You may be surprised to learn that while I eat as healthy as possible, I love dessert and have something sweet daily. Indulging my sweet tooth doesn’t mean eating processed sugars, which can wreak havoc on your cortisol levels and blood sugar and leave you feeling wired. Instead, I focus on unprocessed, whole food sugars in my desserts and baking, and my goal is to encourage all of you to do the same. Here are my top tips for getting creative with delicious desserts for a sweet summer.
Say yes to the date. Dates are nature’s candy. Full of essential minerals and nutrients, and low on the glycemic index, they’re an excellent choice for a healthier dessert. I use them in everything, including pie crusts, date caramel, date snickers bark, and peanut butter stuffed dates. Add a little chocolate and a sprinkle of sea salt and you have the perfect sweet treat.
Switch to unrefined low-glycemic sugars. If I could encourage you all to make one swap it would be to toss your white and brown sugars and choose coconut sugar, maple syrup, and date sugar instead. These sugars are much lower on the glycemic index, meaning they won’t spike and crash your blood sugar. When substituting coconut, date, or maple sugars, I use a cup-for-cup ratio.
Eat the rainbow at dessert time, too. There are so many creative and colorful desserts to make with whole food ingredients. I love to blend nuts, seeds, coconut, and dates, add a sprinkle of butterfly pea protein or blended freeze-dried strawberries and make delicious energy balls that are easy to grab and go in summer. Ice cream is another way to keep it simple in the kitchen, but also have a nutritious dessert. I blend frozen bananas or mango to make “soft serve” and then create a whole sundae bar with healthy toppings, like carob chips and cacao nibs, goji berries, puffed quinoa or rice, and date caramel and chocolate sauce. My kids also love crumbled gluten-free graham crackers (we love the Simple Mills Sweet Thins) and Marshmallow Fluff, like Toonie Moonie. This twist on a traditional sundae bar is fun, filled with nutrients and fiber (to help slow the sugar as it hits your bloodstream), and absolutely delicious. Try it at your next pool party!
Don’t cave, crumble. While I typically espouse fruit on an empty stomach for optimal digestion, I’ll admit that my favorite dessert is easily a summer fruit crumble or cobbler, and I make them all season long. The berries and stone fruits are just so beautiful and delicious when baked or roasted, and I love to make my famous gluten-free and refined sugar-free crumble dough. It’s always such a hit when I entertain, and you can mix any fruit you like. My favorite is blueberries and peaches.
Coconut Carob Magic Cookie Bars
This is one of my favorite desserts to have on hand all summer long. It’s from my book Healthy With a Side of Happy and yields 16 bars.
Ingredients
8 Tbsp coconut oil (melted), plus more for greasing
1 cup coconut flour
1 cup almond flour
2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
2 cups carob chips
3 Tbsp date syrup
¼ cup sweetened condensed coconut milk
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease an 8-inch-square or similar size baking pan with coconut oil. Cut two pieces of parchment paper 3 to 4 inches larger than prepared baking pan. Lay one of the parchment pieces across pan, allowing excess parchment to hang over sides. Repeat with second layer of parchment, perpendicular to first.
2. In a food processor, combine coconut flour, almond flour, and melted coconut oil. Pulse briefly to combine, then continue to pulse or process until dough forms, similar to the texture of damp sand; when squeezed between your fingers, it should hold together.
3. Press crust mixture into an even layer over bottom of prepared pan. Bake crust for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and dry. Remove from oven (keep oven on) and allow crust to cool completely, at least 15 minutes.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together coconut flakes and carob chips. Stir in date syrup and sweetened condensed coconut milk until fully combined. Evenly spread mixture on cooled crust and return pan to oven. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until coconut is lightly toasted and fragrant. Allow cake to cool for at least 2 hours, then use overhanging parchment to remove it from pan and set on a cutting board. Cut into squares and serve. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Sabrina Rudin
