Nine Good-For-You Chocolate Recipes

Chocolate photo via Shutterstock

Even the healthiest diet or meal plan needs room for the occasional splurge. Lucky for us, one of everyone’s favorite indulgences—dark chocolate—has been proven to have plenty of health benefits. Besides being delicious, dark chocolate that is 60 percent cocoa or higher helps lower blood sugar, is high in antioxidants, and improves brain function. The best way to get a fix is to balance the bittersweet chocolate with something that’s naturally sweet, like fruit or yogurt. Or, if you’re looking for something a little more substantial, check out these nine guilt-free chocolate recipes.

But first, a few chocolate preparation tips: Chocolate is very sensitive to heat. To melt, either use a double boiler over simmering water, making sure the water isn’t touching the boiler, or microwave in a safe bowl for short intervals, stirring in between. And nothing sends the flavor of chocolate through the roof like coffee. Try adding a teaspoon or two of ground espresso to your recipe—you’ll taste the difference.

1. Mexican Chocolate Soufflé
via Cooking Light

Before you skip right over this recipe, know that soufflés aren’t as hard to make as you may think. Just take your time and be gentle when mixing the egg whites. And if the soufflé falls on your first try, it will still taste delicious—and trying to correct your mistake will give you an excuse to keep making them.

178 calories per serving

2. Chocolate Sherbert
via David Lebovitz

If you don’t have an ice cream machine, you may want to consider getting one. Ice cream, sorbet, and sherbert are easy to make, and you can cut fat and calories simply by subbing in lower fat milk.

200 calories per serving

3. Chocolate-Avocado Mousse
via Giada De Laurentiis

This is a dairy-free version of the classic dessert. The creamy avocados plus the almond milk will add so much richness, no one will miss the whipping cream. And don’t get scared away by the calorie count alone. It may be a splurge, but the avocado provides healthy fats and vitamins.

401 calories per half cup serving

4. Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
via Nosh My Way

Whole wheat flour and substituting some of the butter for coconut oil slashes the fat from traditional chocolate chip cookies. A quick tip: One way to keep cookies with heavy ingredients like whole wheat flour and oatmeal tender is by under baking them by a few minutes.

120 calories per two cookies

5. Chocolate Peanut Butter Coconut Bars
via Shape magazine

These chewy bars use an unusual ingredient as their base: sticky rice. Rice takes on the flavors of the foods surrounding it, so this recipe comes out tasting like a healthy Almond Joy candy bar.

161 calories per serving

6. Raspberry Chocolate Angel Food Cake
via Shape magazine

This cake uses a lot of egg whites (all protein, no fat or cholesterol) which keeps it light, airy, and guilt-free.

145 calories per serving

7. Mini Chocolate Cakeswiches
via Epicurious

Remember the healthy cake sandwiches that were popular a few years ago? These are way better. Plus, the filling is made with Greek yogurt, so you’re sneaking protein into your dessert.

117 calories per two cakeswiches

8. Frozen Dark Chocolate Banana Bites
via Joylicious

This recipe is a good use for any extra bananas that are turning brown on your kitchen counter. Preslice the bananas and keep them in the freezer to make this dessert on the fly.

169 calories per four bites

9. Choco-Sour Cream Cupcakes
via Health magazine

This is your basic chocolate cupcake recipe, just a bit healthier. Top with the milk chocolate frosting in the recipe or with a simple ganache.

272 calories per cupcake with frosting