Spring often makes us a bit more aware of how much winter weight we carry... which makes healthy Easter desserts seem like a pretty good idea. Most sweets and desserts by their nature are likely to have more fats and sugars than nearly any other kind of food. Fats and oils often carry a lot of flavor, so cutting those out of a dessert recipe can make cakes dry and the texture in cookies a little strange. Fortunately, in recent years, chefs have started reworking their favorite Easter dessert recipes to substitute better ingredients and get healthier recipes. There are quite a number of healthy desserts you can offer this Easter.

Most of the ideas here can be used to up the health factor of my Easter dessert recipes on the following pages:

• Fun Easter Dessert
• Fresh Easter Desserts
• Recipes for Easter Cakes
• Italian Easter Desserts
• Easter Treats to Make

Easily Adaptable Easter Desserts

Some recipes are easier than others to transform into healthy Easter desserts. Read on for a few ideas for recipes to look for when you want to sub healthier ingredients for a good result.

Carrot Cake

Carrot cake is a family favorite and it may seem like a health food since it is based on carrots... but it's not! At least, most of the time it isn't. But carrot cake can be made using whole wheat pastry flour and low fat milk for a little extra health factor. This will reduce the starch and fats in the cake and the overall calories.

The substitution of wheat flour will change the taste of the cake just slightly, but often the earthiness in whole wheat flours goes well with the rich flavor of carrots and spices in carrot cake. Other recipes improve the cake's nutrition by using less oil (or substituting most of the oil with applesauce) and reducing the amount of butter in frostings that go on the cake.

Find some recipes for Spicy Moist Carrot Cake and Sunny Citrus Carrot Cake here.

Zucchini Bread

Zucchini bread is another tricky dessert that can be made into a healthy Easter dessert if you are careful. Making the transition from healthy vegetable to dessert often means adding oils and sugars. Healthier versions of this recipe will include pureed pumpkin or banana and very little sugar. Instead of oils you can sometimes use applesauce.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

If you still want a rich, delicious Easter cake but need to go beyond just switching out for a whole wheat flour, try a Flourless Chocolate Cake. Dark chocolate has contains antioxidants which provide some health benefits. This cake generally contains a small amount of eggs and sugar but is overall better for you than fully loaded chocolate cakes.

Lower Fat Crème Brule

Healthy Easter desserts can sometimes feel like you are denying yourself the tasty stuff. This is sometimes a trigger for eating more than we should even of the good for us foods. Eat delicious and still lighten up your dessert by making Crème Brule with 1% milk and nonfat sweetened condensed milk. This reduces the fat content significantly and the remaining ingredients aren't all that bad for you.

Healthy Easter Dessert Options

One way to celebrate and be mindful of your munching is to focus on fruit rather than on baked goods. Try these delicious and healthy Easter desserts:

Strawberries. Clean and wash a pint of fresh strawberries. Hull and halve the berries. In a separate bowl mix 8 oz low-fat greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon honey and 1 tablespoon powdered sugar. Or pick up some angel food cake, low-fat whipped topping, and strawberries, and make a healthy and delicious strawberry shortcake!

Parfaits. These layered desserts can be healthy if you use nonfat yogurt, berries, granola and a bit of drizzled honey or chocolate.

Pears. Whole pears can be baked with honey, cinnamon, orange zest and a dash of white wine for a delicious and low-calorie dessert. Or try this fun bunny pear for a silly and healthy Easter dessert.

Fruit Crumble. Use fresh or frozen fruit to toss with small amounts of sugar and orange juice. Place this mixture into individual ramekins for portion control. Cover each with a homemade granola topping and bake. Or use this base recipe for a simple fruit tart and adjust to make it healthier.

Lemon Bars. Tangy citrus mixes with low-fat ricotta cheese and nonfat sour cream to improve this dessert's nutrition. Be careful of crusts that have a great deal of fat in them. Often these bars can be made with egg substitute to improve cholesterol content.

Meringues. To truly lighten up your sweet tooth try meringue. Meringues are a light and delicate mixture made from whipped egg whites, a tiny bit of sugar and flavorings like vanilla or almond. Without the yolks these egg whites will not make a heavy impact on your waistline. The other good news is that meringues are very flexible and can be used as pie fillings, cookies or mixed into cakes for a healthier dessert.

Bringing Along a Healthy Dessert

If you're going to someone's home for Easter dinner, offer to make dessert. This gives you the power to make healthy choices while still helping out with the meal. Healthy Easter desserts don't need to be a struggle when with a little thought they can still be sweet.

Go for Healthy Easter Desserts to the Easter Dinner Party Main Page!