5 Holidays Desserts Packed With Magnesium To Help Promote Restful Sleep Between the Season’s Endless Social Gatherings

It’s that time of the year again when gathering with loved ones blows our yearly quota of social interaction off the charts. Between Friendsgiving, work holiday parties, and entertaining your distant relatives crashing at your house (for far too long), you might start to feel exhausted…to say the least.

But between all of the commotion, there are a few effective ways to stave off fatigue from the festivities, like maintaining boundaries during the holidays to protect your mental health. However, one of the easiest (and, well, most delicious) ways to ensure you don’t get too burnt out during this time of year is by eating foods loaded with magnesium. That’s because this nutrient is responsible for energy production, protein synthesis, muscle contraction and nerve signaling, bone mineralization, and glucose control, as Whitney English Tabaie, MS, RDN, CPT, previously shared with Well+Good. Plus, research shows magnesium can play a role in reducing anxiety and supporting high-quality sleep.

In an effort to keep the pep in our step all holiday season and recharge our internal batteries between social gatherings, we’ve gathered several delicious desserts with magnesium that help will promote rest and relaxation. These festive recipes—from pumpkin spice oatmeal cookies to eggnog chia pudding—are rich in ingredients that pack the highest quantities of the mineral, like pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, almonds, and peanuts.

5 delicious holiday desserts with magnesium that promote rest and relaxation

1. Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies

Like choosing between vanilla or chocolate cake, the perfect cookie tends to be a polarizing topic, dividing people into team crunchy or team chewy. However, if you identify with the latter of the options, this super chewy pumpkin spice oatmeal cookie by Dessert for Two has your name written all over it. It’s made with a medley of every cookie ingredient you could ever wish for, including cranberries, shredded coconut, and of course, chocolate chips, plus pumpkin seeds (which are one of the foods highest in magnesium, with about 37 percent of your daily intake of the mineral per ounce).

Get the recipe: Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies

2. Eggnog Chia Pudding

Calling all eggnog lovers. This three-ingredient eggnog chia pudding by Piper Cooks is made with the festive holiday drink and can be made in your sleep (…literally). Simply prep the ingredients before going to bed—it takes just 10 minutes—and by the time you wake up from your slumber, it’ll be ready to go. Plus, this nog is made with chia seeds, which have 111 milligrams of magnesium per ounce, meaning that this tasty bev is the ideal sweet ending to a busy day and a great way to promote sleep.

Get the recipe: Eggnog Chia Pudding

3. Vegan Almond Cake

This vegan almond cake recipe by A Virtual Vegan is perfect no matter the season or occasion. Its simplicity makes it as delicious to eat on its own as it is served with a generous scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream. Moreover, its star ingredient, almonds, are packed with magnesium and give this beautiful cake its luscious texture and hearty, nutty taste. It’s nearly impossible not to experience its relaxation-inducing side effects with every bite.

Get the recipe: Vegan Almond Cake

4. Vegan Peanut Butter Pudding

One pot and five ingredients are all you need to make this super easy vegan peanut butter pudding by Minimalist Baker. It’s naturally sweetened without refined sugar and tastes like the fluffernutter sandwiches you grew up eating in grade school (IYKYK). And aside from loads of protein peanuts pack, they’re also incredibly rich in magnesium—making eating dessert after dinner non-negotiable, TYSM.

Get the recipe: Vegan Peanut Butter Pudding

5. Black Bean Brownies

IMO, the dessert table would be incomplete without a solid brownie option. Thankfully, this black bean brownie recipe by Minimalist Baker can easily resolve this sticky situation. Making the batter is a hands-free, stress-free task and comes together with the click of a button on your trusty food processor. It’s also made with magnesium-rich black beans—don’t worry, you won’t even be able to tell—aside from how rich and gooey these individually portioned brownies turn out in less than 30 minutes in the oven. *Bookmarks the recipe immediately.*

Get the recipe: Refined-Sugar-Free Turtle Brownies

Dealing with a lot of stress? An herbalist shares how adaptogens might help: