I have NEVER had a sweet tooth. No seriously… I was always the first person to crave a french fry over a cookie or a piece of chocolate. My husband thought I was a freak of nature… But when I had my second kiddo? ALL BETS WERE OFF. I had such an intense sweet tooth that I would have cut a b*tch for a brownie or a piece of cake. I drank my gestational diabetes test and was like, PUHLEEZE, is THAT all you guys got? I was hard core addicted to sugar. I figured it would go away once I had the Peanut, but in a cruel (awesome??) twist of fate it didn’t. Nowadays I still love to have sweets, but without the excuse of pregnancy I can’t really indulge every time I want to. Thank GOODNESS for Jessica, The Domestic Pirate, because apparently there IS a way to eat well and still indulge that sweet tooth. PHEW.

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I admit it. I have a serious sweet tooth. I am addicted to sugary, doughy confections. Know what’s nearly impossible to find when you’re trying to eat clean? Sugary, doughy confections. Thanks to the wonderful, wide world that is Pinterest, in the past year (holy cow, we’ve been a mostly clean eating family for a year already?!) I have discovered some great treats that don’t destroy the healthy lifestyle we’ve adopted. Here are some of our favorites, plus a recipe that I came up with in a moment of need.

CLEAN FUDGE from The Gracious Pantry

This was the first clean dessert recipe I ever tried, and it is, by far, the easiest recipe ever. And a little nibble goes a long way to shake those chocolate cravings! I like adding vanilla, but friends I shared with adored the chocolate mint!

AVOCADO BROWNIES from TGI Paleo

Moist and delicious! I served these for dessert during game night with some friends and we ate the whole pan!

CHOCOLATE MEDALLIONS from GAPS Diet Journey

These are like little brownie bites! The perfect serving size for little hands.

GINGERSNAPS from Elana’s Pantry

I baked mine a little too long, but they still tasted wonderful! And it was kind of a nice switch from the softer treats we usually gravitate towards. Another treat that’s perfectly sized for little ones.

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH BITES from Texanerin Baking

I made these for a friend, since we don’t usually have peanut butter or chickpeas hanging around. They were surprisingly good (of course I tasted one… alright, two)! When I delivered them to her with the recommended instructions of freezing them before eating, she, understandably ignored me and dove right in.

LEMON & RASPBERRY PANCAKES from Urban Poser

Okay, it’s not technically a treat, but when we have these for breakfast, it truly feels like we’re eating dessert!

SCONES from Nourishing Flourishing

Another technically not-treat, but customizable with whatever type of berries you like and just so. darn. good!   If you need something special…

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CAKE from Paleoliscious

Oh. My. Goodness. Divinity on a plate.

LEMON BARS from Civilized Caveman

Super lemony, with just the right amount of sweet. I took these to a reception and they were practically disappeared, while a plate of lemon bars from a box mix sat veritably untouched nearby. The great thing is you can customize the crust with whatever nuts you prefer, or have on hand. I made mine with cashews and it was fantastic.

CHOCOLATE SWEET POTATO PIE from Fast Paleo with alternate CRUST from Sweet Paleo

This is, hands down, my absolute favorite clean dessert. It is SO worth the time it takes to make this silky, fudgey pie. I think I made this a half dozen times over the holidays because I couldn’t get enough!

And here is a recipe I created on the fly!

NO BAKE FREEZER COOKIES

Originally posted with substitution suggestions here.

Ingredients:

1/4 c. coconut oil* 1/4 c. coconut butter (optional- I added it to see if it would help keep the cookies firm)

1/4 c. canned coconut milk*

1 c. honey*

2 Tbs. cocoa powde

r 1/4 c. sunflower seed butter*

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 c. hemp hearts 1 c. chia seeds

Melt coconut oil and butter together on stovetop over medium heat. Add milk, honey, and cocoa. Bring to boil, stirring frequently, then boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and immediately mix in seed butter and vanilla. Add hemp hearts and chia seeds and stir well. Using a tablespoon, place drops of cookie ‘batter’ onto parchment or wax paper and place in freezer to set (do not stack them until they have firmly set!). Store in freezer until you are ready to enjoy them! This recipe made 24+ cookies.

Do you have a favorite clean treat recipe?

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Jessica is The Domestic Pirate, Renn Faire Privateer Gone Mom.  She started blogging in 2011 as an outlet for Post Partum Depression, but came back into her cooking, laughing, reading, dancing, sometimes cleaning, laughing, singing, spazzy, wenchy Pirate self upon the epiphany that she didn’t need to mold herself after anyone else.  She posts about whatever tickles her fancy; kid stuff, diy projects, clean eating, and societal issues, but empowerment and acceptance are where she feels she really hits her stride.  She is wife to the Captain, mom to the Cabin Kids, and is convinced that the dough is always better than the cookie.  Aside from her blog, you can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Bloglovin.