Low-Sugar Cakes & Cookie Recipes For The Christmas Season

When we hear the word Christmas there is a sense of joy and comfort, with friends and family surrounded by plenty of scrumptious foods and drinks. As rosy as it sounds, we often tend to overdose on sugar-filled cakes and cookies during the holidays.

It's this time when we are off-guard that the devils of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and cardiac diseases begin to sneak upon us.

So, have you ever wondered about what's the best thing to put into your Christmas cake so it can be healthy and tasty at the same time?

Vanilla Yogurt Cake with Lemon Zest

As refreshing as it sounds, this low calorie dessert recipe is packed with probiotic yoghurt and anti-inflammatory lemon zest. This recipe uses only 100g (½ cup) of sugar which makes it worthy of being on this list. This cake is simple yet comforting. It is also light and easy for your health. Let's take a look at the recipe!

To make this zesty cake you will require:

Ingredients

• 100g (½ cup) of unrefined cane sugar
• 2 whole eggs
• 80g (½ cup) of vegetable oil (you can use healthier oil like canola)
• 250g (1 cup) of plain yoghurt
• 250g (2 cups) of all-purpose flour (you can use rice flour if you prefer gluten-free Christmas desserts)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp vanilla extract or essence
• Zest of 1-2 lemons
• 1 pinch of salt

Method

• In a large bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, sugar, oil, yogurt, vanilla extract, lemon zest, salt, and baking powder.
• To this, add the flour and gently fold it in until homogenous. Remember not to overmix the batter.
• Add your yummy batter to the baking tins and bake in an oven or pressure cooker for 30-45 minutes until nicely cooked.

Enjoy guilt-free with some maple syrup, cream, and freshly cut fruits on the side or as a tea cake.

No-bake Oat & Peanut Butter Cookies

What is your favorite kind of Christmas cookie? Oats are a fantastic source of fiber and peanut butter is a great way to get protein. A chocolate chip-laden Christmas snack with these ingredients is a great way to treat yourself while watching your health.

These low-sugar Christmas cookies use agave syrup instead of sugar which makes them diabetes-friendly. These no-bake cookies are easy to make and taste so good they'll surely put a smile on your face! Let's take a look at this diabetes-friendly Christmas cookie recipe.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup natural peanut butter
• 1 ½ cup quick oats
• ¼ cup agave
• ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 tsp coconut oil
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt

Method

• In a pot, add peanut butter, agave, chocolate chips, coconut oil, and salt. Heat over medium heat until everything is melted and combined. Take it off the heat and the vanilla extract.
• To this pot add in the oats and stir well.
• Using a scoop, scoop out medium-sized balls of dough on parchment paper in a tray. Press them gently to flatten them into ⅓ inch thickness.
• Cool them in the refrigerator for setting.

Once set, drizzle with dark chocolate ganache and serve fresh!

Fig and Hazelnut Cake

If you have been thinking of rolling out a low-calorie dessert this Christmas, this cake might be the answer your looking for! The combination of hazelnuts and figs is not only nutritious but figs are delicious for bowel health too. What makes this cake healthy is that it uses coconut sugar which is way healthier than our usual table sugar. Let's dive into the making of this delicious exotic and cake!

Ingredients

• 250 g (2 cups) of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of hazelnut meal
• 1 ½ cup oat milk
• ¾ cup coconut sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla powder
• ¼ tsp ground cardamom powder
• ½ cup olive oil
• 8-9 fresh figs

Method

• In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients start with flour, hazelnut meal, coconut sugar, vanilla powder, and cardamom powder.
• In a separate bowl mix together the wet ingredients that are oat milk and olive oil.
• Slowly incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, do not overmix the batter.
• Now pour the batter into the baking molds and top it with slices of fresh figs.
• Bake for 50 minutes until fragrant and completely cooked.

Enjoy these low-sugar holiday desserts with some fresh fig jam and a scoop of low-fat ice cream.

Wholewheat Butter Cookies

We're all fans of the butter cookies that melt in our mouths and remind us of home cooking and delicious food. These cookies are so delicious they go straight to the heart! These are made up of wheat flour and less sugar which makes them a healthier alternative. Let's look at the ingredients required!

Ingredients

• 180g (1½ cups) whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• ⅓ cup baking stevia
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 whole egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp almond extract
• ½ tsp salt

Method

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt.
• In a separate bowl whisk together the butter, sugar, stevia, egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix well until combined homogeneously.
• Now fold in the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and chill the mixture in the fridge for 15 minutes while covering with a lid.
• Once chilled, use a cookie scooper to scoop out small cookies of ½ inch thickness.
• Bake for 20 minutes until the cookies are nicely baked.

Once baked, let them cool down at room temperature before serving with milk.

Dark Chocolate Beetroot Cake

In case you are wondering what beet is doing in a Christmas cake recipe, you gotta try this diabetic-friendly recipe to know! Beets are known to be great sources of antioxidants and natural sugars for people with diabetes and hypertension.

It is considered to be a superfood and often encouraged for diabetics. Combining this goodness with some delicious dark chocolate flavors can give us the most decadent chocolate cake ever! You can also make this cake as a sugar-free dessert recipe by using agave as a sweetening agent.

Here's how to proceed with the original recipe.

Ingredients

• 300g (1¼ cups) of beets that are cooked in the pressure cooker for 2 whistles, until soft. Blend this into a fine puree
• 80g (½ cup) vegetable oil
• 2 whole eggs
• 170g (1 ¼ cup) all-purpose flour
• 100g (½ cup) unrefined cane sugar or brown sugar or agave syrup
• 100g (½ cup) of finely chopped 70% dark chocolate
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 20g (3 tbsp) unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp vanilla essence

Method

• In a blender blend beet puree, vegetable oil, whole eggs, sugar, baking powder, cocoa powder, vanilla essence, and chopped dark chocolate.
• Once combined, fold in the flour without overmixing.
• Add this mixture to your baking tin and bake for 30 minutes until nicely cooked.
• Serve this cake with some rich dark chocolate ganache or a scoop of low-fat chocolate ice cream and enjoy this moist, decadent and healthy dark chocolate beetroot cake with your family and friends!

Try these healthy and best low-calorie dessert recipes that will light up your Christmas while taking care of your health. Pay attention to the nutritional information of the ingredients and try to self cook your meals to make them healthier.

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