Small Plates

29 Healthy Baked Goods for Kids

Sweet treats you can feel good about.

May 1, 2017

Photo by Paige Green
1/29
Jam Bars
The combination of rice syrup and almond butter make these bars less sweet and lends a more substantial quality than most other versions.
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Photo by Nicole Franzen
2/29
Double Chocolate Cupcakes With Salted Chia Pudding Frosting
These vegan and gluten-free cupcakes pack in plenty of nutrition with chia seeds, flax meal, and chickpea flour. But they taste like a chocolate-coconut dream.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Hampton
3/29
3-Ingredient Caramel Apple Tart
One sure fire way to get your kids to eat their fruit: stick it on a tart. If you keep some homemade 3-ingredient caramel sauce on hand, it's even easier.
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Photo by Alex Lau
4/29
Buckwheat Banana Cake with Yogurt Topping
Earthy, nutrient-rich whole grain flours give this classic banana loaf cake recipe some added personality. Skip the espresso powder in the yogurt topping, or just leave the topping off entirely—sure it's great, but the cake doesn't even need it.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
5/29
Pannelet Cookies With Sweet Potato and Coconut
The dough for these tender, bite-size Spanish cookies—made primarily from sweet potatoes, coconut, and almonds—can be made up to two days in advance.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Molly Baz
6/29
3-Ingredient Fudge Pops
A fudge pop isn't exactly "healthy," but when you make them yourself at least you know what they're made from quality ingredients.
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Photo by Ellen Silverman
7/29
Fudgy Chocolate Banana Flax Muffins
Chocolate muffins for breakfast? When the sinfully sweet goodness is derived from bananas, applesauce, and cocoa powder, as in this recipe from Daphne Oz, it's a fudgy treat you can feel really, really good about.
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Photo by Myles New
8/29
Mixed Berry Crumble With Oats and Almonds
The mixture of oats, almonds, berries, dates, and cinnamon creates the perfect sustained energy–releasing treat that packs a hefty nutritional punch.
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Photo by Myles New
9/29
Fruity Berry Tarts With Vanilla Cashew Cream
While these tarts may look fancy, they couldn't be easier to put together. Top off the dairy-free filling with berries, bananas, mango, or whatever fruit your child loves.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
10/29
3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
These naturally gluten-free, protein-packed treats couldn't be easier to make.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone
11/29
3-Ingredient Hazelnut Cookies
Flavor crispy meringue cookies with toasted hazelnuts—if you'd like, fold in some chopped dark chocolate for a punch of antioxidants.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
12/29
Gluten-Free Lemon Bars
For kids with a gluten allergy, these citrusy bars are an absolute miracle.
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Photo by Aya Brackett.
13/29
Mochi-Covered Strawberries
Kids will love this sweet and chewy Japanese dessert.
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14/29
Breakfast Cookies
Parents know: anytime you can legitimately make a meal out of a cookie and milk, you're golden.
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Catherine McCord
15/29
Very Berry Muffins
Cut white flour with part whole wheat and part oats for a breakfast pastry that's more nutrient dense than its counterparts.
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Johnny Miller
16/29
Yum Yum Nut Sweets
These chewy almond and walnut bars are nutty and rich. Fold in some melted chocolate and they turn into a brownie-like confection.
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Photo by Paige Green
17/29
Granola Bark
This crunchy bark recipe lands somewhere in between granola bars and granola cereal.
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Photo by Stephanie Foley
18/29
Chewy Nut and Cereal Bars
These amber bars are the love child of Rice Krispie treats and those sesame candies sold at natural foods stores. They're nutty, both crisp and chewy, and just a bit crumbly—the perfect after-school snack.
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Diane Fields
19/29
Cranberry and Orange Granola
Anytime you make granola from scratch it's going to taste better, and be better for you and your kiddos.
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Peden & Munk
20/29
Chocolate Coconut Date Bars
These coconut-chocolate date bars are just as chewy and sweet as the store-bought kind—and way healthier than most.
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photo by Con Poulos
21/29
Flourless Oatmeal Chocolate-Chunk Cookies
Instead of chocolate chips, chop up an antioxidant-rich bar of dark chocolate for these crispy (and flourless) cookies.
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photo by Con Poulos
22/29
Whole Grain Cranberry-Apple Scones
Whole wheat and dried fruit make these scones a better option for lunch than cookies or pre-packaged cakes.
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Evi Abeler
23/29
Dark Chocolate Avocado Brownies
Moist, crumbly, and chocolatey: these dark chocolate brownies have a secret ingredient. Avocado gives these bars their moistness, while flaxseed meal and warm water work together like egg whites.
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Photo by Tara Donne, prop and food styling by Ali Nardi
24/29
Strawberry Buckwheat Bars
The combination of fresh berries and a jar of preserves creates beautiful, ruby red, candy-like edges, with a bit of ooze in the center of these bar cookies.
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Ditte Isager
25/29
Nutty Grain and Oat Bars
To keep the slices from crumbling, tightly pack the mixture into the loaf pan. This trick helps the bars stay intact when cut.
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Catherine McCord
26/29
Protein Bars
Dates and honey act as a binder for these healthy nutty bars, which are packed with cashews, almonds, and dried cranberries for sweetness.
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Leo Gong
27/29
Insanely Good Chocolate Brownies
Turns out, you can make a healthier brownie, and it's all about the substitutions. Swap all-purpose flour for almond flour, white sugar for grade B maple syrup, and butter for olive oil.
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Maren Caruso
28/29
Fruit and Seed Bars
No stabilizers or syrups to see here, folks. These bars are bound together with honey and a crunchy nut mix.
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Catherine McCord
29/29
Gluten-Free Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Amping up the oat content helps keep these cookies perfectly chewy, while the ground flax seed and water combo adds moistness.
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