Having pumpkin in the fall is practically a rite of passage in order to start the season, but many desserts are a little too fattening. The following recipes are both lower in fat and calories and delicious ways to enjoy pumpkin.
Pumpkin Cake with Cranberries
This healthy pumpkin dessert is provided by Eating Well.com. It is a great way to have a pumpkin cake with all the added calories. This simple recipe use basic ingredients for cake, including flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. The seasonings are ground cinnamon and allspice to give it that seasonal flavor and it uses egg whites instead of regular eggs. You will also add pumpkin puree to the cake.
Crustless Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie is a holiday favorite, but the crust on it tends to add quite a bit of fat and calories. You can get rid of that fattening crust altogether with this Chocolate Covered Katie recipe. It provides a simple method for having the same pumpkin pie you love without the buttery crust you don’t really need. However, it does have a crust bottom to keep the pie together.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
These might sound fattening, but they are actually quite healthy. Depending on the ingredients you use, you can even make them to be gluten-free. Pureed pumpkin, pumpkin pie space, and cinnamon add the pumpkin flavor. You can use oat flour instead of white flour if you like, and you can always use xylitol or agave instead of brown sugar to reduce the fat and calories. Make it even better for you by adding some ground flax.
Spiced Pumpkin Cookies
EatingWell.com has another delicious pumpkin dessert with the spiced pumpkin cookies. Basic ingredients like pumpkin, all spice, ginger, and molasses are used. You can increase the health of them by using whole wheat flour and keeping out the butter since the pureed butter still keeps them creamy.
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap
This is another surprisingly healthy and reduced fat pumpkin dessert from EatingWell.com. Instead of the traditional cheesecake crust, you will have one made of walnuts and gingersnaps, which are much better than the buttery graham cracker cheesecake crust. Instead of regular cream cheese, you will use non-fat cottage cheese.
