This post may contain affiliate links. Click here for my affiliate disclosure. If you purchase items through my affiliate links, I receive a small commission but your price doesn't change.
When asked to name my top 5 dessert recipes, I quickly realized that narrowing my favorites down to just 5 would be pretty much impossible, but I did create a list of my top 20. 😛 These recipes are MY OWN personal favorites, not necessarily the most popular dessert recipes on my website, although many of these would make that list too. So here you have it – the best THM friendly dessert recipes! (in my very humble opinion *cough*)
The Best Healthy Potluck Desserts
When making desserts for church potlucks or family gatherings where not everyone is on board with healthy eating and used to alternative flours and sweeteners, I gravitate towards desserts like cheesecakes that don’t rely on a large bulk of alternative ingredients. The texture of alternative baked goods can take some getting used to, so something like a cheesecake, ice cream, or cookie bars that have a thin crust and a topping of some sort are generally easier to get past the general public than something like cake. As you’ll notice from the list in this post, these are actually the types of recipes I prefer myself!
LOW GLYCEMIC SWEETENER TIPS:
- Less concentrated is generally more palate friendly. THM Gentle Sweet is perfect for people who are just coming off of sugar!
- However, the more concentrated sweeteners are usually more budget friendly. Since I don’t mind a little stevia, I usually use THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder and THM Super Sweet Blend in my recipes.
- Don’t know how to convert from one sweetener to another? Always, always, always sweeten to taste to get a result that you’re happy with! Taste buds vary A LOT when it comes to alternative sweeteners. Find what YOU like! I personally don’t like as much sweetener as most other folks because it leaves a bad aftertaste in my mouth, so when making someone else’s recipes I usually decrease the sweetener amount. Start small, then taste and add more until it tastes good to you. You can also use this sweetener conversion chart to help estimate how much sweetener you’ll need in comparison to another sweetener.
- Remember that sweetness will decrease a bit with baking.
- An extra pinch of salt can help balance out a stevia flavor.
- Desserts made with alternative flours and sweeteners typically taste better after overnight refrigeration. This improves the texture and gives the sweetness some time to “mellow out.”
- Less concentrated sweeteners pair better with chocolate and coffee (bitter flavors) than stevia does, but stevia does pretty well sweetening fruity or cream cheesy stuff. I generally use stevia to sweeten things like yogurt and shakes and use THM Super Sweet Blend for baking.
- For ice cream I prefer to use xylitol (or THM Gentle Sweet that contains xylitol) because of its effect on texture and freezing properties of ice cream. You can read more about that HERE.
Desserts in Moderation
Stuff like cheesecake is generally fairly calorie dense, so I don’t keep it around on the regular because I personally have to be careful with heavy desserts or else I start gaining weight, even if it’s all sugar free and THM friendly. Probably has something to do with my lack of portion control…. I keep these desserts for special occasions or stick to small portions and try to give some of the dessert away. Back when I lived at home with my family and my mom and sister were around to help eat stuff, this wasn’t an issue…haha. My husband likes dessert, but not all the time, and in fairly small doses. He’s a good influence on me. 😉
Some of my favorite lower calorie “desserts” include
- fresh fruit! (THM E)
- sourdough or sprouted toast with a smidgen of butter and some all fruit jam (THM E)
- plain rice cakes with a smidgen of natural peanut butter and some all fruit jam (THM E)
- apple with low fat peanut butter made from defatted peanut flour
- low fat cottage cheese with THM Super Sweet Blend and cinnamon (THM FP)
- low fat cottage cheese or Greek yogurt with frozen berries and THM Super Sweet Blend (THM FP)
- sugar free hot chocolate (THM S or FP)
- celery with natural peanut butter and some sugar free chocolate chips (THM S) – I do try to watch my peanut butter intake because it’s really calorie dense. Peanut butter made with defatted peanut flour could work here too to lower calories and increase protein.
- cottage cheese blended with frozen fruit or berries and sweetener, like Trim Healthy Mama’s Cottage Berry Whip or this Mango Soft Serve for One (which is a THM E)
Don’t forget to add protein if the dessert doesn’t include some already. I’ll tack these desserts onto the end of a meal that includes protein or enjoy with some Greek yogurt or cottage cheese (low fat in a THM E or FP setting) for a desserty snack. Or pair with a drink that contains collagen or whey protein powder.
The Best THM Friendly Dessert Recipes
Want to browse more goodies?
-
all my dessert recipes
-
all my ice cream recipes
-
all my drink/shake recipes
-
Briana’s Baking Mix Recipe
Top 5 Cookbook Exclusive Desserts
Bri’s Best Fudgy Brownies
These took a lot of work to get right. Like seriously, a legit brownie is one of the hardest things to make healthy, in my experience. This is the closest I have ever come, and I’m pleased.
CF page 391
Creamy Red Raspberry Sherbet
Dairy free and really, really, really good.
CF page 313
Extreme Chocolate Ice Cream
Chocolate ice cream with a fudgy chocolate swirl – loosely based off of one of my favorite Dairy Queen Blizzards.
