Guilt-Free Desserts to Start the New Year

Recipe: Meyer Lemon-Cheesecake Bars

These lemony bars are a great make-ahead treat. Use fresh orange juice and zest instead of lemon for a different flavor profile.

Recipe: Key "Light" Pie

Fat-free condensed milk, egg substitute, reduced-fat graham cracker crust, and fat-free whipped topping considerably lighten the traditional key lime pie.

Recipe: Brown Sugar Baked Pears

No crust, no cake, and if you want to lighten it up further, just reduce the amount of butter, sugar, and ice cream that you use. A baked pear with just a little cinnamon on its own is guaranteed to be sweet and delicious.

Recipe: Raspberry Crumble Bars

Packed with raspberries, rolled oats, and almonds, it's almost like breakfast in a bar. Cut down on the sugar in the filling, or swap it with a different sweetener.

Recipe: Banana Pudding

This pudding delivers a velvety rich custard, ripe banana flavor, vanilla wafers so soft they melt in your mouth, and an irresistible golden-baked meringue topping. All this, and it's lower in fat and calories than traditional versions. These make great individual party desserts, or make it in an 8-inch square pan. We love it with extra wafers.

Recipe: Rainbow Fruit Pizza

Use whatever fruit is in season—pomegranates, bananas, oranges, and pineapple all make for a stunning presentation.

Recipe: Lightened Hummingbird Cake

While we love the classic, this lightened version is equally good. All you have to do is sub some of the oil for applesauce and scale back on the butter, sugar, and eggs. As for that creamy frosting, use a light cream cheese instead.

Recipe: Chocolate-Pecan Tassies

Healthy isn't just about ingredients. It's also about portion sizes. Whip up these little tassies and they're a satisfying, bite-sized treat after dinner.

Recipe: Mini Berry Cobblers

These mini cobblers are packed with juicy berries and topped with a simple biscuit. Just one will serve up the satisfying sweetness needed to finish off a meal without going overboard on the sugar and fat.

Recipe: Carrot-Pineapple Mini Bundt Cakes with Buttermilk-Vanilla Glaze

Get your year off to a vibrant start with these tiny Bundt cakes, which are perfect individual servings and also packed with carrots. Serve with or without the glaze.

Recipe: Instant Pot Applesauce

It's a dessert, snack, breakfast, and baking substitute all in one. You'll definitely want to keep some in your fridge, and with an easy recipe like this one, it won't be hard. Make sure to enjoy a cupful warm, too.

Recipe: Mini Red Velvet Cakes

Another individual dessert that helps control portion size but doesn't skimp on ingredients. And that frosting—mascarpone and cream cheese? Oh, yes.

Recipe: Apple Butter Cobbler with Drop Biscuits

When preparing the apples, you can moderate the amount of sugar or sub it out for something like honey, maple syrup, or agave.

Recipe: Roasted Pears

Aside from snacking on one straight from the fruit bowl, this might be one of the healthiest ways to enjoy a pear. The recipe uses honey as a sweetener and just a dab of butter for richness.

Recipe: Winter Blackberry Cobbler

Frozen berries make this recipe a possibility in the cold months. The minimal pastry allows the fruit to shine and limits the amount of sugar and butter you'll consume.

Recipe: Summer Fruit Skewers

Sub the summer fruits for winter ones, like persimmons, oranges, bananas, and pineapple. It'll be bright, vibrant, simple, and good for you.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Peach Cobbler

Peaches in January? Yes, thanks to the frozen section. And, making it gluten free ensures all can enjoy.  

Recipe: Blackberry-Yogurt Grits

Grits for dessert? Only if they're Blackberry-Yogurt Grits. Greek yogurt keeps the grits nice and creamy, honey cuts the tartness, and blackberry jam adds a little sweetness.

Recipe: Simplest Pear Tart

There's not much to this tart, but that's the beauty of it, as the pears are allowed to shine.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Cobbler

The hearty, healthy sweet potato shines in this cobbler, which uses just a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon to flavor.

Recipe: Fresh Fruit Salad

This is the one instance in which salad can be dessert. Choose your favorite fruit medley and garnish with fresh mint leaves and a drizzle of honey.