There's something calming about casually flipping through a cookbook in your kitchen, artistically mixing ingredients, slowly stirring a bowl, pouring batter, and smelling something sweet floating from your oven. If baking helps you relieve stress (as does eating what you bake!), here are tons of healthy recipes to keep you busy. Whether you're into cinnamon spice, chocolate, moist muffins, or chewy cookies, there's a dessert recipe for all your cravings. And remember that during stressful times, emotionally eating can be a normal coping skill [1]. So if it makes you feel better, go ahead and bake up a batch and enjoy it! Many of these recipes also freeze well, so you can have a little now and save some for later.
Double Chocolate Chip Mint Vegan Protein Muffins
These taste like a chocolate mint cupcake, but they're healthy for you: made with whole wheat flour, flaxmeal, and plant-based protein powder. At 150 calories each, these vegan muffins offer seven grams of satiating protein for just around 10 grams of sugar and 13.8 grams of carbs.
Get the recipe: chocolate mint protein muffins [2]
Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats
So you technically don't bake these, but you do need to heat the ingredients, so that counts! At 153 calories per delicious square, these are just as addictive as the original recipe, but with 4.6 grams of protein, they'll leave you feeling a little more satisfied.
Get the recipe: peanut butter Rice Krispies treats [3]
Gluten-Free Banana Nut Protein Muffins
Bake a batch of these banana nut protein muffins to enjoy for the week's breakfast or snacks, or double the batch so you can freeze them for later. They taste delicious on their own, but are even better paired with a smear of nut butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Get the recipe: gluten-free banana nut protein muffins [4]
Ginger Spice Molasses Quinoa Cookies
This tasty dessert recipe allows you to reap quinoa's nutritional benefits and nutty flavour by using it as flour. The ginger and molasses combo in these cookies is slightly spicy yet sweet, giving you a welcome break from overly sweet desserts.
Get the recipe: ginger molasses quinoa cookies
Vegan Banana Strawberry Apple Grape Muffins
Skip the added sugars and bake these fruit-sweetened muffins. And don't worry if your strawberries are a little shriveled or your grapes a little soft — just like the bananas, they bake up beautifully so they won't have to go to waste.
Get the recipe: banana strawberry apple grape muffins [5]
Iced Lemon Pound Cake
This cake will satisfy your lemon pound cake cravings and fool anyone who's sceptical that a vegan cake could taste this good. Buttery (without the butter), moist, and lemony sweet, this cake is made with almond meal so you'll get a little extra fibre and protein.
Get the recipe: iced lemon pound cake [6]
Chocolate Cupcakes With "Buttercream" Frosting
Upon your first decadent bite, you just might drop the rest of your cupcake when you realise these are low-calorie and vegan. Plus, the frosting is made with avocados instead of butter!
Get the recipe: chocolate cupcakes with "buttercream" frosting [7]
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Soft, chewy, and under 100 calories, these gluten-free cookies are bursting with spiced pumpkin pie flavour. The main ingredient is almond butter, so make sure you have a jar on hand.
Get the recipe: pumpkin chocolate chip cookies [8]
Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts
Theses baked doughnuts taste amazingly decadent for just 150 calories. If you don't have a doughnut pan, you can make these in a muffin tin.
Get the recipe: pumpkin spice doughnuts
Lemon Raspberry Muffins
These are so light and summery, with bursts of juicy raspberries — perfect to grab with your morning smoothie or to bake up for a weekend brunch.
Get the recipe: low-sugar, high-protein lemon raspberry muffins [9]
Vegan Protein Cornbread
This protein-packed cornbread is great on its own, smeared with a little Earth Balance or homemade jam, or dunked into your famous bowl of chili.
Get the recipe: vegan cornbread
Chocolate Protein Breakfast Doughnuts With Peanut Butter Frosting
These vegan chocolate protein doughnuts are baked and made with whole-wheat flour, so they're already healthier than regular doughnuts, but the addition of protein powder to the batter gives each one of these moist and decadent doughnuts almost nine grams of protein!
Get the recipe: chocolate protein doughnut with peanut butter frosting [10]
Apple Pie Muffins
Craving apple pie, but don't want to indulge in an over 400-calorie buttery piece? Here's a dairy-free option with much less fat.
Get the recipe: apple-pie muffins
Apple Flax Oatmeal Cookies
Apples, oat, and flaxmeal are the stars in these cookies, boosts the fibre and fills you up so you feel satisfied. The sweet cinnamon flavour and crunchy texture is delicious for breakfast or a snack — they taste amazing with a smear of nut butter.
