For some, dessert is an occasional treat, decadent and rich. For others, like Katie Higgins, dessert is an everyday affair. No, scratch that: it is a several-times-a-day affair.
“I want to eat dessert more than once a day,” Higgins said. “Breakfast is like a dessert.” And then, there’s dessert at lunch, and then snacks, she added.
With such a sweet tooth, the blogger behind the popular “Chocolate-Covered Katie,” subtitled “the healthy dessert blog,” has compiled recipes into a new book.
“Chocolate-Covered Katie: Over 80 Delicious Recipes That Are Secretly Good for You” holds the undeniable appeal along the lines of a have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too premise, except even better—imagine eating a healthy cake.
Higgins, who started concocting healthy desserts in college, was seeking to make them delicious as well, after too many encounters with disappointing healthy treats.
A cookie dough dip recipe was an early hit; high in protein, it is made with chickpeas or white beans.
Higgins is no stranger to using ingredients like beans in dessert. She lived abroad for much of her childhood, including in Asia, where beans are used in sweets. You'll now find her incorporating beans in brownies, for example.
Living abroad also spurred on her cooking efforts because ingredients like American baking mixes, for example, were not easily available or were expensive.
Higgins has legions of fans (her cookbook is ranked higher on Amazon’s list of bestsellers in the desserts category than Rose Levy Beranbaum’s “The Baking Bible” and Dominique Ansel’s “The Secret Recipes.” Her desserts evoke single-minded adoration, as exemplified by the website comment, “I would leave my husband for your pie.”
See her recipes below for a luscious Chocolate Infinity Pie (with silken tofu) and Chocolate Raspberry Crumble Bars.
Chocolate Infinity Pie
Makes one 8-inch pie (8 servings)
Ingredients:
1 (12.3-ounce) package firm silken tofu (I recommend Mori-Nu)
11/3 cups chocolate chips, melted
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup or raw agave
2 tablespoons milk of choice
2 teaspoons cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract scant 1/8 teaspoon salt
Chocolate Cookie Pie Crust or prepared 8 1/2-inch piecrust, optional
Directions:
Process all ingredients except crust in a food processor, blender, or Vitamix until completely smooth.
If making with a crust, pour filling into the prepared piecrust.
Otherwise, divide the batter among 8 (1/2-cup) ramekins.
Refrigerate uncovered for at least 6 hours to firm up.
Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 4 days.
Per Serving
Calories 140
Fat 6 grams
Fiber 4 grams
Carbs 18 grams
Protein 3 grams
Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value 3
Chocolate Raspberry Crumble Bars
Makes 12 to 16 bars
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups spelt flour or all-purpose flour*
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
¼ cup xylitol or granulated sugar of choice
1/16 teaspoon pure stevia extract, or additional 2 tablespoons granulated sugar of choice
1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
3 tablespoons milk of choice
2 cups raspberries (fresh or thawed frozen)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking dish or line with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and dry sweeteners and stir very well.
Add the oil and milk and stir until a dough forms.
Transfer half the dough to the baking dish and press down very firmly with a
spatula.
In another large mixing bowl, combine the raspberries, chocolate chips, maple syrup, vanilla, and cornstarch. Stir well.
Pour this mixture evenly over the dough in the baking dish.
Sprinkle the remaining dough over the baking dish and press down lightly.
Bake for 45 minutes, until firm.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan before slicing into bars.
Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 4 days.
(Recipes from “Chocolate-Covered Katie: Over 80 Delicious Recipes That Are Secretly Good for You” by Katie Higgins, Grand Central Life & Style, 2015, $20)
