I'm not going to claim that indulging in a sugary treat is good for your health, but in moderation it's not going to undo all your hard work either. The decadent desserts on the blog today have some healthier alternatives to sugar, but before we dive into our delicious desserts, let's chat about sugar for a sec.
While none of us need sugar it's nearly impossible to avoid. The US Dietary Guidelines states that an adult diet of 2000 calories per day should have less than 12.5 teaspoons of added sugar per day. And the American Health Association gives a more blanket prospective based off gender: 9 teaspoons for men and 6 teaspoons for women.
What is the difference between added sugar and natural sugar anyway? Natural sugars occur in whole foods, like fruit (fructose), and come with other health benefits such as antioxidants, various vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Milk (lactose) and milk products, like yogurt, contains another form of natural sugar. Added sugar is any sweetener that is added to foods or drinks during the production or us adding sugar to our coffee, tea, cereal, etc.
I always try to minimize my sugar intake, including simple carbohydrates (white flour, pasta & rice) that turn to sugar (glucose), but there are even times that we could/should avoid natural sugars too. Some examples include inflammation, weight gain, diabetes, and high blood pressure. The biggest one is excessive candida - a yeast overgrowth.
Candida literally feeds off sugar of any kind, so it's imperative to watch your consumption of sugar if you're doing a candida cleanse. Testing for candida isn't the easiest in the western medicine world. A natural or functional medicine doc can help, or my personal preference, someone who does muscle testing. Muscle testing is super quick without having to send stool samples off to a lab. If you have unexplained weight gain or you're eating clean and exercising but still seem to be packing on the pounds chances are you have candida. It's not uncommon with our western diets and it doesn't mean you've necessarily done anything wrong, and it certainly doesn't make you a bad person. In fact candida lives in all of us, it's not a problem, until it's a problem.
I shared all that about sugar so you can make an informed choice, that's what knowledge is all about, right? Like I mentioned before all of these decadent desserts have sugar alternatives, and are on the healthier side for a dessert without compromising on the flavor, so hopefully you'll feel less guilt when enjoying.
Common Sugar Substitutes:
Honey
Agave
Monk Fruit
Date Paste
Maple Syrup
Stevia in the Raw
Coconut Hot Chocolate
Ingredients - Hot Chocolate
1c Coconut Milk
2–3 scoops of Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1–2 toothpicks Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil
2–3 tbls Sugar or Agave
Ingredients - Coconut Whipped Cream
1 (13oz) can Coconut Milk
1 tbls Sugar or Sugar Alternative (optional)
Instructions
- Start the whipped cream by refrigerating the can of coconut milk overnight. Open can and put the thick chunks in a bowl. Set aside the remaining milky liquid substance for making hot chocolate.
- Add optional sweetener to the coconut cream chunks. Using a hand mixer, beat until you get a light, whipped texture. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, put the remaining liquid coconut milk from the can, or coconut milk from a carton. Warm to desired temperature. (milk from the can it will be a more creamy hot chocolate)
- Once warm, add in cocoa powder and sweetener.
- Dip a toothpick in the Cinnamon Bark oil bottle and swirl in mixture.
- Place a dollop of fresh coconut whipped cream onto your hot cocoa, and enjoy!
Tip: Freeze the whipped cream into fun shaped silicone molds. You can use your favorite cocoa mix instead of cocoa powder.
Chocolate Dipped Cookies (or whatever you want)
Ingredients
Favorite Melting Chocolate (chips/wafers/bars)
Desired Dippers: Cookies, Wafers, Pretzels, Strawberries, Pineapple, Banana, Marshmallow
(there is no wrong answer here - this is completely up to you)
Instructions
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer.
2. Add chocolate in a dry metal or glass bowl that fits on top of the pot of water. Note you do NOT want steam to have contact with the chocolate.
3. Place the chocolate filled bowl onto the top of the pot of simmering water.
4. Stir frequently until melted, then remove from heat.
5. Add 1-2 drops of essential oil of choice
6. Dip and place on parchment paper to cool in refrigerator to enjoy later or dip and enjoy.
Chocolate Truffles
Ingredients
125 grams (around 4.5oz) 65% Cocoa Dark Chocolate
4 tbls Almond Milk
1 tsp Refined Coconut Oil
2 tbls Maple Syrup
½ tsp Almond Extract
1 drop Wild Orange Essential Oil
Freeze-Dried Raspberries
Instructions
- Combine almond milk, coconut oil, maple syrup, and almond extract in a small saucepan on low heat.
- Stir until ingredients are combined, but do not boil.
- Break up chocolate into a glass mixing bowl and pour hot ingredients over chocolate.
- Stir until smooth, then add Wild Orange oil to taste. Place mixture in the refrigerator and let cool for 3 hours, or until the mixture is firm enough to hold shape.
- Using a spoon, form chocolate into balls and roll over crushed dried raspberries. Place back in refrigerator for another 30 minutes, then remove and enjoy.
Tips: The dried raspberries covering the truffles are beautiful, but feel free to experiment with dried coconut flakes, crushed nuts, and (for real dark chocolate lovers) cocoa powder! You can also use freeze-dried raspberry powder in lieu of freeze-dried raspberries.
Chocolate Avocado Mousse
Ingredients
2 bars (or 6oz) Dairy-Free Fine Chocolate
2 large Ripe Avocados
2 tbls Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
1 Vanilla Bean Pod
6 tbls Maple Syrup
¼–½ c Sugar
1 (5.4 oz) Coconut Cream
6–12 drops Peppermint Essential Oil
Instructions
- Cut one bar in half, reserving half of one bar for shavings.
- Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the base doesn’t touch the water.
- Break the remaining chocolate into the bowl and stir, allowing it to melt.
- Once melted, set aside to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, halve and deseed the avocados, then scoop the flesh into a food processor or blender, discarding the skins.
- Split the vanilla bean pod down the middle, scoop out the beans, and add them to the food processor.
- Add the remaining ingredients and pulse for a few seconds. Scrape down the sides with a spatula, then pulse again to combine.
- Pour in the cooled chocolate, then pulse a final time until creamy and smooth.
- Put into desired serve ware, then pop in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes. Serve with an extra grating of chocolate.
Tip: For a different flavor, try using Lavender oil instead of Peppermint.
Blood Orange Parfait
Ingredients
1 Blood Orange
2 c Yogurt
1/2 c Granola
2 tbls Chia Seeds
3-4 Drops Red Mandarin Essential Oil
Substitute oils: Wild Orange, Green Mandarin, Grapefruit, Tangerine
Instructions
- Peel and slice blood oranges into halves.
- Mix 3-4 drops of Red Mandarin essential oil into yogurt.
- In two cups, place a layer of yogurt in each.
- Sprinkle a layer of granola and chia seeds in each cup.
- Add a second layer of yogurt in each cup.
- Top with granola, chia seeds, and blood oranges. Enjoy! (Serves 2).
Regardless of which recipe or recipes you try I hope you...
xoDanette