Easy treats kids can bake for mom

Bake a Sweet Treat for Mom

Indulge your sweet tooth with one of these easy and delicious Mother’s Day desserts.

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF BY HOLLEY GRAINGER, MS, RD

BY HOLLEY GRAINGER, MS, RD

Skip the bakery or the ice-cream shop, and invite mom to kick up her feet while the kids (with maybe a little help from dad or another grownup!) make one of these dietician-approved desserts. (Each treat includes a clever swap-out of a few not-so-great ingredients, replaced with something just a little bit better.) These recipes cook quickly, have a nutritious twist, and are ideal for beginner cooks.

HEALTHY FRUIT PIZZA 1 cup whole wheat flour ¾ cup old-fashioned oats ½ tsp cinnamon 1 tsp baking powder 1 large egg 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1/3 cup vegetable oil ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt 3 oz light cream cheese 2 tbsp sweetener of choice (maple syrup, honey, very ripe banana, etc.) ½ banana 1 kiwi, sliced 1 peach, sliced 1 pint strawberries, sliced 1 pint blueberries 1 pint raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a round pizza pan with parchment paper. 2. In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, cinnamon, and baking powder. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and oil. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, and stir until ingredients are combined. 3. Pour batter onto pizza pan lined with parchment paper, gently spreading into a

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circle. The dough may be too small for the size of your pan. If so, just form the dough into a round shape. Bake for 10 minutes or until the “crust” is golden brown. 4. While the crust is baking, combine Greek yogurt, cream cheese, and sweetener of choice in a small bowl. 5. Allow crust to cool, then spread yogurt mixture on top of crust and layer with fruit.

KEY LIME PIE MOJITO POPS 2 cups Key Lime Greek Yogurt (4 5.3-oz containers) ½ cup 1% milk 2 key limes 2 tsp finely chopped mint ¼ cup vanilla Greek yogurt ¼ cup fine graham cracker crumbs (about 1 sheet)

1. Combine yogurt and milk in a large bowl, whisking until smooth. Zest 2 key limes using a microplane grater and add to yogurt mixture. (This should yield about 2 teaspoons of zest.) Slice each zested key lime in half and squeeze juice into yogurt, making sure to remove and discard any seeds. (This should yield about 4 teaspoons of juice.) Add mint to yogurt mixture and whisk until smooth. 2. Evenly divide yogurt mixture into frozen pops molds. Add tops and freeze at least 2 to 4 hours or until frozen. 3. When ready to serve, remove pops from containers and dip about 1-2 inches of each frozen pop top into vanilla Greek yogurt. (You may need to spread with a spoon or knife to distribute evenly.) Sprinkle vanilla yogurtcovered tops with ½ to 1 tablespoon each of graham cracker crumbs. Serve immediately.

TWO-INGREDIENT APPLESAUCE MUFFINS

MUFFINS 1 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 (14-oz) box vanilla cake mix

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS Peanut or almond butter Chocolate-hazelnut spread Vanilla or chocolate icing Grape jelly Dye-free sprinkles Mini chocolate chips Coconut Toasted chopped nuts Whole nuts Fresh apple slices

1. Stir together applesauce and cake mix in a large bowl until combined. Spray muffin cups with cooking spray then add batter evenly, filling each cup two-thirds full. 2. Bake at 350°F 16–17 minutes or until they’re golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Cool muffins on a baking rack. Once cool, decorate with toppings to taste. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days.

For more Mother’s Day desserts, visit holleygrainger. com/45-last-minute-mothers-day-desserts. Happy Baking!