Devin Alexander - The biggest loser dessert cookbook : more than 80 healthy treats that satisfy your sweet tooth without breaking your calorie budget

Production Development & Direction: Chad Bennett, Dave Broome, Joni Camacho, Steve Coulter, Mark Koops, Todd Nelson, Kim Niemi, J. D. Roth, Neysa Siefert, and Ben Silverman

NBCU, Reveille, 25/7 Productions, and 3Ball Productions would like to thank the many people who gave their time and energy to this project: Stephen Andrade, Carole Angelo, Dana Arnett, Sebastian Attie, Nancy N. Bailey, The Biggest Loser contestants, Dave Bjerke, Maria Bohe, Jill Bowles, Jen Busch, Jill Carmen, Scot Chastain, Ben Cohen, Jason Cooper, Marie Crousillat, Dan Curran, Dr. Michael Dansinger, Camilla Dhanak, Devin Franchino, Kat Elmore, John Farrell, Cheryl Forberg, Jeff Friedman, Jeff Gaspin, Christina Gaugler, Marc Graboff, Jenny Groom, Bob Harper, Chris Harris, Robyn Hennessey, Shelli Hill, Dr. Robert Huizenga, Jill Jarosz, Helen Jorda, Adam Kaloustian, Edwin Karapetian, Alex Katz, Allison Kaz, Loretta Kraft, Laura Kuhn, Beth Lamb, Todd Lubin, Roni Lubliner, Alan Lundgren, Carole MacDonal, Rebecca Marks, Jillian Michaels, Gregg Michaelson, John Miller, Sarah Napier, Yelena Nesbit, Julie Nugent, Trae Patton, Ellie Prezant, Ed Prince, Scott Radloff, Lee Rierson Rierson, Karen Rinaldi, Melissa Roberson, Beth Roberts, Maria Rodale, Jessica Roth, Drew Rowley, Leslie Schwartz, Robin Shallow, Carrie Simons, Lee Straus, Kelia Tardiff, Paul Telegdy, Deborah Thomas, Julie True, Josie Ventura, Emily Weber, Liza Whitcraft, Julie Will, Audrey Wood, Yong Yam, Jeff Zucker

I ve lost more than 55 pounds, and 16 years later, I still eat chocolate every day.

Thats the first thing I say at pretty much every cooking demonstration, lecture, and keynote speech I give around the country. And its true. You too can eat chocolate (or another dessert) daily, if you want to... as long as you do it the right way.

Ive been working with The Biggest Loser for more than four years now in a variety of capacities, but one of my favorite roles has been meeting the contestants and showing them how they can indulge in healthy waysgiving them the freedom to eat the foods they love and satisfy their cravings without sacrificing their weight loss goals.

For me, the key to maintaining a substantial weight loss has been regularly allowing myself healthy indulgences so that I never feel deprived. Many times, people who are trying to lose or maintain a weight loss think they cant ever eat sweets again. And while its true that the unhealthiest foods should probably stay off-limits the vast majority of the time, you can satisfy your sweet cravings in a multitude of ways without breaking your calorie budget.

I should know. For years Ive been creating recipes for friends, family, clients, and cookbooks (not to mention for me!) that are big on flavor and low in calories. When you start flipping through the pages of this book and see the photographs of Strawberry Daiquiri Cream Pie (page ), youre likely to think, Theres no way I can eat that and be healthy! But once you take a look at the nutritional data, youll realize that you can have your cake and lose weight, too.

) fruit practically feels like an indulgence!

These days there are an abundance of healthy treats and snacks available at grocery stores, bakeries, and specialty food markets. But while they may be convenient, many of these lower-fat, lower-calorie foods rely on artificial ingredients to make them taste good. All of the recipes in this book are made with only natural ingredients, allowing you to create all-natural goodies that youll be proud to share with friends and family and happy to feed to your kids.

I believe that in order to live a healthy life, you have to befriend foodits not the enemy!and allow yourself to enjoy the things you love, in moderation. As long as you cook and bake at home, you have control over every calorie that goes onto your plate (and into your mouth). You can create the flavors you love and still lose weightIm living proof of that.

Its truly an honor to be a part of The Biggest Loser community, and I am looking forward to hearing from each and every one of youabout your weight-loss successes to the kinds of recipes you want to see in the next book!

Dessert anyone?

Chef Devin Alexander

W hile the recipes in this book are definitely easy enough for even novice cooks to whip up, it never hurts to have a few extra tips up your sleeve as well as an understanding of the why behind the instructions. Also, because this book incorporates ingredients that you may not be familiar withand because lower-fat baked goods do have some simple yet important rules for successIve compiled a few basic guidelines that I hope will assist you in creating the perfect healthy and decadent treats. Id recommend perusing them before you start making any of these recipes.

Youll notice that when its time to test the doneness of baked goods with a toothpick, I instruct a few crumbs are okay. You probably already know that when making baked goods made with butter and/or oil, you want a toothpick to come out clean and dry. But very low-fat and fat-free baked goods will be slightly sticky and crumby in the center when fully cooked. In a few recipes (such as the Strawberry-Filled Brownie Bites, page recipes, make sure you remove the baked goods from the oven at that stage. If you cook them until the toothpick is completely dry, they will overcook.

Many of the recipes in this book call for whole grain oat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or a combination of the two. Unlike the enriched white all-purpose flour that most Americans are used to baking with, oat flour and wheat flour can sometimes have a gritty texture (depending on the brand you use), which is why I often instruct you to process the flours in a food processor before using them. Though it takes a little extra time, processing the flours is important because it produces a finer texture, which will help yield a better finished product.

I strongly advise against using bottled lemon or lime juice (which contain citric acid and often other preservatives) in any of these recipes. I know it can be tempting to take a shortcut and use the bottled stuff, but the tiny amount of time you might save just plain isnt worth it. I swear! Freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice imparts a unique, bright flavor that cant be matched by the bottled stuff. So when life gives you lemons, please take my advice and make fresh-squeezed lemonade!

One of my favorite recipes in the book, Mini Key Lime Cheesecake Pies (page ). Yogurt cheese is plain yogurt that has been strained (in this case, through a clean dish towel) of any excess liquid, leaving you with a thick, creamy cheese, much like cream cheese. I actually prefer it to fat-free cream cheese because its all-natural and doesnt have an aftertaste. Making yogurt cheese might seem like a bit of trouble to go through at first, but the end result is definitely worth it. No one who has tasted my cheesecake pies has ever suspected theyre made with yogurteveryone thinks its full-fat cream cheese. Plus making yogurt cheese is a great project to do with your kids!