What I’m Eating for Dessert

Over the last few months I’ve had occasion to share some baked goods with others. The holidays provide many opportunities to bake with pumpkin, which I did, and since I still have a large quantity of blueberries in my freezer I thought I’d trot them out in the middle of winter as a nice treat. Of course, chocolate is welcome any time of the year, at least in my home.

Pumpkin Walnut Bread: This recipe represented my first attempt at baking for others with the oven in my new apartment. I was a bit nervous about how it would turn out, but this recipe did really well, and made a delicious loaf.

Blueberry Banana Bread: This recipe is from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. It’s a nice twist on traditional banana bread that’s not too sweet and works well with whole grain flours. Be careful not to over bake as it dries out easily without the large amount of fat found in most quick breads.   

Chocolate-Blueberry Cake: This is also from FFVK. It is delicious and I can’t wait to try it again. I used a 60/40 whole wheat to white flour mix, which tasted just fine. This is not as sweet as a typical layer cake so I made some Martha Stewart blueberry cheesecake topping to go with it. It meant the cake was no longer 144 calories per serving, but it tasted great, and who wants a lo-cal dessert on a Friday night with your girlfriends?

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (see Recipes page): My favorite for simply keeping in the freezer for those times when I need a cookie . . . NOW! This recipe is from Bethenny Frankel. It is dairy free (if you use vegan chocolate chips), very low fat, and also works well with whole grain flours.

The next time you need to make a dessert for a party or just for a treat at home give one of these a try. There’s no reason dessert can’t be delicious and cruelty free.