Anyone have any good recipes for cookies/cake/cupcakes/brownies/etc and any icing/frosting that is low cal or low sugar or sugar free?? A local spa has asked me to make 'body friendly' sweets for their promotion their having, and i'd love to get some ideas from people who have tried making any 'healthy' desserts!! TIA!!!

No one has any recipes using splenda or anything? I'm all for using crisco, butter, sugar, the goooood stuff, TRUST ME! But i'd love to hear of some successful and somewhat tastey low cal/low sugar/low something treats too! Thanks!!!

Splenda is not necessarily more healthy than sugar.

I would go for more fruity things. Phylo dough cups with Greek yogurt (cause it's thicker) sweetened with agave or honey and some pretty fruit.

Quick breads made with fruit.

Cookies with nuts and fruit.

Adding nuts adds protein and balances the sweet spectrum.

Granola bars--add some rice krispies to lighten them up a bit.

Homemade applesauce would be killer.

Fruit 'pizza'--use sweetened tofu for the 'sauce'--a nice high fiber cookie crust and some pretty fruits & nuts on top--cut into wedges.

I often sub almond meal for part of the flour to add the protein.

Maybe some stuff like that.

I just discovered a product called Whey Low (you can go to their web site and see if they sell it near you). It has 75% less calories than sugar and has low glycemic index so it is safe for diabetics to eat. They also have brown sugar and powdered sugar so you can make bc with it. It tastes just like sugar, according to them and on their web site they say to use as much of the Whey Low as sugar, so you can use the same recipes. (I have not tried it yet but am buying it tomorrow to make a cake for a diabetic couple). As far as healthy cake, I don't know to what extend they mean. I have heard of people substituting oil with applesauce (makes the cakes moist) and there is a whole wheat pastry flour, but I have never tried that in a cake.

I just tried several different cookie recipes using Splenda (trying to make something for a bake sale), and every one of them was dry and pretty flavorless - well, except for the distinct Splenda aftertaste. Now, I don't mind artifical sweetener - I get 4 Equal in my iced coffee every morning - but I just couldn't take this.

I also made royal icing using Splenda (just 1 1/2 tbls meringue powder, 1/4 cup warm water, 1 3/4 cup Splenda ground up with 1/4 cup corn starch, and some vanilla) and it wasn't terrible.

I like the ideas K8memphis had about a healthier option, instead of just the sugar replacement. I also have an excellent recipe for blueberry angel food cupcakes that I got off allrecipes that my boss (a part-time pilates and cardio workout instructer) absolutely loves, and will actually eat for "breakfast". They're really easy, no fat, and taste delicious!!

To pump the nutrition factor of baked goods, I like to use half regular flour and sub out the other half with different wholegrain flours. They have a great taste and help with trying to reach the 25-35 grams of fiber we're supposed to get every day. Whole wheat pastry flour is softer than regular whole wheat flour and doesn't bake up as grainy. Whole barley flour has a nice nutty flavor. And whole oat flour (my fav) keeps thing moist and chewy when you're lowering the fat content.

Oh and if you take something out, put something else in its place. If you leave out the oil, replace with puree fruit or yogurt, etc.