I have a MAJOR sweet tooth. Like eat the entire cheesecake or bag of cookies, sweet tooth. 

Over time, I've learned that refined sugars wreck havoc on my gut, skin, energy and mood. It's just not worth it to feel like that anymore. 

I still love a good dessert every once and a while though and love that I can have something sweet, but make it with a natural unrefined sugar to avoid all those crazy sugar side effects. 

Some of our favorite unrefined sugar substitutes and recipes are: 

• DATES: Coconut Coffee Creamer and No-Bake Thin Mint Cookies

• MAPLE SYRUP: Snickerdoodle Ice Cream and Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies

• HONEY: Chocolate Chip Protein Balls

Coconut Sugar is also another good option, although slightly refined, since it has a much lower glycemic index than cane sugar and is more nutrient dense. 

We make this recipe gluten free by sticking to gluten free baking flour and use coconut oil to keep it completely vegan and plant based. 

It's so nice to satisfy that sweet tooth with a dish thats loaded with antioxidant rich berries and is gluten, dairy and refined sugar free. 

My family loves to eat this dessert all year long. When berries are in season (and on sale- TBH!) I use whatever fresh berries I can get my hands on to make this dish extra delicious.

During the holidays, when fresh berries aren't as readily available, I grab a bag of frozen organic berries and we devour it just the same. Just be sure to use 4 cups of frozen berries instead of 5 since they tend to give off more water when baking. 

Happy healthier desserting friends! If you try it out, we'd love to hear how it goes. 

Mixed Berry Crisp

serves 6-8

Ingredients: 

For the filling:

• 5 cups mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and/or raspberries)

• 1 tbsp maple syrup or coconut sugar

• 2 tbsp arrowroot powder

• juice from 1/2 a lemon

For the topping:

• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

• 1/2 cup almond flour 

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup coconut sugar

• 5 tbsp cold butter, cut into small chunks

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x8 baking dish.

2. In a large bowl combine filling ingredients and toss to incorporate. Pour in baking dish.

3. Make topping by combining oats, almond flour, cinnamon, salt, and coconut sugar in a food processor or high-speed blender. Blend together until oats are finely chopped. Then, add your cold butter. Only pulse for 1 to 2 seconds at a time to slowly incorporate the butter but not pulverize it.

4. Sprinkle topping evenly over berries in baking dish.

5. Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.