Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so today we’re chatting about healthy dessert recipes!
My hubby and I don’t get too crazy for Valentine’s Day. We’ll sometimes go on an adventurous date, like going kayaking in La Jolla as we did last year, or sometimes we’ll just have a nice dinner at home. To me, Valentine’s Day just serves as a reminder of what’s important in life. It should just be about spending time with the people you love – whether that be a spouse, your kids, your girlfriends, or even just dating yourself.
I’m not sure what we’ll be doing for V-Day this year yet, but if there’s one thing’s that for sure, it’s that I’ll be baking something fun surrounding the day of love…because I take advantage of any excuse to bake!
Baking is definitely a de-stressing activity for me, especially when I have time to get in the kitchen and just play around. As a healthy foodie, I like to substitute better-for-you ingredients into recipes to make them more wholesome. For instance, I’ll use maple syrup or coconut sugar instead of refined sugar, or I use oat flour instead of white flour. I love enjoying treats that I can feel good about eating!
I’ve rounded up 5 of my dessert recipes that would be perfect to make this Valentine’s Day, so let’s get to it!
1.) Chocolate Peanut Butter Brown Rice Crispy Squares. This healthier take on rice crispy treats has been a favorite in my household since I first posted the recipe on the blog last year. I mean, is there a better combination known to man than peanut butter + chocolate? In a word, NO! –> Get the recipe here
2.) Apple Pie Banana Bread. Made with oat flour and fresh cinnamon apple chunks, this banana bread is one of my favorite ways to use browned bananas. Sometimes I throw chocolate chips into the batter, but either way you make it, it’s delicious! –> Get the recipe here
3.) Double Chocolate Peppermint Brownies. The holiday season may be long over, but my love for peppermint is still going strong. Actually, I’ve had a thing for mint year-round for awhile now! These brownies are the perfect thing to bake for the mint lover in your life for V-Day. –> Get the recipe here
4.) Cinnamon Almond Butter Date Truffles. If you or your sweetie aren’t big chocolate people, these truffles may be just your cup of tea. I love the combination of dates + cinnamon + almond butter + hemp hearts. They make for a great sweet tooth healthy snack! –> Get the recipe here
5.) Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies. Rounding off my V-Day treat list is my latest baking creation. They’re moist, chewy & chocolatey, and the cherries provide a sweet pop of flavor!
Not only are these cookies tasty, they pack a nutritious punch too: Dried cherries are rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals, including potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and iron. And dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants, including flavanols, which may reduce your risk of heart disease.
These cookies also contain almond butter and almond flour, which are rich in healthy fat and fiber—both of which help you to feel full and satisfied. Plus they’re dairy-free and have no refined sugar!
I’ve just started recipe developing for Shape, and these cookies were my first creation for them. –> Get the recipe here
I don’t know about you guys, but all of this dessert talk is making me hungry!
Tell me… Do you bake for your valentine? Any V-Day plans?
While your potential V-Day dinner plans in you email sound cool… I think you should drink beer and do yoga with us. And bring these treats. All of them. 🙂
I’ll have to bring some snack samples with me to our Expo West hotel! Although trust me when I tell you, there is an excess of food at this conference!! It’s heaven until you can’t look at another bite of food haha.
Yes! I love baking, too…it’s totally a de-stresser. (Of course, eating whatever I bake is also fun, too!) We usually don’t go over the top for Valentine’ Day either. We just play it low key and appreciate the simple things in life. Oh, and how cool is that gig with Shape? Clicking over to see that cookie recipe now! Congrats!
Thanks so much, David! I hope that you and your wife got to spend some quality time together this Valentine’s Day. I feel like V-Day on a Tuesday night when you have a young kiddo probably means sharing a bottle of wine and watching a movie after he’s asleep?! Hell, that’s what my hubby and I did, and we don’t have any kids! Ha.
My mouth is watering for those chocolate PB squares!
Hope that you try making them, they are one of my favorites! Thanks for stopping by, Bianca!
omg these all look amazing! totally sharing!! I now want cookies. I love baking, it is a great way to relax. Congrats on developing recipes for SHAPE! so awesome!
Thanks, Nellie! Ah yes, baking is so much fun. Hope that you got to enjoy a few cookies or some kind of yummy treat for Valentine’s Day!