Healthy dessert bars lying on piece of parchment paper on top of a wood cutting board. The bars are made with wholesome ingredients, offering a nutritious and delicious treat option for satisfying sweet cravings.

Just in time for cookie swaps and holiday parties, this week we’re upgrading your baking ingredients so you can indulge in allllll the baked goods pretty much guilt-free! I’m talking flours, sweeteners, toppings, and more. If you have a sweet tooth like me, you’ll want to hang out here for a while and soak it all in :)

And if you haven’t yet, be sure to download your free Healthy Pantry Guide that lists these along with all of the other pantry staples I like to keep on hand.

Download the Guide

Flour

If you only have white flour in your pantry right now, it’s time for an upgrade. The thing with white flour is…well, there’s lots of things with white flour.

White flour’s basically just what you’re left with when all of the nutrients have been stripped from whole wheat flour and it’s been bleached with chemicals. Yum. Plus, when you eat goodies made with white flour (and sugar) it causes your blood sugar to spike which has its own negative consequences.

OK, I’ll step down from my soapbox now but since there are so many other healthier alternatives to white flour, I highly encourage you to start experimenting! If you have a favorite recipe that calls for white flour, it’ll require some trial and error to make sure you get the right consistency. Otherwise, there are plenty of blogs, websites, and cookbooks that use alternative flours in their original recipes so you don’t have to do any guesswork. This is the route I suggest, especially if you’re just starting out!

Here are some of the flours I use and keep on hand (all gluten-free):

Oat flour (I make my own using gluten-free oats. I just throw oats in a blender for a few seconds until they turn to flour!)
Coconut flour
Almond flour/ almond meal
Buckwheat flour (confession - I’ve actually only used buckwheat flour for buckwheat waffles and pancakes 😋)

You can also try:

Brown rice flour
Tapioca flour
Chickpea flour
Quinoa flour

To start using gluten-free flours, just type “gluten-free ____ recipes” into Pinterest, do a happy dance, and settle into recipe-browsing bliss :)

Sweetener

White sugar is kinda like white flour. There are sooo many better-for-you alternatives! Not only does sugar lack any nutritional value, but our bodies actually have to use stored vitamins and minerals to process it!

Swap out the white stuff for one of these natural sweeteners (that also contain some good-for-you nutrients):

Coconut sugar
Honey
Maple syrup
Dates

If you’re looking for a diabetes-friendly sweetener or simply want a lower-sugar alternative, try using one of these sweeteners instead:

Stevia
Monk fruit
Xylitol

Toppings/ Other

I am using this section to list all the other fun things in my pantry that I keep on the same shelf as my baking ingredients. Try them in smoothies, on smoothie bowls, or however you please!

Cacao nibs (I love the added crunch and nutrient boost they add to smoothie bowls and overnight oats!)
Cacao powder (use it in smoothies or overnight oats to add a chocolatey flavor plus tons of antioxidants and minerals)
Goji berries (for granola, trail mix, and smoothie bowls)
Coconut flakes (another smoothie bowl topping; also good for baking)
Vanilla extract (for when I’m feeling extra vanilla, but also for my chia pudding)

And that’s a wrap!

P.S. I’m frequently on Pinterest pinning healthy desserts and baked goods so make sure you’re following me!