There is a way to treat yourself without poisoning your body with refined sugar, processed flours, corn syrup and other nasty ingredients found in most desserts! In all honesty, you can avoid these ingredients for the rest of your life and still enjoy eating delicious sweet treats – and it all comes down to the ingredients!
Simply choose desserts that are made from ingredients like nuts, dates, and maple syrup, which are full of vitamins and minerals that provide nutrition to the body. At the same time avoid processed cane, corn, or beet sugars and flours that have been chemically stripped of nutrition. When you indulge in these types of ingredients, they don’t do your body any favors! You also make your body more acidic, because sugars devoid of minerals are acid-forming – and we know that it’s better to eat mostly alkaline foods if we want to avoid disease.
That’s not to say that you should go crazy and eat an entire pan of almond butter brownies… but if you are going to treat yourself this is the way to do it!
Today, I’m going to show you how to make this delicious spread of healthy desserts without even turning on your oven! Yum!
1. BLUEBERRY “CHEESECAKE” BARS
These bars are made without any dairy at all but taste like cheesecake! They are cool and refreshing and make a fantastic summer treat!
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight
- ⅓ cup raw honey or maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup blueberries
- 2 cups walnuts
- 10-12 medjool dates
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- Pinch sea salt
- To make the filling, place the cashews, honey, coconut oil, cinnamon, lemon juice and blueberries in a blender and blend until smooth.
- To make the crust, place the walnuts in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the dates and salt and pulse until well combined. Add coconut oil and pulse once more.
- To assemble, line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. Firmly press the crust into the pan to create an even layer. Add the filling and spread evenly over the crust. Place in the freezer for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- To serve, cut the “cheesecake” into squares and serve with fresh berries, if desired. Enjoy!
2. SALTED CARAMEL BROWNIES
You can make an amazing “caramel sauce” with just almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. And it tastes so delicious drizzled over these refrigerator brownies!
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 cup almonds
- ½ cup cacao powder
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 10-12 dates
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons almond butter
- 1-2 tablespoons raw honey or maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch sea salt
- Place the walnuts and almonds in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the cacao and salt and pulse to combine. With the food processor running, add the dates, one at a time until they are all combined. Add the coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla.
- Line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper and place the brownie mix in the pan. Press down to form an even layer.
- To make the caramel topping, whisk together the ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle some of the caramel topping over the brownies and place the pan in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours to set. Cut into squares and enjoy!
3. STRAWBERRY CHIA JAM WITH YOGURT AND PISTACHIO CRISP
The pistachio crisp on this treat is the bomb! It’s like a crunchy, sweet and nutty candy that goes perfect with chia jam and yogurt. This dessert is sweet and creamy, and makes a nice alternative to ice cream!
- 16 ounces plain yogurt
- 1 cup fresh strawberry, hulled
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- honey or maple syrup, to sweeten if desired
- ¼ cup chopped pistachios
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- Pinch sea salt
- 2 teaspoons raw honey
- To make the chia jam, place the strawberries in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the chia seeds, orange juice and sweetener, if using. Blend to combine. Place in a glass jar in the refrigerator to allow the chia seeds to expand, at least 1 hour.
- To make the pistachio crisp, Place a saute pan over medium heat. Add the pistachios, chia seeds and sesame seeds and toast lightly, 1-2 minutes. Drizzle the honey over the nuts and seeds and stir so they begin to form clumps. Take off the heat and let cool.
- To serve, place 8 ounces of yogurt in a bowl and top with 1-2 tablespoons of chia jam and some of the pistachio crisp. Enjoy!
Check out my yogurt buying tips here.
If you know someone who is tired of the summer heat and would love to cool down with some delicious no-bake treats like these, please share this post with them!
Xo,
Vani
P.S. If you are looking for more recipes and healthy meal plans – you gotta check out the Food Babe Eating Guide – it may just be what you need this Summer to stay on track! Check it out here.
These look great , Vani !!!!!!!!!!
I will have to try them !!!!!!!!!
Thanks !!!!!!!
Thanks Rex 🙂
Ok you got my attention!
Vani,
These all look delicious!
