After developing and testing hundreds of sugar-free desserts, including candy, I found the best sugar-free sweetener alternative is allulose. It dissolves as white sugar does, and unlike monk fruit or erythritol, doesn't leave desserts grainy, bitter, or with a cooling aftertaste.
Mānuka honey introduces a layer of complexity that traditional sweeteners cannot replicate. Ultra MGO 800+ is described as thicker, richer and more earthy than standard honey, delivering intense mineral bursts and chocolate notes.
One isn't necessarily more nutritious than the other. They're just different foods. Peanut butter comes from a legume and almond butter comes from a tree nut, but nutritionally they're fairly similar. Both provide mostly healthy fats along with a little protein and fiber.
Going out for coffee every day can be pricey, which is why we usually stick to making our own coffee at home. That's easy to do if you like simple, black coffee, but it can be trickier to pull it off if you like more flavor in your cup. You could spend hours trying to learn how to make viral TikTok coffee drinks, or you could just snag yourself a good creamer from the grocery store for instant flavor and creaminess in your cup.
International Delight's Almond Joy Coffee Creamer blends together the tastes of coconut, milk chocolate, and toasted almonds. The result is a well balanced, coconut-forward creamer with the perfect amount of toasty nuttiness. The chocolate isn't overwhelming in the slightest - in fact, our tester could barely pick up on it, which was actually appreciated.
Sugar alcohols aren't inherently worse than regular sugar, they're just metabolized differently. Regular sugar is fully digested and predictably raises blood sugar levels. Sugar alcohols like erythritol are only partially absorbed, so they typically provide fewer calories and have a smaller impact on blood sugar, although some types can still raise it modestly.
Soaked and blended, cashews become a stand-in for heavy cream, keeping stuffed shells, soups, pasta sauces, and desserts luxuriously dairy-free. Toasted and roughly chopped, they add crunch to salads, curries, stir-fries, and more. There are so many reasons to love cooking with these seeds-that's right, "cashew nut" is technically a misnomer, since they grow outside the fruit rather than inside a hard shell like true nuts.
These candied nuts have become one of the cornerstones. You can make them with whatever nuts you have on hand, they keep beautifully for over a week, and they're an easy win as part of a larger snack-y spread. They also bridge the sweet-savory gap wonderfully and I've been serving them with a range of spreads, flatbread, and other bite-sized sweet treats.
Let's talk about holiday baking that goes beyond cookies! These are the festive winter bakes to try. The list includes an ultra fragrant gingerbread cake, a bright citrus loaf, and the perfect flourless chocolate cake. Few people love baking holiday cookies more than me, but a good amount of my favorite December baking happens outside the cookie platter. Think fragrant spice cakes, all things citrus, buttery, and bright - or deep, melty chocolate on the frostiest nights.
Now, peanuts and almonds don't taste exactly alike, but if you are trying to mimic the same roasty decadence and want something that could work with a graham cracker or chocolate crust, you're in luck. Simply use an equal ratio of almond butter in your favorite peanut butter pie recipe. Stir it into the filling mix with cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until the almond butter is well-distributed. From there, you can add it to your pre-baked pie crust, chill, and serve.
I'll save you the comparisons and just say this: the Simply Nature creamy almond butter from Aldi doesn't require any stirring. No flipping upside down overnight, none of the never-ending, wrist cramp-inducing churning by hand, not even a glance at my hand-blender (which I have been desperate enough to break out a time or two) - this almond butter comes exactly as it's described, and that's creamy.
All out of whole milk, or looking for a non-dairy substitute for allergies or diet preferences? Milk is an important ingredient in baked recipes: it softens the baked good, provides moisture, and helps with browning. It's also integral in many types of savory recipes as well.
There's a lot to be said for enjoying desserts for what they are: a sweet treat that can fit into a balanced diet. However, if you're in a position where you want to make every meal count in terms of nutrition, you don't have to miss out - with a can of chickpeas, your tray of brownies can be packed full of protein. Before you start to protest, rest assured that you won't be able to taste the chickpeas once they're mixed with the chocolate.
Prep 5 min Cook 30 min Chill 30 min+ Makes 24 bars 200g bar creamed coconut 6 tbsp coconut oil 3 tbsp maple syrup, or runny honey 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp good-quality matcha powder 1 pinch sea salt 150g desiccated coconut 200g dark chocolate (more than 65% cocoa is ideal), roughly broken Flaky sea salt, to sprinkle (optional)
