Right, confession time: I have got a sweet tooth the size of Big Ben. I don't just fancy something sweet — I crave it. And if I see someone else eating chocolate, that is it. I want the same thing. Immediately.

I have tried every trick in the book, but moderation and I simply don't get on. Give me one square of chocolate and chances are the whole bar will be gone within minutes. And yes, dates are great — but eat ten in one sitting and your daily calorie deficit can pretty much wave goodbye.

So, my solution? Treats that actually taste like treats, but come with some decent protein or, at the very least, don't smuggle 500 calories into one serving. I did the research: some are hiding in plain sight on Noon or Careem, others take a little more effort to find. Here are the ones actually worth it.

An important note first: “sugar-free” doesn't necessarily mean low-calorie. Plenty of treats swap refined sugar for dates, honey or other alternatives and still pack a serious calorie count. So before you come for me for skipping your favourite “healthy” dessert: calories had to make sense too.

If there is one proper hidden gem in the UAE that deserves the top spot for guilt-free sweets, it would be Bombbar. My dreams will probably come true with their next release, when they finally launch their lighter marshmallows. For now, there is already plenty to choose from: protein bars in flavours like tiramisu, cherry brownie, raspberry cheesecake and Viennese waffle. Not a fan of bars? Here is the proper alternative — protein waffle desserts reminiscent of everyone's favourite Kinder Bueno. And while Kinder is considered a fairly "light" option, its two sticks come in at 250 calories, compared to just 170 for Bombbar.

Its sweets are next level. But I actually come to Bombbar for the crisps. One 60-gram pack — more than enough for one sitting — comes in at 213 calories and 15 grams of protein for the protein version, or 135 calories and 8 grams for the lighter one. And crucially, they actually taste like crisps, not another protein snack you need a jaw workout to get through.

You know those days when only one very specific treat will do? It is ticking away in your brain and it is this-or-nothing. Say that obsession is a Mars bar, a Snickers, or a KitKat — the usual small bar landing somewhere around 250 calories.

Snaq Fabric bets everything on taste. They are aiming to get you as close as possible to the real thing, minus the calorie hit. The peanut and milk caramel bars come in at 168 calories, and the nougat and peanut option at just 132 — and while they are not exactly protein powerhouses, they aren’t loaded with fat either, making them a genuinely tasty, fairly guilt-free dessert.

Sometimes what we are craving isn't just a small sweet fix, but something sweet from the very first bite of breakfast right through to the last. And it turns out you actually can have that — especially if, like me, you are a porridge lover.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome Oatful to the stage: seconds-to-prepare overnight oats coming in genuinely amazing flavours — carrot cake, chocolate brownie, salted caramel, strawberry, and more. One pack equals one proper breakfast, landing at roughly 290 calories and around 25 grams of protein. Yes, that is more than a chocolate bar. But it is also a satisfying breakfast that will keep you full for hours, not minutes.

A fair note: if you wait until the morning to start cooking this, you will be late. Prepare it the night before and chill it overnight, or for at least 2 hours.

Movie night, popcorn on the sofa, something good on TV — perfect. Except plain popcorn simply isn't going to cut it, right? If you are having popcorn, you want caramel: sweet, sticky and dangerously easy to finish before the opening credits are over.

This is where Calo Market comes in. Its protein popcorn does a surprisingly convincing job of satisfying that craving. A 50-gram pot comes in at around 200 calories and packs 11 grams of protein. Not exactly a salad — thankfully — but considerably easier to fit into the day than the usual caramel-coated situation.

And if it is actually the movie-night crunch you are after rather than the caramel itself, you can go lighter still: Dubai Popcorn's small salted packs come in at around 100 calories for the whole thing.

Then there is Plaay — for when you want something that feels a little less protein bar, a little more actual treat. Their 35-gram chocolate bars come in at around 150 calories, with 5–7 grams of protein, and are made with ingredients including dates, coconut sugar or coconut nectar, with honey in some flavours.

The fun part, though, is the selection. Cookies & Cream, Mocha Almond, Pistachio, Salted Caramel, Salty Peanut — basically, the sort of flavours you would choose because you genuinely fancy them, not because you are trying to convince yourself a protein bar counts as dessert.

If snacks and bars just aren’t your thing — and let’s face it, sometimes a bar dressed up as dessert just doesn’t cut it — Kcal takes a different route. Here, you can simply have the dessert.

Protein isn’t necessarily the headline. The real appeal is getting a cheesecake, brownie or tiramisu without it taking up 30% of your daily calories.

On the menu: Kunafa Cheesecake at 290 kcal and 5 g of protein, Brownie at 213 kcal and 4 g of protein, and Dark Chocolate Mousse at 260 kcal and 8 g of protein. And stealing the show? The Protein Cheesecake Cup, with 290 kcal and an impressive 20 g of protein.

Basically, the alternative to Kcal, with much the same appeal: not necessarily your daily protein fix, but low-calorie dessert that actually looks and tastes like dessert.

The two that stole my heart? Pecan Chocolate Fudge Brownie at just 151 kcal and Chocolate Cheesecake at 214 kcal. Sorry if I have just pushed you into another subscription. I didn’t mean to become another burden on your monthly spending. (I did.)

All these subscriptions and scheduled deliveries are great, but sometimes you don’t want to wait another day — or even another hour — for your treat to arrive. Yes, we know Dubai delivery is usually lightning-fast, but it still isn’t always a 15-minute thing. And this is where the apps already sitting on your phone come in, packed with plenty of guilt-free finds that can arrive before you have even had time to reconsider.

Brooklyn Creamery ice cream — Start with the little 125 ml pots, which come in at around 80–100 calories depending on the flavour, with plenty to choose from. But also pay attention to the smaller chocolate ice cream bonbons: at just 30 calories each, three of them still come in at under 100 calories.

Befit croissants and muffins — For the days when only a proper butter croissant will do, Befit is worth a look. Their 42-gram croissant has no wheat flour or added sugar, packs 8g grams of protein and comes in at 157 calories. Most importantly, it actually tastes like something you would pick up from a bakery. And if you are willing to go slightly higher, their chocolate muffin is even better, at 200 calories a piece.

Sweet’n Low sugar-free jelly — If you have a little more time, Sweet’n Low sugar-free jelly is another one worth trying, at just 9 calories per serving. My husband insists it doesn’t taste quite like real jelly — and, considering the calorie difference, he probably has a point — but I genuinely rate it. One important note: you do actually have to make it first, and then leave it to set in the fridge for 3–4 hours. A lot of waiting for something that, in our house at least, disappears in about 15 minutes.

Werther’s Original Sugar Free — And for something you can keep around whenever a sugar craving hits, my discovery of the month is Werther’s Original Sugar Free. One sweet comes in at just 9 calories, while the rich caramel flavour and the fact that it takes a while to melt make it surprisingly satisfying. Also a good one to keep on your desk if, like me, you always need something to snack on when work gets stressful.

One thing I kept coming back to while putting this list together: none of these are meant to make the real thing the enemy. Sometimes you want a proper tiramisu, not the lighter version that tastes “almost like” one — and that is exactly what you want.

But on other days, honestly, you just want something sweet. And if you don’t particularly care what form it comes in, this lot is worth a look. You might find a new favourite, save yourself a few hundred calories and still get exactly what you came for: dessert.