Our relationship with sugar is complicated at best. We are told we should limit how much sugar we consume, and yet, our bodies crave a little something sweet every day. Things get worse if you have a sweet tooth. It makes you crave sugar when you wake up in the morning.
That perhaps explains why breakfasts often include sugary treats in the North American diet. If you are tired of the processed coffee shop doughnuts and pastries, here are a few sinfully delicious yet healthy secret desserts you can have for breakfast.
The Mighty Mug Cake
Our morning routines are often rushed and chaotic. Amidst this chaos, consider the mighty mug cake if you are looking for a fast breakfast dessert.
All it needs is a few healthy ingredients, a microwave-safe mug, and a couple of minutes of your time.
For my favorite Oats-Banana-Chocolate mug cake, you will need:
- 3 tablespoons of mashed banana
- 3 tablespoons of oat flour (or ground rolled oats)
- 1 tablespoon of wholewheat flour (optional; skip it if you want it gluten-free and add an extra tablespoon of oat flour instead)
- 3 tablespoons of nut milk of your choice
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil
- ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon of baking powder
- 2 teaspoons of brown sugar (or ½ teaspoon of stevia if you are avoiding sugar)
- 1½ tablespoon of dark chocolate chunks (or chocolate chips)
- Tiny pinch of salt
Mix the wet ingredients well in your microwave-safe mug, and then add in the dried ingredients. Top it up with the dark chocolate chunks and microwave the mixture for 20 seconds at a time for a minute. If still not done, microwave for another 30 seconds.
It literally takes five minutes to make this ooey-gooey mug cake if you have all your ingredients ready to be measured and poured.
Date Nut Bread
We all should be cutting down on processed and refined sugars. That is the reason why we are trying to make our own breakfast desserts, right?
So, instead of adding sugar, consider nature’s miracle sweetener - dates! Rich in fiber and antioxidants, dates have a sweet smokey taste that is bound to make you ditch your sugar bowl for good.
For a healthy breakfast dessert, consider making date nut bread. You can make this ahead of time and can even freeze portions and microwave later for a quick healthy breakfast. Check out this nut bread recipe to learn more about how to make date nut bread!
If you are not allergic to nuts, you should definitely start including more nuts in your diet. These superfoods are rich in good fats that promote brain health, great skin, and luscious hair, and are super satiating.
This date nut bread goes perfectly with your favorite cup of coffee in the morning. For more ideas on what goes perfectly with your coffee, check out this post on the top five foods to pair with your coffee.
Cookies for Breakfast!
Let your inner child rejoice; you can now have cookies for breakfast too! Yay! Of course, we recommend you make these cookies nutritious and healthy instead of just empty sugar calories.
Consider making a gluten-free, oil-free, naturally-sweetened, high-fiber cookie for a nutritious breakfast. You will need 10 minutes to prep and 15 minutes to bake. The ingredients you will need are:
- Two mashed bananas that are super ripened (the browner the skin, the better)
- One egg
- ⅓ cup almond butter
- 1 cup oat flour
- ½ teaspoon each: salt, cinnamon, and baking soda
- ¼ cup each: dried cranberries, steel-cut oats, and chocolate chunks
Mix the dry ingredients first, then add in the wet ingredients and mix well into cookie dough and let it rest for a few minutes.
Line a baking sheet with a bit of oil and put 16 portions of this dough. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit in the oven. Let it sit and cool for 5 minutes.
This will yield about 16 cookies - enough to make breakfast and take some for your colleagues to score some major brownie points for the next time you need to leave the office early!
These cookies are also perfect as gifts to someone. Your mom would love some freshly baked guilt-free cookies in a gift hamper.
A Dark Chocolate and Espresso Smoothie
If you are cramped for time and need a quick breakfast smoothie, consider making a dessert-inspired breakfast smoothie with all your favorite things.
There are several health benefits of chocolate. Aside from the cancer-fighting antioxidants, chocolate is also known to have small amounts of Tryptophan - an essential amino acid that the brain uses to make the happiness hormone called serotonin. And whether you are a morning person or not, we all could use a boost in our happiness hormone in the morning.
For this smoothie, add the following:
- a dash of dark unsweetened cocoa powder
- a cup of almond milk
- a frozen banana
- some ice
- half a cup of greek yogurt
- a shot of espresso
- a few pitted dates
- vanilla extract
Then, blend away to make a creamy, rich dark chocolate and espresso smoothie for the days you need breakfast on the go!
Conclusion
Having a sweet tooth no longer has to be a weakness that bears shame and extra pounds. Let your sweet tooth reign supreme and boost your energy and mood by picking desserts for breakfast. Just steer clear of refined sugars and white flour, and follow our recipes above.
The days of desserts being void of nutrients are long gone. With high-fiber, anti-oxidant-rich dates, maple syrup, honey, and some ripe bananas and oats, you can make yourself these delicious breakfast desserts to ditch those coffee shop doughnuts. Your waistline will thank you for it.
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