Making the blueberry “cheesecake” tonight.
Britt
My mouth is watering! Thank you for providing some dessert recipes without dairy and gluten! 😉
You are so welcome! 🙂
the sprouts sale started yesterday 6/8 so if you get this in time to take advantage….blueberries are $1.98 for 18oz and walnuts are $3.99 lb…. 🙂
Thank you for helping us stay educated about staying healthy while keeping our taste buds happy 🙂
These sound amazing! I’m especially excited to try the cheesecake…love anything with raw cashews! Sometimes I just soak them in water, drain, add more water and blend in Vitamix for my a wonderful creamer with absolutely no junk!!!!
The blueberry one sounds fantastic. Anyway to make it without nut products?
Hi Nicole, we have not tested the recipes using these but you may be able to use sunflower or pumpkin seeds instead of the nuts. I believe that would be the best bet to try and achieve the same kind of texture. The sunflower would probably be the best for the “cheesecake”. If you try it, let us know how it goes!
These recipes look so delish! Thank you for taking good care of us & showing us the way to a healthy lifestyle!
You bet Linda – Thanks for being part of this great community!
Oh, my! WOW! Thank you so much! Not easy for me to find the sweets with no sugars, gluten and etc. Hope that my hubby will help me to make them. ?
Do you have the nutrition facts on these?
Just wanted to say I did not realize how much I quote FOOD BABE to family and friends. Talking with my 8yr old grandson the other day we were looking at the ingredients listed on wrapper of his protein bar. The list went on and on. My grandson did not miss a beat and said, “UH Oh, Food Babe would NOT approve this protein bar”. Funny but true.
YES!!!!! Love this!
I often say the same, “Food Babe would not approve!” 🙂
Do you have the calorie count and serving size? They all look fabulous!!
I would be interested in that as well.
So would I! I wish you could/would include the calorie/nutrition info for all your recipes. But, even without that helpful info, I still LOVE your recipes and can’t wait to try this one! Thank you, thank you so much for this service you provide!!
These look great, thank you!
These recipes sound wonderful. I am also interested in their “SUGAR” content, as I am Pre-diabetic. I’m working hard to be super careful about sugars and carbs.
If you can list Protein, and Sugars/Carbs with your recipes, it will be so helpful.
THANKS for all you do to get JUNK out of our foods.
I agree. I am into weight lifting and watch my macros, as well as many of my friends. I also like to share recipes with my diabetic mother, but can’t without knowing the carb and sugar counts. It would be way to much work for me to input every recipe into a calorie calculator to determine if it’s a meal either of us can have.
It would be the same amount of work for Vani…….plus she runs this site, researches, and creates recipes……..for free.
Yummy,going to shop today for the ingredients. Thanks the great healthy recipes. Is it possible to include calorie count
Love your book and these recipes thank you so much you are so good to us.
You are so welcome Susan! So happy you love the book.
Can I subtitut peanut butter or almond buter 4 instead a soakin da nuts. We aint git no nut in michigan were I live
You are a genius!!
These look and sound A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!! Thank You!
These recipes look delicious! For the Blueberry Cheesecake Bars, can I substitute raw cashew butter for the cashews? If so, how much cashew butter would I use? Thanks!
I am on the FODMAAP DIET. Some of the things you suggest are considered HIGH FRUCTOSE.
Do you have an opinion on this. I cannot have anything that has HFCS in it.
Thanks for your help.
Will you email me your response?
Hi , these look amazing ! I can’t wait to try them, do you store the cheesecake bars in the fridge after the freezer or leave them in the freezer . Thanks for all you do!
I would like to see a nutrition label for these.
My daughter has peanut and tree nut allergy, what can I use as s substitute to make the blueberry cheesecake? Thanks!
They look so delicious. I ran the calories in MFP and 1 square of the Blueberry Cheesecake squares is about 730 calories. A bit too heavy for me. Maybe when I’m not actively trying to lose weight 🙂
Fats are going to have more calories but are used differently in the body than just storing as fat. In my opinion, counting calories is a waste and I’ve lost twenty pounds and have kept it off without counting a single calorie. Just eat real food and you’ll be fine. Moderate your sugar. General rule is to cut the sugar in half with every recipe (Americans have such a high tolerance for the extremely sweet). My concern is, if you’re going to go for a dessert, what are you going to go for if not something like this? Processed? Low fat, which generally has the sugar content vamped up or artificially sweetened? The fat will satiate you and you won’t be craving something in twenty minutes after eating something like this. Happy eating!
