3 Healthy Holiday Treats That Taste So Good You'd Think They're Bad

Christmas time - full of memorable moments spent with family and friends, the beauty of the decorations, and glow of the lights, programs and productions that give us laughter and warmth, and oh yeah, how can we forget about ALL the fantastic holidays treats that bombard us this time of year.

It seems like they’re everywhere we go; sweet goodies are looking right back at us. It can be a battle within our own mind to not go overboard on the goodies.

Sometimes one sweet goodie can easily turn into more and more. Then soon, before we know it, we have allowed the artificial sugars to penetrate through our taste buds which can begin the ugly cycle - craving sweets.

If you're looking for some alternative holiday treats that you can make these are some excellent choices.

When we're watching our food intake because of the nutritional goals that we have, or we just don't want to eat artificial sugars, these are great options.

Healthy, gluten-free and vegan Holiday Treats that will SHOCK those eating them

DARK CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Ingredients:

•1 cup 70% dark chocolate chips or 60% Ghirardelli bittersweet Cacao chips

• 1/4 cup coconut oil

• 3 tablespoons water

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• pinch of salt

Instructions:

1.) In a medium saucepan combine chocolate, oil, and 3 tablespoons of water, stirring until melted.

2.) Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and salt.

3.) Pour into an 8-inch baking dish and refrigerate for about two hours

4.) Use a melon scooper to scoop out the chocolate, and transfer to a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet.

5.) Coat hands in cocoa and roll into balls.

6.) For an assortment of toppings, use finely-chopped nuts: Almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts. Also, try Unsweetened shredded coconut flakes or colorful sprinkles.

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Linzer cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of coconut oil

• 2/3 cup maple syrup

• 4 1/2 cups of gluten-free flour

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 7 tablespoons of jam or jelly, your choice Optional: powdered sugar alternative

•1 cup Rapunzel (organic whole cane sugar) or Coconut Sugar and 1 tablespoon arrowroot to achieve the consistency and sweetness of powdered sugar.

Instructions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Have Linzer cookie cutters ready to go, as well as two extra sheets of parchment paper for rolling in dough in between.

2.) Combine coconut oil in a large mixing bowl, and whip. Add maple syrup, salt, and vanilla, and mix to combine. Next, add flour.

3.) Begin shaping the dough into a ball. The dough should not be sticky but should press together when pinched. If it's sticky, then add a tad more flour. Knead well. Divide dough, and shape into two balls. Flatten each ball into a disk.

4.) Roll out one disk in between two sheets of parchment paper. Make sure it's about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies using the cookie cutter. Cut half of them with the solid cookie cutter, and the other half with a hole in the center of the cookie cutter, so you'll have equal amounts of the top and bottom layer cookies. Transfer to a prepared cookie sheet. Gather up scrap dough pieces. Repeat.

5.) Bake for 13-14 minutes until the edges begin to turn golden.

6.) Dust lightly and with powdered sugar (or healthy alternative). Place the cookie with the hole in the center on a wire rack or parchment paper. Dust with powdered sugar until you like how they look!

7.) Take the bottom cookies out and flip them upside down. Place jam in the middle of each cookie. Lay the dusted powdered sugar and cut-out cookies on top.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week.

Molasses cookies

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons maple syrup

• 2 tablespoons molasss

• 1/2 cup of coconut oil

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon Ginger

• 1/4 teaspoon cloves

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/4 cup of gluten-free flour

Optional:

• 8 ounces of dark chocolate chips

• 1/4 cup pistachios, finely chopped

• sprinkles

Instructions:

1.) Preheat oven to 325°.

2.) Combine all the wet ingredients, then add spices and salt. Next, combine the flour and baking powder and mix until fully blended.

3.) After allowing the dough to sit for two minutes (as the baking powder reacts and thickens the cookie dough) scoop a large spoon’s worth of cookie dough into round balls on parchment lined cookie sheets.

4.) Bake for 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool.

5.) Melt 8 ounces of dark chocolate chips. Dip half the cookie into the melted chocolate, covering half with the glossy chocolate covering. If you're feeling spunky, before the chocolate dries, dip the chocolate side of the cookie into finely chopped pistachios or sprinkles.

Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to one week.

There you have it. Give one of these recipes a whirl. They're kids tested and approved. Remember, we have 6.

Here's to our Journey,