30 Chocolatey Treats To Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth
Don't get caught with your hand in the cookie jar, unless it features one of these chocolicious goodies! We all know that cravings hit, no matter how committed we are to our healthy eating. In fact, cravings are a part of healthy eating, because healthy eating means balance. So next time you start hankering for melt-in-your-mouth chocolate, don’t deprive yourself — simply pick a cleaner option. Skip the sugar and say come hither to any one of these treats. Not only are they chalk full of good-for-you nutrients, but they will crush your cravings and let you keep living your best, healthiest life.
Read on to find your next guilty pleasure! From incredible smoothies, to delicious cookies, to sumptuous fancy desserts, and empowering energy balls, to heavenly breads to amazing granola bars, muffins and cheesecake, all these recipes have one beautiful thing in common: CHOCOLATE.
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Smoothies
Superfood Smoothie
Gluten-Free, Vegan, Nut-Free, Dairy-Free
Mind. Blown. This smoothie by The Virtual Vegan is an energy packed drink that you can start your day off with or follow up a workout with, it’s got hidden healthy ingredients like sweet potato, chia and cocoa powder. Down this high octane smoothie to supercharge your day.
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%), bananas, dates, chia seeds and sweet potato.
Mint Chocolate Smoothie
Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Vegan, Paleo
This sugar-free mint chocolate smoothie is everything you need to survive the holiday season or, just because you can. It’s protein packed with almond butter, snappy to prepare and ready to fuel your day with a hint of mint. Thanks to Seasonal Cravings for providing this superb mint chocolate recipe.
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%), bananas and almond butter.
Black Forest Smoothie
Sugar-Free, Vegan
Pass on the slice of black forest cake, choose this sugar-free rendition instead by Running with Spoons! All you need is a blender, cherries (frozen or fresh) and a few other ingredients to recreate this sinfully delicious cake in a glass. Make it a protein shake by adding protein powder!
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%), almond butter, spinach, cherries, chia seeds, oats and dates (for fiber.
Cookies
Chocolate Chip Cookies Your Way
Gluten-Free, Vegan, Keto, Paleo
Chocolate chip cookies are probably the most universally loved cookies (who didn’t feast on CCC’s as a knee-knocker) but, with age comes the awareness that our beloved childhood cookie is nothing more than empty calories. Cue sad music. Well BodyRockers, take a trip down memory lane with this uber healthy alternative that can be made to suit your dietary requirements. Vegan, keto or paleo, what-ev’s, Arman over at thebigmansworld.com has got the chocolate chip cookie variation to match your diet. So what are you waiting for, go dust off your baking sheets and let’s get baking!
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%) and coconut oil (what isn’t it good for).
Chocolate Mocha Cookies
Gluten-Free
BodyRockers leave dunking cookies in milk for Santa or the kids, and try dipping them in coffee instead or, simply make these caffeinated chocolate chip cookies to satiate your need for coffee, cookies and chocolate! That’s adulting at its finest. We salute fitfoodiefinds for making it easier to consume coffee, eat cookies and chocolate all at once to hit your daily adulting quota!
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%) and almond butter.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Nut-Free
Channel your inner cookie monster and get ready to slam back a few of these monstrously tasty oatmeal chocolate chip cookies by The Food Charlatan. Sub sugar for crowd-pleasing honey and unrefined crap flour for whole wheat and wow-wee, you better hide this choco-oatmeal cookie stash or it’s going to get demoed by your crew!
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%), honey, oats and whole wheat flour.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Gluten-Free
Chocolate and peanut butter come together to craft these tasty morsels that are free of refined sugar and protein-powered thanks to peanut butter! We said it once, and we’ll say it again, don’t waste your daily indulgence on Reese Cups, not when you can eat this instead! This dynamic duo is the kind of snack you want to chew on. Thanks to The Real Food Dietitians for whipping up this recipe for chocolate and peanut butter cookies - nom nom!
