread for extra fiber, and is sweetened with apple sauce instead of sugar. It’s loaded with real fruit from the diced apple and dried cranberries, and healthy fats and fiber from the pecans. Compared to other nuts, pecans are highest in gamma-tocepherols, a type of vitamin E that could boost heart health.Check out the recipe for apple pecan bread pudding here.
Marie C Fields
Healthyish Gingerbread Men Cookies
These gingerbread men are made healthier thanks to whole-wheat flour. They also have less sugar than the classic recipe. Plus, you’re getting the benefits of ginger, cloves, and nutmeg—spices that could help boost your immune system.Check out the recipe for healthyish gingerbread men cookies here.
Vladislav Noseek
Blueberry Protein Cheesecake
The calorie- and fat-dense traditional cheesecake recipe is lightened up in this version by using some light cream cheese, nonfat yogurt, and cottage cheese for extra protein. Topping your cheesecake with fresh blueberries means you’re getting plenty of antioxidants in your dessert. Plus, they add an extra kick of vitamin C—which can’t hurt during cold and flu season.Check out the recipe for blueberry protein cheesecake here.
MikhalchukStudio
Almond Flour Cinnamon Rolls
These healthy cinnamon rolls use almond flour as a base instead of refined white flour. This means they cause less of a blood sugar spike and have a rich nutty taste. The frosting swaps Greek yogurt for butter, making for a lighter yet delicious cream cheese frosting.Check out the recipe for almond flour cinnamon rolls here.
Mike Parolini
4-Ingredient Pretzel Peanut Butter Bites
These tasty treats have only four ingredients: peanut butter, honey, dark chocolate, and whole-wheat pretzels for extra fiber. Peanut butter is rich in vitamin E, as well as magnesium, which is a co-factor in protein synthesis, and muscle and nerve function. PB is also rich in potassium, which is a key player in skeletal and smooth muscle contraction.Check out the recipe for 4-ingredient pretzel peanut butter bites here.
Brent Hofacker
Healthy Ginger Orange Cranberry Bread
This healthier take on the popular holiday quick bread is bursting with cranberries, citrus flavor, and a hint of ginger spice. Thanks to the natural sweetness in the citrus, this bread incorporates no refined sugars and only 1/2 cup maple syrup. In place of butter, this recipe includes heart-healthy olive oil instead. Enjoy with a protein-rich serving of nut butter, and this cranberry bread is sure to keep you satisfied.Check out the recipe for healthy ginger orange cranberry bread here.
istetiana
Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse Shots
Smaller desserts mean you can eat more of them, right? When you make these cheesecakes in shot glasses, they become even easier to down. Fortunately, this is one dessert you can feel good about, thanks to all the protein from the Greek yogurt and silken tofu. Plus, the real pumpkin puree means you’re getting some beta-carotene in to counteract free radical damage. This is one of the few desserts you can sneak in as a post-workout snack.Check out the recipe for pumpkin cheesecake mousse shooters here.
Vladislav Noseek
Creamy Chocolate Truffles
These chocolate truffles are the perfect bite-size dessert made healthier with a secret (and super-surprising) ingredient: pureed cauliflower. (Trust me, it totally works.) This recipe for creamy truffles is naturally gluten-free and vegan-friendly, and counts as a veggie. What other dessert has that bragging right?Check out the recipe for creamy chocolate truffles here.
littlenySTOCK
Whole Wheat Lemon Cranberry Scones
These delicious scones are made with wholesome ingredients, and are free of any refined sugar. They feature whole-wheat flour for added fiber and nutrients, are lightly sweetened with maple syrup, and call for Greek yogurt as opposed to the usual buttermilk. Finally, they’re packed with antioxidant-rich cranberries that provide the perfect amount of tartness.Check out the recipe for whole wheat lemon cranberry scones here.
ElenaChaykinaPhotography
Pumpkin Date Brownies
These pumpkin date brownies are rich and fudgy, with a touch of pumpkin flavor that adds depth, but not so much that it’s overpowering. To make things even better, they’re higher in fiber and protein than your typical brownie, thanks to the black beans and pumpkin puree, with 6g of fiber and 5g of protein each. That means there’s no sugar crash after eating these beauties. They’re also vegan (just be sure to use vegan chocolate chips) and only 177 calories. Why not have two?Check out the recipe for pumpkin date brownies here.