Great response!
Agree totally- I never look at calories anymore.
These do look very good I will have to try them. I am a new Food Babe reader and am very interested in your information and the recipes you suggest. Thank you for being so diligent and informing not only yourself but for helping the others around you in on the facts you uncover as to healthy eating.
I worked for many years in a Natural Nutritional supplement Manufacturing facility. The people I worked with I respected and we worked hard to produce supplements that were of high standard, as well as the formulation was researched. I also worked in a similar company which produced Bee products. Bee pollen, Propolis, and Royal Jelly to name a few. so I have great respect for healthy food as well as natural nutrition.
I also owned a couple of restaurants. The quality of the ingredients as well as the choices of the food we eat is as important as any other health aspect. I consider food like medicine as well as keeping fit. Long story short I appreciate you and your war on unhealthy ingredients.
Althea
In the first two recipes, the omega-6 fats will be pretty high in comparison to the omega-3 fats, and therefore the foods should be expected to be inflammatory, though probably only recognizable when observing the behavior of hyperactive children or ageing adults who eat it.
The chia seeds in the third recipe should help to provide the needed balance of omega fats. Adding chia seeds to the first two recipes should mitigate the potential problem with inflammation. However, be careful with chia. There needs to be sufficient liquid in the recipe for the chia to form a gel rather than a rock. Without sufficient liquid, chia can set into a hard lump, especially if gound. About a two or thee to one ratio of liquid to chia is good, depending on how loose one want’s the gel to be. Even if less liquid is used, the chia mixture should still have some gel like properties. While rare, there are some documented cases of blockages from chia being eaten without sufficient fluids mixed with it.
When I eat chia seeds (usually daily) I grind up the chia seeds, using a seed grinder) and then add sea salt and water to make a palatable gel. I often add some fruit and utilize the gel with foods that have high omega-6 to omega-3 ratios like ancient grain pasta, avocados, peanut butter, cashews, some of the legumes, almost all nuts, most, but not all, seeds, even nigella sativa (black seed) and sesame seeds.
Please make sure to soak your seeds and nuts before using. This reduces the phytic acid and makes the minerals more bioavailable. Most of us have some kind of compromised digestion, so soaking is essential to getting the most out of those delicious foods.
Please make sure all nuts and seeds are soaked properly before making the above desserts. Making your own nut butters ensure best digestion as well. Most of us have a compromised digestion, thanks to many chemicals in our food and water.
Have you tried substituting almond meal for the walnut crust in the blueberry cheesecake bars? I make an almond elixir each morning, so I have a ton of leftover almond meal to use constantly!
What maple syrup do you recommend?
And I’m avoiding dairy, any yogurt replacements?
Thank you Food Babe!!
Hey I’m glad to see this is a vegan recipe that looks delicious. Usually desserts this good have some kind of vegan substitute that isn’t actually healthy for you but this looks through and through really good.
Those desserts look delicious. I wish I could make something like that for my Monday lunch group — they’d love it.
These recipes do sound really good. As a diabetic with MS I am always on the hunt for healthy treats. My question is related to your listed sponsor, “Red Ape”. I have been looking for a reliable and excellent source for organic/gmo free turmeric. I realize they are a sponsor, but do you use their product above all others? When I go to the grocery store I never know which spice brands to trust. I’ve heard that, like supplements, they are not all created equal.
Sorry, I wasn’t sure how to contact you with my question but via this format.
They r great. I made them and my 1,5 years old son love it. “Cheesecake ” I served as ice cream and they rock!!