Get the recipe: Apple Flax Oatmeal Cookies
Dairy-Free Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Bread
Always a delicious hit, whip up a batch of this oatmeal pumpkin spice bread to enjoy for breakfast, snack, or an after dinner dessert. It's so soft, moist, and perfectly spiced.
Get the recipe: dairy-free oatmeal pumpkin spice bread
Vegan Chocolate Frosted Doughnuts
The batter is easy to whip up, and don't fret if you don't have a doughnut pan — just use a muffin tin instead. Decorate as you like, and enjoy right away, since these babies taste best freshly made.
Get the recipe: vegan chocolate frosted doughnuts
Pumpkin Avocado Muffins
This pumpkin muffin recipe just may convince you to never want to bake with butter again.
Get the recipe: pumpkin avocado muffins [11]
Peanut Butter Brownie Bites
These chewy peanut butter brownie bites are disguised as fudgy, peanut buttery goodness, but shhh! They also offer a healthy dose of protein.
Get the recipe: chewy brownies [12]
3-Ingredient Brownies
You probably already have everything you need to make these brownies, except maybe the patience to wait for them to cook!
Get the recipe: three-ingredient brownies [13]
Vegan Apple Coconut Crumble Pie
Life is full of too many tough decisions, so if you can't choose between baking apple pie or apple crisp, then don't! This lightened-up recipe marries these two traditional desserts into one glorious, warm and spicy treat.
Get the recipe: apple coconut crumble pie [14]
Double Chocolate Courgette Protein Muffins
Bursting with chocolatey flavour, these muffins have courgette, but you can't taste it whatsoever! It just makes for a supermoist and delicious muffin that could easily pass as a cupcake if you add a layer of frosting (now there's an idea!). Each one offers almost five grams of protein.
Get the recipe: vegan double chocolate courgette protein muffins [15]
Stevia-Sweetened Banana Protein Muffins
Vegan protein powder added to the batter adds a protein boost — seven grams per muffin! — making these satisfying enough for breakfast smeared with nut butter, enjoyed as an afternoon snack, or as a healthy after-dinner dessert paired with a dollop of jam.
Get the recipe: stevia-sweetened banana protein muffins [16]
Vegan Carrot Courgette Bread
Mixed with grated carrot and applesauce to add fibre and natural sweetness, each slice of this vegan carrot courgette bread is perfectly soft and moist.
Get the recipe: carrot courgette bread
Vegan Double Chocolate Banana Protein Muffins
Sweet with a soft, melt-in-your mouth texture, this moist muffin recipe is every ripe banana's dream.
Get the recipe: double chocolate banana protein muffins [17]
Vegan Courgette Bread
You'll notice that the amount of courgette in this loaf may be more than a typical courgette bread recipe, but it makes a healthier dessert that's slightly dense, moist, and full of fibre.
Get the recipe: vegan courgette bread
Sweet Potato Banana Protein Bread
Packed with fibre and protein, this bread is naturally sweetened with sweet potato, banana, and applesauce. And it tastes like dessert!
Get the recipe: sweet potato banana protein bread
Protein-Packed Brownies
A cross between oatmeal cookies and brownies, these chocolaty bars are so insanely delicious that you won't even guess there's protein powder added to the batter.
Get the recipe: protein-packed brownies [18]
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars
Bake up a batch of these soft and cake-like bars, and the aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, maple syrup, and pumpkin will waft through your house.
Get the recipe: chocolate chip pumpkin bars
Banana Oatmeal Crumb Muffins With Avocado
This breakfast treat is packed with tons of healthy ingredients: naturally sweet banana for potassium, fibre-rich flaxmeal instead of eggs for added fibre, healthy-fat-filled avocado in place of butter, soy yoghurt for some protein, and pea protein powder for even more — 5.2 grams of protein per muffin!
Get the recipe: banana oatmeal crumb muffins with avocado
Sugar-Free Cookies
These cookies are not only free of white sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, or any other sweeteners, but they're also flour-free, gluten-free, and vegan, so if you're trying to eat cleaner, you can feel good biting into these chewy cookies.
Get the recipe: date-sweetened cookies [19]
Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
These 87-calorie peanut butter cookies are made with gluten-free oats and a handful of other ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. As an added bonus, they cook up golden brown in less than 10 minutes.
Get the recipe: peanut butter cookies [20]
Vegan Cider Doughnuts
Soft and full of warming spices, these healthy baked cider doughnuts are perfect any time of the year — not just in autumn.
Get the recipe: vegan cider doughnuts
Banana Oat Cookies
If you're trying to eat less sugar and less processed junk, this cookie recipe is perfect. They're only made with three ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen: bananas, rolled oats, and vanilla protein powder. That's it!
