IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Give dessert a healthy makeover with these no-added-sugar recipes

David Zinczenko will show you how to have your cake and eat it, too.
/ Source: TODAY

If you asked 25-year-old me to predict what my 40s would look like, I would have used just one word to describe them: fat. Fat was my inevitable destiny; how could it not be? I had grown up as a lonely, latchkey kid with a serious sugar addiction; my best friends were the Three Musketeers and all I knew of the world outside my suburban Pennsylvania neighborhood was French vanilla, English toffee and Dutch chocolate.

When my 200-pound self went lumbering into the Navy Reserves after college, I could see the disgust on the faces of the basic training instructors: Who sent us this leaky old tugboat? And how the heck are we supposed to turn it into a battleship?

I worked hard to get back in shape. But the real reason I lost weight fast — and kept it off — was that I gave up added sugars.

Added sugars are hidden in everything from our pasta sauce to our bread, and if you give them up, you’ll feel happier and healthier. That’s why I had to write the "Zero Sugar Cookbook." It’s full of 100+ recipes, all made with zero added sugars — including the desserts. Yes, now I could have my cake (yes, cake) and eat it, too. Here are four of my favorite recipes from the book, every one sweet.

TODAY has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small share of the revenue from your purchases. Items are sold by the retailer, not by TODAY.

With these chocolate-almond clusters, you can have a no-guilt grab-and-go dessert that lasts all week long, right in the fridge. The matcha adds a boost of caffeine, so you can even enjoy one in the morning.

You won’t want to eat just one of these cookies because they’re so delicious, but one will satisfy you because of the belly-filling fiber.

No-Sugar Frozen Cherry-Berry Cream

This is ice cream without the added cups of sugar — and you’ll never notice it’s missing. The dates and berries provide the sweetness. Best part: It’s dairy free, so you won’t feel bloated after eating it.

 Muesli-Stuffed Baked Apples

Most muesli is just sugar-coated oats. In this recipe, you get the heartiness of the classic breakfast but it’s not cloyingly sweet. The result is apple pie for breakfast.

If you like those healthier desserts, you should also try these:

Joy Bauer's Pumpkin Pie Shots
Chocolate Crunch Bars