Heart-healthy fall desserts are easy to come up with, given the season’s rich bounty. For instance, you can sneak mashed sweet potatoes into brownies (see our recipe below), and no one will know unless you tell them your secret.
Simple, Healthy Fall Treats
You can also sprinkle pumpkin seeds on muffins or in oatmeal; pumpkin seeds are made up of protein and heart-healthy omega-6 fat. You can do the same with vitamin-rich cranberries.
Try adding canned pumpkin to your favorite dishes, such as pancakes, or throw some in a smoothie. (Store any leftover pumpkin in an airtight container in the refrigerator; it will keep about five to seven days.) Or, for a quick treat, simply eat fresh apple slices topped with a nut or seed butter, or make applesauce.
Remember that, in a heart-healthy diet, you should be getting four to five servings of fruit every day and plenty of whole grains, such as oatmeal. Here are ways to meet some of those nutritional requirements with desserts that are full of seasonal flavor while also low in calories and fat.
Golden Apple Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread
This pull-apart bread loaf is a warm, cinnamon-spiced treat layered with tender apple slices and crunchy walnuts. Baked to golden perfection, it’s finished with a creamy orange-vanilla icing for the perfect balance of sweetness and tang.
No-Bake Peanut Butter Oat Bites
Seeking a last-minute healthy fall dessert recipe? Whip up a batch of these easy no-bake cookie balls. Creamy peanut butter helps bind dried fruit, chocolate pieces, and shredded coconut to rolled oats, which are rich in both fiber and protein.
Sweet Potato Brownies
These sweet potato brownies are rich, fudgy, and naturally sweetened, combining almond butter and mashed sweet potato for a moist texture. Infused with cocoa and bittersweet chocolate, they offer a deep chocolate flavor.
Sourdough Discard Oatmeal Cookies
These chewy oatmeal cookies are filled with seasonal flavors like maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg. A handful of dried fruit (we like currants, cranberries, or raisins) helps coax even more sweetness out of the rolled oats.
Apple-Maple Snack Cake
A few things make this apple snack cake one of our favorite healthy fall dessert recipes. Fresh apples (try Braeburn) become soft and sweet when baked in a whole wheat cake batter. Round out the warm flavors with vanilla extract and apple pie spice.
Forgotten Cookies
Rachel Marek
These light and airy “forgotten” cookies are filled with nuts and mini chocolate chips. They get their name from the way they’re left in the oven overnight to finish cooking. The texture is similar to a meringue, with a bit of chewiness.
Crinkle Cake
Kelsey Hansen
Crinkle cake is a shortcut dessert made with purchased phyllo dough and vanilla custard. The finished fall dessert is equal parts creamy and crispy. Finish with a sweet honey syrup before serving.
Danish Pastry Apple Pie Bars
These Danish pastry apple pie bars offer a balance of indulgence and natural goodness, featuring a flaky homemade crust and a filling packed with tart apples rich in fiber and antioxidants. With a light cinnamon-sugar sweetness and a crisp cornflake base for texture, they provide a satisfying treat with wholesome ingredients.
