Naughty & nice; These four delectable desserts have a not-so-sinful secret: all are low in fat and calories, making it easy to enjoy the season—while sticking to your weight-loss goals

Shape, Dec, 2004 by Anthony Head

The holidays are no time for deprivation. With get-togethers typically centered on lavish feasts, who wants to feel left out? Yet every year some of us forgo one of the most enjoyable parts of the holidays--dessert.

Not this year! There will be no finger-wagging or guilty feelings to rectify with a New Year's resolution. We've reworked four classic desserts to slim down their runaway fat and calories, yet they still remain the delicious and beautiful finales they've always been. You can even make these confections to give as gifts--they're guaranteed to inspire the holiday spirit.

the recipes

Chocolate and Walnut Torte With Raspberry Glaze

Raspberry jam adds a tart sweetness and helps to hold the walnut garnish in place.

Serves 12

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

Nutrient note: Although this low-calorie recipe gets 55 percent of its calories from fat, it's the heart-healthy kind, derived here from walnuts. Eating just 1 1/2 ounces of walnuts a day may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Cooking spray
3/4 cup walnuts, plus 12 walnut halves for garnish
  2 large eggs
  2 egg whites
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup brewed espresso (or 1/2 cup boiling water and 4 teaspoons
    instant espresso powder), cooled
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350[degrees] F. Lightly spray bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.

Place 3/4 cup walnuts in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped; set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, egg whites and vanilla on high speed until very light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until thick. Then turn mixer to medium-low setting and pour oil in a slow, steady stream until incorporated. Repeat this step with espresso.

In a separate large bowl, stir chopped nuts, flour, cocoa powder and baking powder until blended. Add egg mixture to nut/flour mixture. Fold together with a rubber spatula until blended. Pour into prepared pan; bake until edges pull away from sides and center is set, about 35 minutes. Cool cake, in pan, on a wire rack 30 minutes. Loosen sides of cake with a spatula and remove sides of pan.

Heat the jam (See "Glazing a Cake With Melted Jam" below) and spread in a smooth, even layer on top of cooled cake. While jam is still sticky, garnish cake by placing 12 walnut pieces around the edges, or coarsely chop the walnuts and sprinkle around the edges. Let stand until jam is set.

Slide the cake, still on the cake-pan bottom, onto a serving plate.

Nutrition Score per serving (1/12 of cake): 244 calories, 55% fat (15 g; 2 g saturated), 38% carbs (23 g), 7% protein (4 g), 2 g fiber, 36 mg calcium, 1 mg iron, 23 mg sodium.

Chocolate and Almond Tuile Cups

This is a variation on tuiles, meaning "tiles," which refers to the traditional form of this French cookie. The cup shape here is perfect for filling with fresh fruit or frozen yogurt for a spectacular holiday presentation. These confections may look difficult to make, but only you'll know how easy they really are!

Makes 10

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Nutrient note: Cocoa powder is a nearly fat-free substitute for chocolate that still delivers a decadent flavor.

Butter (for the baking sheet)
    2 large eggs
  1/3 cup sugar
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds (blanched or natural)

Preheat oven to 350[degrees] F. Place the oven rack in the center slot. Generously butter a nonstick baking sheet and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla just until blended. In a separate bowl, combine flour and cocoa. Add almonds and stir to coat. Combine the egg mixture with the almond mixture until blended. Place 2 or 3 rounded tablespoons of the batter on a prepared sheet, spacing evenly; spread each with a small spatula into 4- to 5-inch flat rounds, making sure almonds are in a single layer. Bake until batter is set, about 10 minutes.

Remove baking sheet from oven; immediately lift 1 cookie from the hot baking sheet with a wide slant-edged metal spatula. Drape cookie over an inverted teacup and press to create a cup shape (See "Shaping Tuile Cups" on page 172); repeat step with remaining cookies. Let stand 5-10 minutes, or until cooled and crisp. Gently lift cookies from the cups and cool upright on a wire rack.

Scrape baking sheet clean and wipe with a paper towel; coat with more butter. Repeat baking steps with remaining batter. Store cookies lightly covered until ready to serve. Fill with fresh fruit or frozen yogurt.

Nutrition Score per serving (1 cup): 142 calories, 56% fat (9 g; 1 g saturated), 30% carbs (11 g), 14% protein (5 g), 2 g fiber, 45 mg calcium, 1 mg iron, 15 mg sodium.

Cranberry-Pistachio Biscotti

These traditional crunchy Italian cookies are made festive for the holidays by adding peeled pistachios and dried cranberries, but any combination of dried fruit and nuts can be used.