CF page 298
Lemon Cheesecake Delight
Like the Blueberry Cheesecake Delight above, but lemon. Real lemon.
CF page 414
Turtle Praline Cake
If you want to go all out, this is it.
NF page 270
Make sure you don’t miss upcoming recipes!
CLICK HERE to sign up for my email list!
What’s up with the NF and CF?
NF = Necessary Food, my first cookbook (2016).
CF = Convenient Food, my second cookbook (2018).
These are beautiful books, if I may say so myself. 😛 Each contains around 400 recipes, and they are SUBSTANTIAL. Matte finished hard covers that make me so happy and will make YOU happy with their durability and stability. Spiral binding so you can easily turn to the page you want and stay there while stirring this and adding that. None of this floppy, fall-over-on-the-counter or won’t-stay-open stuff. CLICK HERE to check them out!
Susan Waldrop says
I have really enjoyed your emails and your 2 books. I will try to make this as short as I can. Have you tried a dessert called Oreo Delight? It is THE best dessert and worst dessert for your body. I took 3 of your recipes out of your Necessary Foods book to make this a better for you dessert. I tried your Chocolate Peanut Butter Delight recipe but didn’t like the yogurt taste. No offense I hope. So I took the Chocolate Cookie Crust, doubled it. After it cooled I broke it up in small pieces. Then I took your Basic Chocolate Pudding recipe and made it. After the pudding cooled I mixed the Chocolate Cookie Crust pieces in with the Chocolate Pudding, mixed together and poured this in a 9 x 13 glass pan. Then I made the whipping cream topping on the Chocolate Peanut Butter Delight recipe and put it on the new dish. Put this in the refrigerator. After it cooled, it was pretty close to the Oreo Delight. But all the super sweet was not agreeing with me so I used Gentle Sweet in all 3 and it was a big difference. Even my husband could tell a big difference. You don’t have to post this, just wanted you to know you inspired me to make a dish that was more healthy for you. Blessings to you and your family and congratulations on your new little one.
Briana Thomas Burkholder says
That’s great to hear, Susan! I love that you created something new inspired by some of my recipes!
Katy Beiler says
Woah, wait. A NOTHER baby? Congratulations, Briana! I just know that your sweet girl will be an awesome big sis!!!
Briana Thomas Burkholder says
Thank you! I announced my pregnancy in my email newsletter a little while ago. We’re looking forward to having a playmate for Hadassah!
Alicia says
Glad Briannafinger Bars made the list. We love those!
Also, I just noticed on your cookbook covers that you traded in a horse for a husband. Not a bad trade. 😉 Hope you and your little family are well.
Briana Thomas Burkholder says
Haha…we just celebrated our 4 year anniversary and have a toddler and a baby on the way. Where have you been?? 😛
Anna Greene says
I can not believe I am just now discovering your site but very grateful. I just received your Necessary Foods cookbook yesterday and I am SO EXCITED! It is such a beautiful book, and so user friendly. I made 3 recipes already today and they were all delicious. I love how you used scripture throughout also. Thank you for all the hard work you have put into your book, it is a true blessing!
Briana Thomas Burkholder says
Yay! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the book and recipes! Thanks for stopping by!
Victoria says
Butterfinger bars…. Absolutely fabulous. Are they really truly healthy?
Briana Thomas says
According to my definition, they are! They are low-glycemic and fit the Trim Healthy Mama healthy eating lifestyle.
Kathleen says
My mom’s favorite are your butterfinger bars. She never gets tired of them.?
Dolly says
These have all been on my “to try” list for a while! My sweet tooth has been begging for some desserts lately…I think I’m making the Uncle Bubba bars this weekend. These all look so yummy though!
Julie says
Our favorite dessert is your peanut butter ice cream. It is requested over and over for birthdays and other special occasions at our house. We serve it with Cry No More Brownies from the THM cookbook, or for an everyday kind of treat, we serve it with your single serve brownie. Are you getting the idea that we LOVE chocolate and peanut butter? 🙂
Briana Thomas says
That’s a wonderful combination! I love the idea that you eat this kind of thing as an everyday treat. 😉
Rhonda says
I can’t wait for this cookbook to be released. I’m getting tired of printing so many recipes and having papers all over the place =) Thanks so much for all your hard work – you’re saving me a lot of time that I don’t have to experiment with recipes and I’m able to enjoy old favorites in a healthy way!
Briana Thomas says
You and me both…haha.
Ellie Canady says
Our favorite so far is your Butter Pecan Ice Cream. Love, love, love it. Can’t keep it in the freezer. Did I mention we love ice cream too? I love all of your recipes and can’t wait for your cookbook. Love and hugs!
Sadi says
My sister received an ice cream machine for her b-day, so we have been making ice cream like crazy (most of them your recipes) the butter pecan is definitely a go to.
I made your bubba bars (thinking it would last me a little while) but my Dad really loved it so we ate it up within two days!
Thanks Briana for all your recipes, with all these yummy desserts I hardly know I’m on a diet.
Briana Thomas says
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes!