The air is crisp, the leaves have changed their colors, and the pumpkins are out in full force. You know what that means – Halloween is right around the corner! Halloween may look a bit different this year, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up the fun and festivity. This spooky holiday is all about indulging in sugary treats, and it’s easy to derail healthy eating if you’re not careful. Check out these recipes below if you’re looking for more wholesome goodies your entire family will be sure to love.

Flourless Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies pack a nutritional punch, giving you a boost of vitamin A with pumpkin puree and a healthy dose of protein with almond butter. Substituting maple syrup for refined sugar cuts your sugar intake in almost half, and using ground oats in place of white flour doubles your fiber.

Makes 15

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree

1 large egg yolk

1/2 cup (118g) roasted and salted nut butter (any nut butter will be fine)

1/4 cup (72g) pure maple syrup (or light brown sugar)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 and 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup (58g) blended old fashioned oats OR quick oats

1/2 cup (92g) dark chocolate chips, coarsely chopped

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large sheet pans with parchment paper or a nonstick liner and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, add the pumpkin, egg yolk, almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and ground cinnamon.
  3. Grind up oats in a blender or food processor until the oats are the texture and size of regular flour. Make sure to measure the 1/2 cup after grinding the oats so you have a leveled 1/2 cup measurement of blended oats. Add to the cookie dough. Mix dough with a wooden spoon or hand mixers until the dough is smooth and well combined. Coarsely chop up the chocolate chips and stir into the batter. Cover dough and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  4. Use a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon to measure out balls of the cookie dough. It is sticky, use a finger or another spoon to coax the dough from the 1 tablespoon measuring spoon on to the prepared trays. Smooth and flatten the tops of the cookie dough balls . Space them about 2 inches apart to fit 8 per tray. Bake, 1 tray at a time, for 8-10 minutes. Cookies should still look very soft, watch carefully to not over bake. As soon as the top is no longer wet/glossy, they are done baking.
  5. Remove the trays from the oven and let the cookies stand on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes without touching. Then use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. These cookies are very fragile and will fall apart right out of the oven/while still hot. They set up and solidify as they cool.

Chai Spice Coconut Flour Donuts

Replacing white flour with coconut flour in these gluten-free donuts is an easy way to lower your carbs while increasing your potassium, fiber, and protein. The addition of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom add a healthy dose of antioxidants too.

Makes 9-10

Ingredients

6 pastured eggs

1/2 cup coconut flour (see notes for recommended brand)

1/2 cup granulated sweetener (maple sugar, coconut sugar)

1/4 cup oil (avocado oil, melted coconut oil, etc)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of sea salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger I use 1/4 tsp ginger extract

1 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon clove

1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

pinch black pepper

Nutmeg Icing:

1/3 cup coconut oil

3 Tablespoons maple sugar powdered (see notes other sweeteners)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 fresh grated nutmeg

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Mix ingredients together in a mixing bowl in the order they are listed.
  3. Grease donut pan well.
  4. Spoon batter into donut pan.
  5. Bake donuts 15 to 18 minutes at 350F, until thoroughly done. Test with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean.
  6. You can then simply cover the donuts in a chai sugar (mix a few Tablespoons of granulated sweetener with some of the chai spices in a small bowl, then dip the donuts in to add extra flavor.) Or you can use my nutmeg icing recipe below.

Nutmeg Icing:

  1. If glazing the donuts, I recommend putting the donuts into the freezer for 15 minutes or so just to chill while you make the glaze.
  2. Gently heat coconut oil over a double boiler by taking a small mixing bowl and placing it over a small pan of 1 inch deep hot water.
  3. If using a granulated sweetener like maple sugar, I recommend powdering it first in a coffee grinder.
  4. The trick is to just barely melt the coconut oil while mixing in the maple sugar. If you get the coconut oil too hot, you will have to let it cool in the fridge for a few minutes so that it's lukewarm when you spoon it over the donuts, for the most evenly applied glaze.
  5. I just spoon the glaze over the chilled donuts, and it slowly hardens from clear into a nice white glaze.

Silly Apple Monsters

These silly apple monsters are a fun snack you and your kids will love to create. The fruit provides fiber and vitamins and you’ll get a boost of protein from the nut butter and seeds, so you can rest assured your kids will enjoy a nutritious treat.

Makes 3

Ingredients

1 green apple

2 tablespoons peanut butter, nutella, or almond butter

2 strawberries

24-28 sunflower seeds or almond slivers

Edible candy eyes (can be purchased at Amazon)

Instructions

  1. Cut the apple into quarters.
  2. Lay the apple quarters down, and cut a 1 inch wedge in the middle of the peel side of each quarter. Do not cut all the way through because you want each quarter to stay in one piece. It will look like a mouth.
  3. Cut the strawberries in slices lengthwise so that you have 4 pieces.
  4. Spread peanut butter on the bottom of each mouth, inside the cutout.
  5. Place a strawberry inside the cutout to resemble a tongue sticking out.
  6. Poke 6 or 7 sunflower seeds or almond slivers into the top edge of the cut out to resemble teeth.
  7. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Chocolate Pomegranate Nests

Are you craving a treat that is full of flavor, simple to make, yet health-promoting at the same time? These tasty nests take just minutes to prepare and provide a powerful dose of antioxidants from pomegranate seeds and semisweet chocolate.

Makes 20

Ingredients

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted

1 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

Instructions

1. Line a mini muffin tin with liners.

2. In each cup, add 2 teaspoons melted chocolate.

3. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top and drizzle with more melted chocolate.

4. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm, 20 minutes.

5. Unwrap and serve.