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<h3 class="gallery-item__caption-title">Apple Pecan Bread Pudding</h3><p>This bread pudding features whole grain bread for extra fiber, and is sweetened with apple sauce instead of sugar. It’s loaded with real fruit from the diced apple and dried cranberries, and healthy fats and fiber from the pecans. Compared to other nuts, pecans are highest in gamma-tocepherols, a type of vitamin E that could boost heart health.</p>Check out the recipe for apple pecan bread pudding here.
Healthyish Gingerbread Men Cookies
These gingerbread men are made healthier thanks to whole-wheat flour. They also have less sugar than the classic recipe. Plus, you’re getting the benefits of ginger, cloves, and nutmeg—spices that could help boost your immune system.
Check out the recipe for healthyish gingerbread men cookies here.
Blueberry Protein Cheesecake
The calorie- and fat-dense traditional cheesecake recipe is lightened up in this version by using some light cream cheese, nonfat yogurt, and cottage cheese for extra protein. Topping your cheesecake with fresh blueberries means you’re getting plenty of antioxidants in your dessert. Plus, they add an extra kick of vitamin C—which can’t hurt during cold and flu season.
Check out the recipe for blueberry protein cheesecake here.
Almond Flour Cinnamon Rolls
These healthy cinnamon rolls use almond flour as a base instead of refined white flour. This means they cause less of a blood sugar spike and have a rich nutty taste. The frosting swaps Greek yogurt for butter, making for a lighter yet delicious cream cheese frosting.
Check out the recipe for almond flour cinnamon rolls here.
4-Ingredient Pretzel Peanut Butter Bites
These tasty treats have only four ingredients: peanut butter, honey, dark chocolate, and whole-wheat pretzels for extra fiber. Peanut butter is rich in vitamin E, as well as magnesium, which is a co-factor in protein synthesis, and muscle and nerve function. PB is also rich in potassium, which is a key player in skeletal and smooth muscle contraction.
Check out the recipe for 4-ingredient pretzel peanut butter bites here.
Healthy Ginger Orange Cranberry Bread
This healthier take on the popular holiday quick bread is bursting with cranberries, citrus flavor, and a hint of ginger spice. Thanks to the natural sweetness in the citrus, this bread incorporates no refined sugars and only 1/2 cup maple syrup. In place of butter, this recipe includes heart-healthy olive oil instead. Enjoy with a protein-rich serving of nut butter, and this cranberry bread is sure to keep you satisfied.
Check out the recipe for healthy ginger orange cranberry bread here.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse Shots
Smaller desserts mean you can eat more of them, right? When you make these cheesecakes in shot glasses, they become even easier to down. Fortunately, this is one dessert you can feel good about, thanks to all the protein from the Greek yogurt and silken tofu. Plus, the real pumpkin puree means you’re getting some beta-carotene in to counteract free radical damage. This is one of the few desserts you can sneak in as a post-workout snack.
Check out the recipe for pumpkin cheesecake mousse shooters here.
Creamy Chocolate Truffles
These chocolate truffles are the perfect bite-size dessert made healthier with a secret (and super-surprising) ingredient: pureed cauliflower. (Trust me, it totally works.) This recipe for creamy truffles is naturally gluten-free and vegan-friendly, and counts as a veggie. What other dessert has that bragging right?
Check out the recipe for creamy chocolate truffles here.
Whole Wheat Lemon Cranberry Scones
These delicious scones are made with wholesome ingredients, and are free of any refined sugar. They feature whole-wheat flour for added fiber and nutrients, are lightly sweetened with maple syrup, and call for Greek yogurt as opposed to the usual buttermilk. Finally, they’re packed with antioxidant-rich cranberries that provide the perfect amount of tartness.
Check out the recipe for whole wheat lemon cranberry scones here.
Pumpkin Date Brownies
These pumpkin date brownies are rich and fudgy, with a touch of pumpkin flavor that adds depth, but not so much that it’s overpowering. To make things even better, they’re higher in fiber and protein than your typical brownie, thanks to the black beans and pumpkin puree, with 6g of fiber and 5g of protein each. That means there’s no sugar crash after eating these beauties. They’re also vegan (just be sure to use vegan chocolate chips) and only 177 calories. Why not have two?
Check out the recipe for pumpkin date brownies here.