Get the recipe: banana oat cookies [21]
Banana Bread
Sweet and moist on the inside and crispy on the outside, this banana bread tastes delicious on its own, but it's even more amazing smeared with nut butter and sprinkled with chocolate chips.
Get the recipe: banana bread [22]
Iced Sugar Cookies
The best vegan desserts are the ones no one would even guess are made without dairy and eggs, and these sugar cookies fit the bill!
Get the recipe: iced sugar cookies [23]
Oatmeal Protein Bars
This gluten-free recipe has your busy morning's back. Make it the night before, and you've got a hearty, healthy breakfast for the week.
Get the recipe: oatmeal protein bars [24]
Black Bean Brownie Bites
Delicious brownies in bite form, these are just 150 calories each. Since they're made with black beans, each one offers almost six grams of protein and 5.2 grams of filling fibre.
Get the recipe: black bean brownie bites [25]
Gluten-Free Banana Bread
This banana bread is just begging to be smeared with peanut butter for tomorrow's breakfast. The hardest part about this recipe is grinding rolled oats into flour.
Get the recipe: gluten-free banana bread
Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
These decadent cupcakes don't taste vegan in the slightest — they're moist, sweet, and just plain delicious. The creamy frosting is made with a combination of vegan butter and vegan cream cheese.
Get the recipe: vegan carrot cake cupcakes
Paleo Pecan Pie Bars
You'll love how easy it is to put this decadent dessert together — plus it's dairy-free.
Get the recipe: Paleo pecan pie bars [26]
Lemon Blueberry Protein Muffins
With fewer than nine grams of sugar per muffin, these light and moist muffins deliciously sweetened with lemon juice and blueberries are sure to satisfy your dessert cravings.
Get the recipe: lemon blueberry protein muffins [27]
Double Fudge Brownies
These melt-in-your-mouth moist, rich, and fudgy brownies taste so good, you'll be amazed that they're vegan and barely over 150 calories.
Get the recipe: double fudge brownies [28]
Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
Made with homemade dairy-free chocolate kisses for an extraspecial flair, these vegan cookies taste just as amazing as you'd expect.
Get the recipe: peanut butter kiss cookies [29]
Chocolate Cranberry Courgette Bread
Try this decadent chocolate twist on the classic courgette bread recipe — the dried cranberries add such a unique and delicious flavour.
Get the recipe: chocolate cranberry courgette bread
Vegan Banana Apple Chunk Bread
As soon as you bite into the soft and juicy chunks of cooked apples, you'll want to purposely let a bunch of bananas get overripe just so you can bake a loaf of this warm and comforting banana bread.
Get the recipe: banana apple chunk bread [30]
Banana Smoothie Muffins
This recipe for banana smoothie muffins is filled with a healthy secret ingredient you won't even taste — spinach! You basically make a smoothie, add flour and a few other ingredients, and bake!
Get the recipe: banana smoothie muffins [31]
Chocolate Chip Protein-Packed Pumpkin Bread
When you want your house to feel as cosy as slipping on a sweater in the fall, turn on your oven and bake this vegan chocolate chip pumpkin bread.
Get the recipe: vegan chocolate chip protein pumpkin bread [32]
Pumpkin Pie Muffins
These light and fluffy pumpkin pie muffins can serve as a tasty breakfast to fuel your day, but they're sweet enough to feel like a treat.
Get the recipe: pumpkin pie muffins
Oatmeal Energy Bars
Bake up a batch of these oatmeal energy bars to start off your morning. They're made with just a tiny bit of maple syrup and sweetened with banana and applesauce.
Get the recipe: low-sugar oatmeal banana bites [33]
Peanut Butter Protein Granola Bars
You love sitting down to a bowl of oatmeal, but when you're in a rush, who's got time to sit with a spoon? Here's a quick breakfast to satisfy your oatmeal cravings on the go.
Get the recipe: peanut butter protein granola bars
Vegan Thin Mints
Wow yourself and your friends with how authentic this homemade and vegan version of Thin Mints tastes. So crispy and minty!
Get the recipe: vegan Thin Mints
Vegan Thumbprint Cookies
These cute vegan pecan-filled thumbprint cookies can be made with any flavour of jam you have on hand.
Get the recipe: vegan thumbprint cookies
Vegan Samoas
If you grew up loving this chewy Girl Scout favourite, you can whip up your own vegan version.
Get the recipe: vegan Samoas [34]
Chocolate (Cauliflower) Cake With Peanut Butter Frosting
Soft, sweet, and everything you want in a chocolate cake, the cauliflower adds a moistness that's unforgettable. I know it sounds totally weird, but if you LOVE cake and all things chocolate, then this recipe is a must-try!
Get the recipe: chocolate (cauliflower) cake with peanut butter frosting [35]