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How can Christmas arrive so quickly, we thought the year had just begun?! Well, we don’t want to sound like we’re complaining about how fast time flies when the holiday season is one of the best times of the year.
Families reunite after months or years, lots of presents to wrap and open, witness the kids experience the magic of Santa Claus… Not to mention, holidays also mean well-deserved breaks from all our school and work!
Indeed, there are many things to be excited about this December. Obviously, we purposely saved the food as last on our list of things to anticipate, especially sweet, indulgent desserts.
A lot of people tend to feel nervous about the holidays as this can mean over eating at Christmas dinners but fear not. You can serve up healthy desserts that are easy to make as they are nutritious. Check out these dessert recipes that will delight any child or adult!
More delicious and healthy recipe ideas for you:
- 20 Easy and Healthy Weeknight Dinners
- 20 Easy and Healthy Lunch Ideas for Work
- 15 Easy and Healthy Breakfast Ideas For Busy Mornings
Pin this image so you can come back to these healthy and delicious Christmas desserts!
1. Low Sugar Reindeer Cookies
Recipe by Kindly Unspoken
Santa’s coming to town and we all know who he’s traveling around the world with. That’s right, fast reindeer flying everywhere!
These reindeer cookies don’t fly, but they will definitely be a huge hit on dinner tables during the holiday season. You won’t even have to prepare so many ingredients to decorate them, and they use less than half a cup of sugar. These delicious cookies also have nutty flavors from the peanut butter and some sweetness from melted chocolate.
With mini pretzels as their ears and an M&M for their nose, you’ve got a simple cookie recipe made to taste delicious and look adorable. Oh, don’t forget the candy eyes to give those reindeer some life!
2. Dark Chocolate Fruit And Nut Bark
Recipe by Baker’s Table
Up for something a bit fancier for a grown-up holiday dinner? Kick things up a notch with a classic chocolate bark filled with wholesome ingredients like dried fruits, nuts, and coconut flakes. Take a nice, big bite and you’ve got a myriad of flavors coming right at you, from sweet, salty, and nutty, to a hint of earthiness and tanginess, too!
Don’t let the aesthetic of these chocolate barks fool you, because they are so easy to make! With such nutritious ingredients, you’ve got a dessert that tastes good AND is great for the body.
The nuts contain heart-healthy unsaturated fats while the dried fruits contain fiber and antioxidants that can help lower the risks of diseases. What’s not to love?
3. Matcha Grinch Cookies
Recipe by Everyday Dishes
Kids think the Grinch was such a villain only to end up with a big heart at the end of the movie. That’s why the Grinch deserves to be recognized as the good being he is, and these delicious matcha cookies will do just the trick!
Sure, the Grinch may not be as cuddly or charming as the rest of the Whos in Whoville, but once everyone sees these cookies, they will be extremely popular come dessert time!
4. Healthy Gingerbread Mousse Dessert
Recipe by The Almond Eater
It’s gingerbread season indeed, where you can make virtually any dessert with the warm spice combination! This gingerbread mousse recipe is another fantastic way to cap off your holiday dinner, with something rich but still nutritious.
It’s an addictive dessert people won’t get enough of and one of the easiest Christmas desserts even newcomers in the kitchen can make. We recommend making a big batch to accommodate those who may want seconds (because who isn’t guilty of grabbing another one during Christmas?).
5. Hazelnut Chocolate Balls
Recipe by The Conscious Plant Kitchen
Ferrero Rocher? We don’t know that chocolate ever since we found this hazelnut chocolate ball recipe! These aren’t only delicious desserts to replace store-bought chocolate, but something healthier you can munch on for snack or dessert.
These hazelnut chocolate balls are made of nutritious ingredients that help boost energy levels, great for pre-workout or to enjoy after meals as a clean dessert. Moreover, they are paleo-friendly, as well as free from any dairy and refined sugars!
All the ingredients offer surprising health benefits, including the dark chocolate you will use. You read that right, dark chocolate is packed with important minerals and antioxidant properties, which can help with our bones, teeth, and sleep quality!
6. Healthy Gingerbread Cookies
Recipe by Amy’s Healthy Baking
If you’re a cookie lover, gingerbread cookies are the most popular Christmas cookies to bake! Gingerbread is heavily associated with this holiday because of the warm spices it’s made of, perfect for the cold weather. Ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon make a fantastic combination, especially when sweetened with just a bit of stevia.
