6 Sweet But Healthy Snacks from Steele House Kitchen

I consider myself a decent home cook. My family enjoys eating at home and although not every meal receives verbal praise, I view their clean plates and requests for seconds as a form of appreciation. However, despite my many well-loved dinner recipes, the one food-related question I hear almost every day is: “Got any snacks?”

I love feeding my fam, but I am not a huge fan of preservative- and sugar-laden packaged snacks. I’m not saying my brood never eats cookies or plastic-wrapped cupcakes, but when I find a recipe that help me satiate their appetites without junk, I’m all over it.

I am a huge fan of the snacks that professional recipe developer Meredith Steele shares on her blog, Steele House Kitchen. From sweet to savory to perfect combinations of both, these munchies are easy to whip up and totally delish.

Check out this sampler of snacks to see what I mean:

Carrot-Oat Snack Cakes

My husband’s absolute favorite dessert is carrot cake. While I love to make him special goodies, carrot cake has to be one of the most time-consuming confections I’ve personally baked.

That’s why I’m crazy about this scrumptious snack recipe. It has all the textures and flavors you love about carrot cake, with very little effort. You don’t even need to frost it. In addition, it calls for healthy ingredients such as whole wheat flour, protein-packed hemp seeds, and coconut sugar, so you can really feel good about serving it to your gang. It’s perfect for breakfast or in lunch boxes as well.

Maple Butter Roasted Chestnuts

Nothing tastes quite like real maple syrup. One of my favorite field trips as a kid growing up in Western New York was a visit to a nearby maple farm. They showed us how the trees were tapped and the sweet sap was boiled to make the syrup we got to sample. To this day, genuine maple syrup is one of my favorite ingredients.

Paired with sweet and earthy roasted chestnuts, it makes a divine snack for the fall or winter. If you have never tried roasted chestnuts, you are in for a treat. The key to peeling them is to do so quickly while they are hot.

Dried Cherry and Pepita Seed Brittle

Salty, sweet, crunchy snacks are always popular, but not always very wholesome. This homemade brittle provides the best of both worlds, satisfying a munchy, crunchy craving with nutritious ingredients.

Sweet dried cherries mixed with crunchy sunflower, pumpkin, and flax seeds are flavored with cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. A sweet syrup blend is combined with the fruit and seeds, enabling you to spread the mixture on a cookie sheet. Once it hardens, simply snap into pieces.

Blackberry and Ricotta Pita Pizza

Any time is a good time for pizza, but a healthy yet sweet pizza is a perfect after-school or before-bedtime snack. This treat is so simple that even young kids can help make them.

A toasted pita pocket is smeared with creamy ricotta, dotted with juicy blackberries, and drizzled with honey. Fresh, chopped mint makes a tasty garnish.

You can play with this recipe, swapping Greek yogurt for the ricotta or replacing the blackberries with blueberries, sliced strawberries, or chunks of whatever fruit you have on hand.

Blackberry Mint Lime Fruit Leather

Berries and mint also play a starring role in this alternative to artificially flavored and colored “fruit” snacks.

This recipe is so easy and the results are so lip-smacking good that it is likely to become a staple in your kitchen. You pop all of the ingredients –which include blackberries, honey, mint, and lime juice—into the blender or food processor. You can strain the puree to remove most of the seeds if you wish, and then spread it onto parchment paper.

After baking it low and slow for several hours, you just roll the parchment up, slice two-inch segments and tie with baking twine. When a kiddo (or grownup!) wants a sweet, chewy snack, they can simply unroll, peel, and enjoy.

Frozen Yogurt Covered Fruit Pops

Hot summer days call for snacks from the fridge and freezer. You would be hard-pressed to find a treat that’s more natural, nutritious, delicious, and easy to make than this one.

You begin by combining rich, tangy, authentic Greek yogurt with sweet, sticky honey. After popping the mixture into the freezer for even more thickness, you slide sliced fruits and whole berries onto lollipop sticks. Next –you guessed it– the fruits are dipped into the yogurt mixture and then sprinkled with scrumptious toppings, such as chopped nuts, sprinkles, or shredded coconut.

Everyone can have fun making their favorite pops. The hard part will be waiting for the finished product to freeze!

What are some healthy homemade snacks your kiddos love to munch on? Share your tasty recipes with us!