Healthy Tidbits: Dark chocolate (go for 70%), oats and peanut butter.
Desserts
Chocolate Strawberry Truffles
Gluten-Free, Nut-Free
Dive into one of these rich dark chocolate truffles with strawberry filling sweetened to perfection using stevia, maple syrup and applesauce. An unlikely trio but hey, stranger things have happened. You don’t need a special occasion to snack classy, make a batch of these and celebrate today, because you can! Thanks to amyshealthybaking.com for dreaming up this strawberry chocolate truffle party in your mouth.
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%), strawberries, maple syrup and unsweetened applesauce.
No Bake Chocolate Coconut Balls
Nut-Free, Vegan
Coconut and chocolate go together like peanut butter and jelly. So hop to your kitchen dig out a pot and turn on your stovetop, it’s time to heat up some high-quality dark cocoa or cacao and make some magic. The basic recipe for coconut balls by Olena at ifoodreal.com is your ticket to these Bounty inspired bites.
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%), oats, cacao nibs (supercharge the nutrition) and coconut oil (what isn’t it good for).
Cheesecake Brownies
Gluten-Free, Nut-Free
Want to win a popularity contest at your gym, school or work, then BodyRockers this is your golden ticket to pleasing the masses! Plus, you can encourage mindless self-indulgence as these cheesecake brownies feature no refined sugar - stevia and maple syrup - and simple, clean ingredients. Our only suggestion is if you’re taking these devilishly good brownies to the gym, swap the nonfat Greek yogurt for regular for extra protein. Amy from amyshealthybaking.com you did it again with this healthy chocolate cheesecake brownie!
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%), maple syrup, Greek yogurt (protein drenched) and coconut oil (what isn’t it good for).
Chocolate Milkshake
Gluten-Free
Oh boy, this is the mother of all milkshakes - happy dance - it’s a chocolate protein milkshake! This guilt-free goodie is the kinda snack you need after a HIIT. Thanks to Amy over at Amy’s Healthy Baking for crafting this one-two (chocolate-protein) punch that’ll have your body thanking you for this to die for recovery drink.
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%), cashew milk and Greek yogurt (protein drenched).
Brownies
Nut-Free
Y’all ready for this...healthy brownies! Yeah, you heard us right, there is no foul in eating these protein brownie bombshells. If you’re looking to satisfy your need for extra rich, super soft dark chocolate brownies (drooling over here) then this BodyRockers is your ticket to sweet tooth satisfaction. Round of applause to Amy at Amy’s Healthy Baking for finding a way to turn brownies into a supercharged snack.
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%), whole wheat flour and Greek yogurt (protein drenched).
Chocolate Bars
Gluten-Free, Vegan
Looking for a crowd-pleasing chocolate snack that delivers the wow-factor with its creative toppings, you can’t possibly go wrong with these DIY chocolate bars by Our Four Forks. It’s a fun upside-down version of a box of chocolates. Instead of not knowing which kind you’re going to get, your guest’s can pick out their favorite - fruit, nut or seed; what will your indulgence be? All you need is a can-do attitude, a muffin tin, cupcake liners, cocoa and a variety of toppings to create these oh-so-sweet without the sugar chocolate bars!
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%), cacao nibs and coconut oil (what isn’t it good for).
No Bake Chocolate Mousse
Gluten-Free, Vegan, Dairy-Free
You don’t have to be pregnant to crave this surprisingly healthy chocolate pudding by The Crunchy Radish. Pack this for your lunchtime snack or serve this dessert at your next big get together - bet they’ll never guess the secret ingredient is avocado. All you need is to blend up everything and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving - easy peasy.
Healthy Tidbits: Cacao powder, maple syrup and avocado.
