Devin Alexander’s Healthy Thanksgiving Desserts

“Biggest Loser” chef Devin Alexander — author of “The Biggest Loser Dessert Cookbook” — stopped by Access Hollywood Live on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to share some of her healthy alternatives to the typical Thanksgiving food!

Pecan Praline Cookie Thins
When my Facebook friends learned that I was working on an all-dessert book, I immediately got inundated with requests for re-creating favorite high-cal classics. One of the most popular requests was for pecan pie. These scrumptious cookies, which are ridiculously low in fat and calories compared to pecan pie, are an ode to those requests.

Butter-flavored cooking spray
1 large egg white
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
1/3 cup unsalted dry-toasted chopped pecans (see note)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly mist 8 cups of a nonstick standard muffin tin with spray.

Whisk together the egg white and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the pecans and stir until well combined. Spoon the batter (about a scant 1 tablespoon each) into the prepared muffin tin, making sure to distribute the pecans evenly between each muffin cup.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly crisped around the edges, being careful not to burn them. Cool the tin on a rack for 5 minutes, or until the cookies have cooled slightly. Remove them to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Serve immediately or store in a cookie tin for up to 5 days.

(Note: Packages of pecans that say either “dry-toasted” or “dry-roasted” are perfect for this recipe. Just make sure the pecans are not raw—the cookies won’t have as much flavor.)

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 95 calories, 2 g protein, 7 g carbohydrates (5 g sugar), 7 g fat, < 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, < 1 g fiber, 27 mg sodium

Chocolate Orange Truffle Ramekin Cakes
These cakes are probably the richest dessert in the book. They’re very reminiscent of warm, deep chocolate orange truffles. You would never guess they’re low in fat and calories, which is why I love serving these cakes at dinner parties. Be careful not to let additional extract drip or overflow into these cakes. The 1/8 teaspoon is the &not;perfect amount to flavor them. If you add more, it will overpower the cakes.

Butter-flavored cooking spray
4 large egg whites
2/3 cup light agave nectar
3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon orange extract
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mist four 31/2”-diameter (approximately 1/2-cup capacity) ramekins with cooking spray. Place them side by side in an 8” &times; 8” baking dish and add water to the pan until it reaches halfway up the ramekins.

Add the egg whites, agave, applesauce, vanilla, and orange extract to a medium mixing bowl. Using a sturdy whisk or spatula, mix the ingredients until well combined. Add the cocoa powder and salt and stir until just well combined and no lumps remain, being careful not to overmix.

Divide the batter evenly among the ramekins (each should be about two-thirds full). Bake for 23 to 26 minutes, or until the tops puff slightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out just barely wet. Remove the pan from the oven and, using tongs or waterproof oven mitts, carefully transfer the ramekins from the water bath to a cooling rack. Cool for 5 minutes, then serve immediately in the ramekins.

Makes 4 servings

Per cake: 221 calories, 7 g protein, 53 g carbohydrates (44 g sugar), 2 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 350 mg sodium

Recipe Credit: Reprinted from The Biggest Loser Dessert Cookbook by Devin Alexander (c) 2010 by Universal Studios Licensing LLLP. The Biggest Loser (TM)and NBC Studios, Inc., and Reveille LLC. Permission granted by Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098. Available wherever books are sold.

Copyright © 2024 by NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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