Category Archives: Dessert

Date Sweetened Cinnamon Rolls

Date Sweetened Cinnamon Rolls by Alison's AllspiceThese date sweetened cinnamon rolls are completely naturally-sweetened without any refined sugars.  I used honey in the rolls (because I didn’t think dates would work well there).  Then, I used dates to make the filling, and dates to make the cream cheese frosting.

Why are naturally-sweetened treats a healthier alternative?  Sources of natural sugars also contain other nutrients, like fiber, minerals and vitamins.  Specifically, dates are a good source of potassium, vitamin K and vitamin B. Continue reading

Mini Purple Sweet Potato Pies with Cheesecake Filling

Mini Purple Sweet Potato Pies with Cheesecake Filling by Alison's AllspiceThe humble sweet potato is such a versatile root vegetable.  A few weeks ago I posted my chipotle sweet potato fries recipe, highlighting my love of sweet potato with spicy chipotle.  Today I have mini purple sweet potato pies with cheesecake filling, a delectable treat to represent sweet potato’s dessert side.

This purple sweet potato pie is reminiscent of pumpkin pie, with the exception that it has a deep purple hue.  I also love pumpkin cheesecake, so I decided I wanted to add a cheesecake center to these sweet treats. Continue reading

Sweet Potato Brownies

Sweet Potato Brownies by Alison's AllspiceI was first drawn to make sweet potato brownies because I am still trying to use up my sweet potatoes from last fall’s harvest.  Honestly, I cannot think of a better way to enjoy my plethora of sweet potatoes than fudgy brownies.

This recipe was inspired by a picture I saw on Pinterest that did not link back to a working site, so all I had to work from was the ingredients list and the comments (other recipes I found did not have great reviews).  Continue reading

Gooseberry Pie

Summer fruit pies are a thing to be treasured.  When I think about pie, I usually think about thanksgiving or Christmas, but to be honest, summer should get more credit because that is when lots of fruit ripens, including gooseberries, which are delicious in this gooseberry pie.

What is a gooseberry? It is a small berry that grows on bushes starting as green and becoming purple as it ripens, and closely related to the currant.  The green berries are tart and sweeten some as they ripen. Some say they taste like a grape, but I think of them more along the lines of rhubarb because of their tartness. Continue reading

All Butter Double Pie Crust

All Butter Double Pie Crust by Alison's Allspice

Friends, I hope your summer is going well.  I find myself amidst buckets of fruit this summer, which of course means pie!  I have been asked for my all butter double pie crust recipe before, so here it is!

I usually try to health-ify recipes like this one by reducing saturated fats or adding whole grains.  However, with this recipe I have not.  It is such a good recipe as it is I have decided not to mess with it.  We’ll let the fruit filling be the healthy part this time. Continue reading

Whole Grain Rhubarb Oatmeal Bars

Whole Grain Rhubarb Oatmeal Bars by Alison's AllspiceAs a kid, we had a close family friend that was an excellent baker.  All his breads and treats were amazing!  This whole grain rhubarb oatmeal bars recipe was adapted from the only recipe of his that I have.

I adapted Floyd’s recipe to make it whole grain, and to use fresh fruit, or in this case, rhubarb, which is actually a vegetable! Floyd made his recipe with jam instead. Continue reading

Chocolate Peanut Butter Date Caramel Bars

Chocolate Peanut Butter Date Caramel Bars by Alison's AllspiceThese chocolate peanut butter date caramel bars are a healty no-bake snack or dessert recipe.  Date caramel is made by blending dates and nut butter (peanut butter in my recipe!) until smooth, and it makes the center layer of these bars!

I was recently asked by a reader to post more dessert recipes.  If you read here, then you know that I don’t post many.  It’s not that I don’t post them, I don’t make sweets often.

One main reason is that I’m the only one in the house with a sweet tooth, so all desserts end up being consumed by me.  Giant layer cakes and whole pans of brownies just make way too much for one person. Continue reading

Whole Wheat Fudgy Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Whole Wheat Fudgy Chocolate Zucchini Bread by Alison's AllspiceFriends, I may have gone over the top on this recipe!  My summer supply of zucchini only seems to be growing and I was in the mood for chocolate.  This whole wheat fudgy chocolate zucchini bread could easily pass for zucchini brownies instead of bread!

When I was making this bread, I wanted to use up as much zucchini as possible.  I knew that was going to make a really heavy and dense bread loaf, not your typical fluffy “banana bread” style quick bread. Continue reading

Toffee Dark Chocolate Almond Clusters

Toffee Dark Chocolate Almond Clusters by Alison's AllspiceThere is a local bakeshop that makes the most delicious peanut clusters.  I decided that quarantine was the best time to try and make some myself!  Mine are different, but these toffee dark chocolate almond clusters are amazing!

I try to reduce added sugars in my diet wherever possible.  Therefore, dark chocolate is a better choice for me than milk chocolate.  Especially when I’m combining it with toffee, which is very sweet (and delicious!). Continue reading

Peanut Butter Dog Cake

Peanut Butter Dog Cake by Alison's AllspiceOur little Pepper turned 2 years old!  It has been years since I wrote about her on the blog (you can see my first post here), and as you can see, she isn’t little any more.  This year, we celebrated by making her a peanut butter dog cake!

Peanut butter is Peppers favorite flavor, so it was an obvious choice for our dog cake.  The peanut butter also doubles as a frosting, which is appropriate because no cake is complete without frosting! Continue reading