No Bake Choco-Coco Fudge
Gluten-Free, Vegan, Nut-Free, Dairy-Free
Who knew fudge could taste so sweet with so few ingredients? With only three ingredients, yup, banana, cacao powder and coconut oil, that’s all. Just a small amount of prep time and two hours of setting and you’ll be on your way to ooey-gooey bliss. Find your fudge recipe here, by Olena over at ifoodreal.com
Healthy Tidbits: Cacao powder, coconut oil and banana.
Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Gluten-Free, Vegan, Nut-Free
A classic dark chocolate recipe that takes no time to prepare, chocolate covered strawberries. Be sure to buy at least 75% dark chocolate chips or bar, and if you’re concerned about it sticking (aside from continually stirring), you can add a touch of oil to the saucepan. Get even more creative by dipping different fruits, like bananas. Before you know it, you’ll have mastered the art of edible arrangements! Thanks to apinchofhealthy.com for sharing this how-to on chocolate covered strawberries.
Healthy Tidbits: Dark chocolate (go for 70%) and strawberries.
No Bake Nanaimo Bars
Gluten-Free, Vegan
It’s incredible how any dessert can be made healthy and not just refined sugar-free but no bake and vegan! Move over Technology Era, we think it’s more of a Healthy Food Revival where we put a new twist on the classic desserts using all the latest food advancements! Now more than ever there’s no excuse for eating the originals - so with that in mind, we raise nutriholist.com’s health-conscious Nanaimo bars up and say here’s to your best health!
Healthy Tidbits: Cacao powder, coconut, dates, maple syrup, walnuts and coconut milk.
Energy Balls
No Bake Dark Chocolate with Hemp
Gluten-Free, Vegan, Keto, Paleo
Combat that two o’clock lull with the Minimalist Baker’s dark chocolate and hemp energy balls. Minimal and health-conscious ingredients come together to make these heavenly get-up-and-go energy balls. And with six ingredients, no baking required these lovelies require little prep time and freeze well which makes them excellent make-ahead energy snacks!
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%), dates, hemp, walnuts (antioxidant rich) and almond butter.
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Balls
Gluten-Free, Vegan
Big fan of Reese PB Cups, this here is the healthier alternative that not only satisfies that craving but gives you an energy shot, then what you need is the Minimalist Baker’s peanut butter cup energy balls! These bite-sized balls of fury will provide you with the fuel you’ll need to get through your hectic day. All you need is a couple of ingredients, a food processor and a few minutes to whip up a batch of peanutty chocolatey goodness.
Healthy Tidbits: Dark chocolate (go for 70%), oats, dates (for fiber), peanuts and chia seeds.
Bread
Chocolate Banana Bread
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free
Stick this chocolate banana bread in the oven and drink in the sweet, sweet smell of banana, chocolate and sugar-less (maple syrup instead) ode to your best health bread! Who isn’t down for banana bread? We’re serious, banana bread is as popular as choco-chip cookies - don’t trust anyone who doesn’t like either (without good reason)! Give your aging bananas a new lease on life and make Fit Mitten Kitten’s chocolate banana bread!
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%), banana and antioxidant rich maple syrup.
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Nut-Free
If a banana can have a bread well then so too can this green with envy zucchini, besides chocolate zucchini bread is unreal. If you haven’t tried this decadent loaf, you are seriously missing out. This healthy bread will blow you away, so chop up that zucchini and toss it into your bread pan and get ready to rock the socks right off of your tastebuds! Thanks to Chocolate Covered Katie for this chocolicious bread.
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%), coconut and zucchini.
Chocolate Bread
Dairy-Free
Dip into our bread basket to discover this unsung chocolately bread song. We all know about the marvels of banana, zucchini, cinnamon raisin - we could go on - but what about just plain ole chocolate, huh? Odd to think of how easily we forgot chocolate. Well thankfully, ifoodreal.com made amends for this oversight and created this beautiful chocolate loaf. But wait, there’s more! Just wait until you see the optional add-ons, pistachios, coconut milk and coconut flakes oh my! Forget the rest of your plans for the next hour, this is what you need to be doing!