As amazing as your recipes are, I cannot make most of them because of my many health issues. Going organic has helped enormously, but I am gluten intolerant, borderline diabetic, and suffer debilitating migraines if I eat soy, dairy, nuts, citrus, caffeine, alcohol, flavored vinegars, or avacado. I have found acceptable subtitutes for wheat, sugar and even soy, and can usually substitute seeds for nuts. It has also become fairly easy to avoid caffeine and alcohol and I can usually substitute the flavored vinegars with distilled vinegar even though it does affect the flavor. However, I haven’t found an adequate replacement for citrus and your recipes are liberal with lemon, pineapple and orange. My wife and I both LOVE your mexican casserole and stuffed acorn squash recipes and I make them both all the time. Your energy bars are always a staple in my fridge and there have been a few other recipes I could eat, but for the most part, I have to pass. It would be so awesome if you could come up with some dessert recipes that would avoid the most common allergens that lots of people have: dairy, nuts, soy, wheat and citrus. Thanks for your consideration.
Everyone – as this is Vani’s dessert blog and I am assuming some of you will be looking for an alternate way to sweeten this recipe……..Please keep your eyes out for SOLA, a new all-natural sugar substitute coming on the market as of July 1st – being sold on their website. I was in the right place at the right time and was given some free samples and I am hooked! If what they’re claiming is true – we’ve hit the jackpot of all sweeteners! I was a Stevia fan for over 20 years, but honestly, SOLA is the very best tasting sugar substitute ever produced, and I’ve tried them all. As I understand it, the only slightly less wonderful thing about SOLA might be the price, but I will pay more for staying healthier any day! Save your pennies, spend your dollars, right?
I am not in any way affiliated with or am being compensated for my comments by the SOLA company. I’m just one of those people that likes to share a good thing when I find it. I hope it’s as good as I think it is, but I’m not a scientist or food expert, so am anxious to hear Vani’s and many of the follower’s feedback.
Made the chocolate brownies for a gathering last night and everyone loved them.!
They were quick and easy to make and tasted “decadently delicious”!!!
Thanks Vani !
Can you taste the dates in the desserts? I am not a fan of the taste of dates..just wondering if you can actually taste them?
Me, too. Good question. Maybe I’ll try the raisin substitute like someone else did…
Just made the blueberry bars last night. I must say that these bars are freaking awesome. They taste amazing and better than anything you can buy. I’ll be making them again.
Do these have to stay in the freezer or can they be kept n the fridge after the initial freezing?
Is there any way to get the nutritional information for these recipes?
My 5 year old and I made the brownies last night with homemade whipped cream on top (heavy whipping cream and maple syrup) we loved it! Thank you for the recipe! Excited to try the others!
I made the blueberry “cheesecake”. It tasted so good!!! I replaced medjool dates with raisins because I don’t have any dates in my fridge. I ate it as a snack in the afternoon right from the fridge with my organic cold-brew coffee. In the summer, this is exactly what I need. The dessert tasted like a perfect combination of ice crease and cheese cake. What’s more, it so healthy and nutritious. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe, Vani!
Did you test these? The cheesecake bars (filling) are giving even my Vitamix a hard time, it’s so thick. I’ve followed instructions– is anything left out? Or do I need to keep stirring in between 2-second pulses?
Thank you for your recipes. I look forward to make them.
All of these look so great, but we have a peanut (therefore, nut) allergy in the house. Can anything be subbed for the nuts on the blueberry bars? I have noticed many of the healthier eating recipes use nuts – having a hard time finding our way with our nut restriction. Looks good!
Oh man i couldn’t be more excited about this. My family has officially gone dairy free after having been grain/gluten free for a while. Luna’s Living Kitchen has been our favorite eat out place here in Charlotte. I have run into you a few times there in the past. Are these recipes similar to Luna’s cause if so I think i might weep tears of joy to have these desserts at home! Thanks for all you do.
Hi! Just came across your site. You have great info and the recipes sound awesome. I was wondering if I could sub the walnuts for more almonds in the brownie recipe. I am allergic to walnuts. I would think so but would like an opinion. Thx!
Oh my goodness these look so delish.
I’m allergic to cashews what is a good substitute?
hi, I noticed a lot of requests for calorie and nutritional information. Yet I have not seen any listed. Is it possible for you to add the nutritional info. to your recipes. Many of us have count everything. Your help is appreciated.
maybe even WW points also.