Many people find themselves craving something sweet after a meal but do not want to consume anything that will make them feel too heavy or bloated. Moreover, they do not want to be too full for their next meal. If you want to indulge your cravings, these healthy easy sweet snack recipes are perfect for such individuals as each of these snacks are light and refreshing.
Since these snacks are so easy to make, you can even have them for breakfast and bake them for your friends as goodies. After all, there is no better way to thank your loved ones for everything they do for you than by making them some yummy goodies.
Healthy Easy Sweet Snack Recipes
1. Chia Pudding
This is a healthy version of pudding that tastes divine, especially if you add in some chocolate. It is vegan, low-calorie and contains lots of omega-3 fatty acids, making for a great snack. It can be topped with practically anything, and can also be consumed for breakfast!
Ingredients
- Chia seeds: 60 grams
- Unsweetened almond milk: 400 ml
- Cacao powder: 3 tablespoons
- Maple syrup: 2 tablespoons
- Vanilla extract: ½ teaspoons
- Cacao nibs: To taste, mixed
- Frozen berries: To taste, used as toppings
Method
- Take a large bowl and mix the chia seeds, cacao powder, milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Add some sea salt and combine all the ingredients together.
- Use a cling film or some foil to cover the bowl and allow it to rest in the fridge. You can leave it for four hours or overnight so that it can thicken.
- When you are ready, split the pudding into four glasses. Top each class with some berries and cacao nibs.
- Consume while it’s still cold!
2. Walnut Dark Chocolate Cups
These bite-sized butter cups are a must-have if you like munching on sweet snacks in the evening. This recipe uses Medjool dates, making this dessert healthy and light, unlike other desserts that cause a sugar drop.
Ingredients
- Walnuts: 100 grams
- Dark chocolate: 100 grams, dairy-free
- Medjool date: 1, chopped and pitted
Method
- Take a muffin tin and line the holes with some baking paper. Keep it aside.
- Preheat your oven to 160 C.
- On a baking tray, lay down the walnuts. Pop them in the oven and roast them for 15 minutes till they become darker in color. Once done, put them in a food processor and blast for 1-minute. Keep scraping the sides during this time.
- You should be left with a smooth paste- walnut butter is easy to make, so this should not take more than 5 to 10 minutes. The butter should not be runny.
- Take a heatproof bowl and melt the chocolate over a pan of boiling water. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water. You can also microwave the chocolate in 30-second intervals.
- Once done, put 1 teaspoon of melted chocolate into each cup and pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes. Then, add 1 tablespoon of walnut butter.
- Push in small bits of the chopped date and cover with melted chocolate again. Pop this in the freezer for another 30 minutes. The chocolate must be firm while the walnut butter should remain gooey.
- Consume as needed!
- Put in a freezeproof container if you want to save theses snacks for later. They can last for up to one month in the freezer.
3. Oat Hazelnut Cookies
These sugars are chewy and soft, and make use of maple syrup and apple instead of sugar, giving them a healthier twist. You no longer have to feel guilty for binging on sweet snacks. The hazelnuts in this will provide a good boost of minerals and vitamins.
Ingredients
- Butter: 50 grams
- Maple syrup: 2 tablespoons
- Apple: 1, unpeeled and grated
- Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon
- Raisins: 50 grams
- Porridge oats: 50 grams
- Flour: 50 grams
- Hazelnuts: 40 grams, cut up into thick slices
- Egg: 1
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 C and grease a baking tray. Make sure that this is a non-stick tray. You can also line a baking tray with some parchment paper.
- Melt the syrup and butter in a non-stick pan together. Add in the apple- cook and stir it using medium heat so that the apple becomes soft. This should take 7 minutes.
- Stir the raisins and cinnamon into the mixture.
- Mix together the hazelnuts, flour, and oats in a big bowl. Once combined, pour them over the mixture of apples.
- Beat an egg and add it to the mixture as well. Mix well to combine everything together.
- Spoon the mixture into a baking tray. Make sure to space them evenly. Press each together to make a disc.
- Bake for 20 minutes until they become golden, and then cool them.
- Consume as soon as possible! These stay fresh in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Final Thoughts
We prefer these healthy easy sweet snack recipes to others because they do not make use of any refined sugar. Any sweetness from these snacks comes from natural ingredients or those that are not harmful to your health.
Dieticians argue that snacking is unhealthy because it is easy to lose track of calories and overeat. However, with these snacks, you do not have to worry at all. As long as you understand the nutritional values of these snacks and do not consume too many of them, you should be fine.
Make sure to follow the instructions for these recipes accurately, as the slightest mistake can ruin a good snack. However, we would also encourage you to make changes here and there depending on your taste. For example, if you do not like chocolate, you can always skip the cacao and add mangoes as a topping instead of making a chocolate chia pudding. Be creative!