Healthy Tidbits: Cacao powder, coconut, full fat coconut milk, honey and pistachios.
Granola Bars
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Dairy-Free, Vegan
Stop buying those low priced granola bars from the grocery store that you know aren’t healthy for you, and make these bars instead! Pack these peanutty bars for your lunch or bag em’ and bring em’ for a recovery snack after your workout. Snack happy and eat right with these pb + chocolate bars by Chocolate Covered Katie.
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%), coconut oil, oats and peanut butter.
Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Dairy-Free
Chocolate, honey, oats and almonds unite to form these wondrous granola bars that you can take on the go - school, work or the gym - for an extra boost of energy. You’ll be eating in style with these homemade granola bars. Many thanks to Cookie + Kate for providing a clean eating alternative to the store-bought granola bars with these chocolate chip granola bars!
Healthy Tidbits: Dark chocolate chips (go for 70%), oats, almond butter and honey.
No Bake Chocolate Protein Granola Bars
Gluten-Free, Vegan
Want to juice up your granola bars and make them more potent for workout recovery than regular ones? Well, this chocolate no bake protein bar is the double-shot of protein your body craves after that crazy HIIT workout. Add some protein powder to the walnuts, almonds and pecans and presto you’ve got your next recipe for post-workout bliss. Thank you lifemadesweeter.com for your baking wizardry!
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%), chia seeds, dates, almonds, walnuts, pecans, cacao and coconut flakes.
Muffins
Double Chocolate Mocha Muffins
Nut-Free
It’s a bird, it’s a plane...no, it’s super muffin! Seriously, these super-charged muffins are doubled up on chocolate and caffeinated with a touch of coffee. Umm hello, coffee and chocolate can you say perfection? With Greek yogurt for protein and maple syrup to make your sweet tooth sing, this super combination will give you wings, a cape and superhero powers! Thanks to mynourishedhome.com for coming up with this super muffin recipe!
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%), coconut, whole wheat flour, maple syrup and Greek yogurt (protein drenched).
Sugar, Flour & Butter Free Muffins
Nut-Free
Kick the sugar and while you're at it, who needs flour or butter or oil either. Redefine what goes into a muffin for your health's sake. In place, sub in honey, toasted oats and mashed banana. Get creative with this healthy version of chocolate muffins by Bren Did, and get your spatulas ready because we're about to mix things up!
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%), oats, honey and banana,
Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins
Dairy-Free
Quit being late for work because you have to stop at your favorite cafe for a coffee and snack, put on a pot of coffee and eat one of these bakery style muffins! That's the best tip we can give you - make these muffins and save yourself $$! A huge thanks to bakerbynature.com for bringing the bakery home with these chocolate chip muffins.
Healthy Tidbits: Dark chocolate (go for 70%), coconut oil, maple syrup, apples and almond milk.
Cheesecake
No Bake Death By Chocolate Cheesecake
Gluten-Free, Paleo, Dairy-Free, Vegan
What kind of baking voodoo is this? The words vegan and cheesecake coexisting in the same sentence!? The bigger shock is that this death by chocolate cheesecake is delicious! Don’t believe us, time to crack open your cake pan and give this recipe a go. A big shout out to Texanerin for creating this amazing chocolate cheesecake.
Healthy Tidbits: Cocoa (go for 70%), coconut, dates and almonds.
Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
Gluten-Free, Nut-Free
This low-cal cheesecake sports heaps of cheese in equal proportion to chocolate is crazy good. Who knew cheesecake could be healthy. The good news is this recipe is easy to make and doesn’t have bizarro specialty ingredients that take a team of professionals to bake. For low-fat use the reduced fat cheese or if you want more protein. Thanks to healthymummy.com for getting crafty in the kitchen and creating this sinful triple chocolate cheesecake.
Healthy Tidbits: Dark chocolate (go for 70%), cacao, maple syrup and coconut oil.
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