Desserts are a must-have in our family. Here we have quick, easy, and healthy dessert recipes that you can make for your baby and toddler but that the whole family will enjoy.
Traditional vs. Healthy Dessert Recipes
A Sunday lunch isn't complete without dessert. And then we pretty much eat the leftovers throughout the week. Yes, that's how much dessert we make for a Sunday :D.
But since I've had my son and he started weaning, I've become more conscious about the sweets and treats we put in our bodies. And while desserts are not just part of a family gathering but also a kind of comfort food, we still want to make them as healthy as possible.
That's because sugar really has no nutritional value. So I don't want my son to get used to eating it. But I also don't want him sitting beside us and watching us eating a dessert he doesn't get to have.
So we've kind of adapted to him and started making healthier desserts. Although my husband still sneaks some chocolate and ice-cream as he "wants to leave more for the baby". But he's getting used to it!
So I've compiled a list of my 6 favorite healthy dessert recipes which are pretty easy to make and that I want to share with you.
1. Blueberry Oat Cakes
This was actually one of the first finger foods I gave to my son. And it worked really well with him so I started to make them on a weekly basis. Sneaking a few in for me as well. And then I figured that they're also a great healthy dessert recipe.
Even though they don't have any sweeteners in the ingredients the banana and hazelnut butter give it a specific taste that doesn't really need an additional sweetener. But of course, you can add some agave syrup, coconut sugar, maple syrup, or honey (if your child is older than 1).
They're really nutritious and provide a good amount of energy so I sometimes even grab them for myself as a quick snack when I'm running around.
You can also store them in the fridge for days or make a huge batch in advance and freeze them for the future. You know, those days when nothing seems to be going your way and you're thankful you have a food stash 😀 .
2. Healthy Nutella
This one's a classic for us so we make it really often. Mainly because I love making hazelnut butter as it's one of my favorite nut butters so when I'm near the end I just leave a bit of hazelnut butter in the blender and add the ingredients for the healthy nutella.
Even though it's not a stand-alone dessert, we use it for all kinds of meals.
A topping for a breakfast porridge, spread on wholegrain bread or topping for healthy spinach pancakes or healthy banana chia pancakes.
I've even used it as a spread on top of cakes. And we adults have eaten it with a spoon in front of the tv on those nights when we didn't have anything sweet in the house.
3. Healthy Ferrero Treats
I remember the first time I made this as a test recipe. They were gone within minutes. I was lucky to be able to take a picture before the plate was empty.
It was actually a result of leftovers from the healthy Nutella recipes since I wanted to make something that we could serve as quick one-bite desserts.
And since we love our Healthy Nutella so much, something that resembles it was the obvious choice.
I have to say I don't really like rolling the Ferrero balls because it's a really boring process but here's where your toddlers come handy. It's a great way to include them in the whole preparation process and give them a feeling of accomplishment once they get to taste what they've made.
4. Healthy Gingerbread Cookies
Another healthy dessert recipe I love because it is so easy to make and yet so delicious.
It is another great recipe to make with your toddler (especially if you have a learning tower) as you can let them break eggs, mix the dry ingredients, mix the wet ingredients and even mix them all together.
This is actually one of the recipes we made for Christmas but it is great to make all year round.
5. Healthy Muffins
A delicious healthy dessert muffin recipe full of nutritious ingredients such as spelt flour, rye flour, coconut oil, banana and a natural sweetener such as agave syrup.
Again, a fun recipe to make with you toddler in the learning tower. Also, super quick with about a 20 minutes preparation time and a 20 minute baking time.
6. Yogurt Berry Snack
This one's a spring and summer classic. And a great way to add to the dairy (protein, calcium, fat) consumption of your children. And yourself.
The trick is to choose a firm yogurt like greek yogurt or skyr (although skyr doesn't have much fat so maybe not the best choice for babies) and some fresh berries. Frozen ones might release too much water and make the whole mixture watery and soggy.
The only downside to this dessert is that you can't really take it as an on-the-go snack because it's really best eaten straight from the freezer. But that's also the beauty of it. It's always there when you're at home thinking you don't have time to prepare dessert alongside your lunch and/or dinner. Just open the freezer and there's your yogurt berry snack.
Final Note
Even though we're not healthy-dessert-only or no sugar/fat/white flour type of people, we do like to balance our food between the nutritious/healthy and the just-for-the-taste foods. Because that's what healthy nutrition really is about – balance.
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