Dessert is meant to be enjoyed. To be lingered over. To be ordered and consumed with nary a thought of calories. But sometimes, your craving for something sweet hits when you’re staring down an afternoon of meetings and a sugar crash is the last thing you need. In those moments, these better-for-you treats come in clutch.

We asked BA editors about the healthy desserts and sweets they keep stocked at home, in their freezers, and in the office snack stash. Some are lower in sugar, some pack a little extra protein or fiber, and many are made with whole-food ingredients, without artificial additives. None of them can replace an ooey, gooey chocolate chip cookie, but they’re all very good at satisfying your sweet tooth.

Better Sour

My love of gummy candy is well-documented. My college all-nighters were fueled by Sour Patch Kids; no trip to the movie theater is complete without a bag of Haribo; a stop at the Hudson News for Nerds Gummy Clusters is a pre-flight must. And, thanks to BA’s Pantry Awards, I have a new player in my starting lineup. Available in a range of tropical flavors, Better Sour candies are vegan, sweetened with cane sugar, and have no artificial flavors or colors. But honestly, that’s not why I eat them. I eat them because they taste great. —Abbey Stone, recs and reviews lead

Lexington Bakes

Lexington Bakes

Berry Blackout Protein Cookies

Most protein cookies are…not good. They’re chalky, dense, feel like a brick in your gut. Lexington Bakes’ treats are different. Their fudgy texture reminds me of a Cosmic Brownie, but they have more protein than an egg. —A.S.