In the contemporary U.S. food market, the distinction between indulgence and wellness has increasingly collapsed. “Better-for-you” dessert brands reframe traditionally indulgent products as acts of self-care, discipline, and moral responsibility, particularly amid prolonged inflation and consumer fatigue. This thesis examines how such brands moralize consumption by embedding ethical and emotional cues into marketing language, visual design, and affordability narratives. Drawing on theories of moral branding, manipulative persuasion, framing effects, and coping consumption, the study argues that indulgence is no longer positioned as excess, but as a controlled and virtuous response to economic stress.