These cookies aren’t just your ordinary gingerbread cookies, though. They contain the traditional cozy spices and sweet flavor but each cookie only has 52 calories with lower sugar levels from using no-calorie sweetener. After making these cookies, have the children join in if you plan to decorate them!
7. Red Velvet Cake
Recipe by Dani’s Cooking
Red velvet cake is a well-loved cake by many, and this recipe doesn’t disappoint. This is a healthier version of the famous cake, thanks to simply substituting a few classic ingredients with more nutritious ones. It’s made with coconut sugar, spelt flour, beetroot flour, olive oil, and natural cocoa powder!
The secret to this cake’s moist and tender texture? Buttermilk and vinegar! It lives up to this name with its velvety feel in every bite.
8. Vegan Molasses Cookies
Recipe by It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken
It only takes one bowl, half an hour, and ten ingredients for you to make these cookies and serve them straight out of the oven.
It’s the simplicity of this cookie recipe that makes it a lovely dessert for the holiday season. They are chewy on the inside yet crisp on the outside, tasting like ginger and molasses all throughout. Serve ‘em while they’re still hot or take them with you to munch on while taking a break from work.
9. Gluten-Free Chocolate Turtle Cookies
Recipe by Barefeet in the Kitchen
Despite the name, these cookies are NOT made of turtles, so don’t worry! Turtle cookies are actually chocolate cookies rolled in pecans and then topped with caramel and melted chocolates. They are addicting as they are sweet and chewy, with a lot of caramel and nutty flavors in every bite.
The mix of chocolate, caramel, and pecan is so irresistible, that everyone in your family will grab one (or ten)!
10. Cinnamon Coconut Chips
Recipe by Natalie’s Health
This recipe may not completely replace potato chips, but it sure is a nutritive snack or dessert! For the sweet tooths looking for something to pair movie nights with, this is a great option. You’ll reap a ton of benefits from these chips, as coconuts are filled with vitamins and minerals almost everyone needs.
Moreover, these coconut chips are vegan, gluten-free, and made without any refined sugars. All you need are five ingredients and less than 15 minutes of your time to have a simple, yummy dessert.
11. Healthy Shortbread Cookies
Recipe by Kirbie’s Cravings
Shortbread cookies are another fan favorite this holiday season and for good reasons! They are so easy to make and made with ingredients anyone already has stocked in their kitchen. Did you know that this recipe, in particular, only uses TWO ingredients?
It has no white flour, eggs, butter, or any refined sugars, but they still come out deliciously crispy and crumbly. All you need is super fine almond flour and maple syrup to have a batch of cookies you can serve after dinner.
12. Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Recipe by Haute & Healthy Living
Whether it’s for a romantic holiday date night or a dinner with loved ones, nothing says “FANCY!” more than dark chocolate-covered strawberries. You won’t need to make life complicated in the kitchen as you prepare this dessert, because you only need three ingredients.
Enjoy the sweetness of the chocolates, the tartness of strawberries, and the slight savory and nutty flavors of the walnuts! These strawberries will look divine with your beautiful dinner setup, especially with candles and a nice glass of wine.
13. Gingerbread Hot Chocolate
Recipe by Rainbow Plant Life
When we hear Christmas, we hear gingerbread and a cup of hot chocolate during cold nights with loved ones and a movie marathon. Why not combine both gingerbread and hot chocolate with this recipe? Every sip will have you and your guests sliding down the couch in absolute comfort!
Hot chocolate doesn’t need to be so indulgent though, because this recipe amps up the nutrition with hearty ingredients like blackstrap molasses, raw cacao powder, and arrowroot powder, which is the secret to the drink’s creaminess.
14. Paleo Brownies
Recipe by Organically Addison
This would be an incomplete list without a big pan of rich, chocolatey brownies! Your guests will love digging into these decadent brownies with a crinkle top that adds to their crispness as you take a bite. They are ooey gooey brownies you can proudly say you made from scratch.
It’s so easy to make and a foolproof recipe made with paleo-friendly ingredients like grass-fed butter, coconut sugar, and tapioca flour. Have it with a glass of almond milk or coffee to properly down this fudgy brownie.
15. Healthy M&M Christmas Cookies
Recipe by Texanerin Baking
Hold up! M&M cookies can be healthy? They sure can with this recipe! These are moist and chewy M&M Christmas cookies made with coconut sugar, coconut oil, and whole wheat flour. Even with the healthier ingredients, no one will tell the cookies are whole grain and dairy-free!
You’ve also got oatmeal to improve the texture, which is what helps make the cookies chewier and more nutritious.
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