The Bean & Seed

As someone who enjoys a little something sweet after a meal, I thought I’d share some ideas for what I consider to be healthier alternatives to traditional dessert options. I, admittedly, struggle to eat the recommended serving sizes for a lot of foods as I don’t get my fill. I love Pepperidge Farm cookies, for example, but I always want 2 Chesapeakes, 4 Milanos… you get the idea. This has led to me not keeping such delights in the house, but saving them for special occasions. So what do we eat for dessert instead? Read on for some options that highlight the culinary principle known as food paring.

Food pairing is simply combining ingredients with complementary flavors or textures; think sweet and salty, or soft and crunchy. My favorite Pixar movie is Ratatouille. I especially love the scene where he combines together a strawberry and some cheese to set off a sensory fireworks display in his mind. For this healthier dessert idea, that’s what I’m going for, but I’m also thinking about the health benefits and pitfalls.

The first thing to consider is that we probably need less sugar in our diets. So starting with items that are already lower in sugar for what they are is a good idea. In the picture above, you can see banana chips, graham crackers, and chocolate. For each of these items I’m selecting the healthier option when standing in the grocery isle. Just because something is unsweetened doesn’t mean it doesn’t have sugar; banana chips are a great example. And for the chocolate, consider the baking isle instead of the candy isle. I keep a stash of Ghirardelli Bittersweet 60% Cocoa Baking Chips on hand just for the purpose of mixing in with other ingredients. These are larger and flatter than your typical chocolate chip and have a good snap when you bite into them.

Now that we’ve got the sweet side of our potential parings set, what really makes these options healthier? For me, it’s largely nuts. Walnuts pair exceptionally well with banana chips. And some lightly salted almonds are amazing with some of the Ghirardelli baking chips. Or you can take it up a notch and combine the banana chips, walnuts, and chocolate chips all at once!

I’ve also pictured Mother’s Circus Animal Cookies. These have the most sugar of anything I’m including here, but I’m mentioning them to show how the pairing concept can help with stopping at a single serving. 7 animal cookies does not a fulfilling dessert make. But try pairing those 7 cookies with a serving of walnuts. Here you’ve got the silky icing and crunchy sprinkles of the cookies paired with what I’d consider a boring, but hearty and good for you nut. A serving of walnuts contains substantial amounts of protein, vitamin E, and magnesium. Combining the walnuts with the iced animal cookies helps me to limit myself to the recommended portion size for the cookies while gaining the health benefits and satisfaction provided by the nuts.

When you’re feeling especially naughty (kidding) and want to pair two things that are sweet, if you’re starting with items that are lower in sugar to begin with, you’re still likely beating out a store-bought package of cookies. For example, Annie’s Organic Birthday Cake Bunny Grahams paired with the Ghirardelli baking chips. This truly tastes like cake with chocolate icing. So good!

Are these really “healthy” desserts? No. But I said “healthier”, and I definitely think they fit that description. These suggestions help with portion control and introduce nutrients we could probably use more of. I think that’s a win.

Thanks for reading, Matt

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