It can be difficult to make delicious desserts without sugar. This is especially true during the Christmas season. There are some delicious twists on traditional holiday sweet treats you can make in the comfort of your own kitchen. These recipes show healthier ways to sweeten desserts instead of loading them with white sugar. Stevia is a natural sweetener that doesn’t add any extra calories, and today’s artificial sweeteners work well in classic recipes. You can even find brands that measure and pour just like sugar.
The rich and creamy textures of many desserts can be reproduced in a sugar-free version, and there are delicious sugar-free variations on baked goods too. Here are a few ideas: a quick and easy recipe, a classic chocolate dessert, and a treat that’s a holiday tradition in many homes. Enjoy!
Whipped lemon fluff
Cottage cheese is a secret ingredient in many low-carb, low-sugar creamy desserts. Of course, there are also some delicious whipped cream treats that rely heavily on whipped cream, cream cheese, and custard. But don’t worry, there are low-fat, sugar-free alternatives. This one is so easy, you can whip it up in minutes and then chill it in the fridge for a delicious cold and creamy dessert for dinner.
- 3 cups 1% cottage cheese
- 2 packets of lemon flavored sugar free gelatin mix
- 1 8-ounce cup thawed sugar-free frozen whipping cream
In a blender or food processor, puree the cottage cheese to a smooth consistency. Place the mixed cottage cheese in a mixing bowl. Using a whisk, slowly add the gelatin powder. Fold in the light whipping cream, but don’t mix too much.
You can chill this recipe in a decorative bowl or spoon it into individual serving cups. It looks beautiful in wine glasses with a little lemon zest on top. As a variation, any flavor of gelatin can be used in the recipe.
Makes: 6 deserts
Calories (each): 180
Fat: 4 g
Carbohydrates: 18 g
Protein: 16 g
Molten Lava Chocolate Cake
This is one of the most sinfully delicious treats you can get at a restaurant, and it’s also very popular on cruises. Unfortunately, it’s also loaded with sugar and calories. That’s why it’s so exciting to find a sugar-free version that has far fewer calories but still tastes divine. You can make it with naturally sweetened sugar-free chocolate or with unsweetened dark chocolate and your own artificial sweetener.
- 7 ounces dark chocolate (85% cacao)
- 4 ounces coconut oil
- 4 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- Artificial Sweetener (1 cup sugar equivalent)
- 2 ounces flour
- 1/4 cup whole milk
Preheat oven to 370 degrees. Grease 6 individual ceramic ramekins. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the stove when melted. Mix the artificial sweetener, eggs, and yolks together until smooth. Stir in the flour to make the dough. Heat the milk but do not let it boil. Drizzle the warm milk over the batter, stirring vigorously. Fill the 6 cups evenly and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Once a crust forms, use a skewer to test the center of one of the cakes. Once the inside is melted but not runny, it’s time to remove them from the oven.
This isn’t a low-fat recipe, but it’s a rich chocolate dessert that’s completely sugar-free. For best results, the molten lava cakes should be eaten warm from the oven.
Makes: 6 individual cakes
Calories (each): 340
Fat: 28 g
Carbohydrates: 36 g
Protein: 12 g
Sugar free sugar cookies
Christmas wouldn’t be the same without decorating sugar cookies, but you don’t have to use real sugar. These cookies have the same delicious flavor and you can roll them out like traditional sugar cookies and use your Christmas cookie cutters with them.
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1/4 cup stevia blend
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups flour (all purpose)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Cream together the butter and stevia. Add the egg until blended, then the vanilla. Stir together the salt, baking powder, and flour until well combined. Add the dry ingredients halfway to the egg mixture. Chill the dough in cling film for 30 minutes. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut out cookie shapes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, then bake cookies for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Decorate with sugar-free icing.
For edible Christmas decorations, use a skewer to poke a hole in each cookie. When they have cooled, thread each hole with a narrow ribbon and tie them to the Christmas tree.
Makes: 24 cookies
Calories (per biscuit): 80
Fat: 3 g
Carbohydrates: 8 g
Protein: 1g