Advice on making this recipe "better" please!

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fishiewishes
fishiewishes Posts: 91 Member
in Recipes
I found a recipe I'd love to try but looking at it the calorie content is going to be very high - can you guys help me out trying to figure out how to try and get the cals down on this one?

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Ingredients:
200g (7oz) caster sugar
4 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
165g (5½oz) rolled oats
1 large eating apple, grated
85g (3oz) chopped nuts
55g (2oz) butter

Method:

1. Place the sugar and golden syrup into a saucepan.
2. Simmer over a low heat until the sugar and syrup are melted together, and look the colour of maple syrup.
3. Remove the mixture from heat and add the bicarbonate of soda to the syrup mix.
4. As it begins to foam, stir in the butter, oats, nuts and apple until they are covered.
5. Meanwhile, line a 20cm square tin with greaseproof paper.
6. Pour in your cinder toffee apple flapjack mixture.
7. Bake in the oven at 160ºC for 35 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven, allowing time for it to cool slightly and then slice into fingers.


I'm currently thinking substituting the sugar for Splenda, possibly not including the nuts. It also doesn't state how many servings it would do on this recipe so I'm assuming 12/16 depending on the size you cut them :/

Any advice you seasoned bakers can give would be fab!

Replies

  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    Caster sugar is just extra fine sugar. So Splenda would be a great way to get rid of those calories.

    Be sure to use the Splenda that is made for baking, though. It's a 1:1 measure to sugar, whereas regular Splenda is closer to 1:2, and often doesn't work out quite right as far as taste goes.

    Your other ideas sound good, but you're only using 3oz of chopped nuts, so I (personally) would leave them in.

    While you're at it, try using margarine instead of butter - same # of calories, but less saturated fat in margarine. Or look around for some other butter substitute.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    Caster sugar is just extra fine sugar. So Splenda would be a great way to get rid of those calories.

    Be sure to use the Splenda that is made for baking, though. It's a 1:1 measure to sugar, whereas regular Splenda is closer to 1:2, and often doesn't work out quite right as far as taste goes.

    Your other ideas sound good, but you're only using 3oz of chopped nuts, so I (personally) would leave them in.

    While you're at it, try using margarine instead of butter - same # of calories, but less saturated fat in margarine. Or look around for some other butter substitute.

    Yes, just take all the real ingredients and replace them with chemicals.
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,972 Member
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    Caster sugar is just extra fine sugar. So Splenda would be a great way to get rid of those calories.

    Be sure to use the Splenda that is made for baking, though. It's a 1:1 measure to sugar, whereas regular Splenda is closer to 1:2, and often doesn't work out quite right as far as taste goes.

    Your other ideas sound good, but you're only using 3oz of chopped nuts, so I (personally) would leave them in.

    While you're at it, try using margarine instead of butter - same # of calories, but less saturated fat in margarine. Or look around for some other butter substitute.

    Yes, just take all the real ingredients and replace them with chemicals.

    With all due respect, all OP asked for was lower calorie substitutes for this recipe.
  • Christine1110
    Christine1110 Posts: 1,786 Member
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    I use Stevia to bake with....it's natural.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    With all due respect, all OP asked for was lower calorie substitutes for this recipe.

    Margarine isn't lower-calorie

    Edited to be more helpful: Baked goods are very difficult for ingredient substitutions. Not only do substitutions change the chemistry of your dessert so that it might bake very strangely, substitutiing splenda for sugar will also really affect the taste. Really, that is quite a bit of sugar in that recipe, if you switch it all out in favor of splenda, it's probably going to be completely unpalatable.

    There are some substitutions that might make sense - But I wouldn't suggest completely replacing a crucial ingredient like sugar or butter. Applesauce (unsweetened) is a good substitute for oil or butter with a 1:1 swap ratio, so maybe you could do half butter and half applesauce.

    You might also have to experiment with baking temperatures and times. I wouldn't be baking these for a party in 40 minutes :)

    Also, do bear in mind that it's a pretty crucial skill to be able to eat one of something and put the rest away. Low-calorie baked goods just don't taste that great.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
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    Because the sugar and syrup are cooked together, substituting Splenda could very well affect the finished texture. I wouldn't change a thing. But then I'm not keen on artificial sweeteners or 'reduced calorie/fat/diet' anything so portion control is really the key in my opinion. Enjoy your treat, and give the rest away to co-workers, family, etc.
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
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    I would leave out the splenda and golden syrup and replace with honey.

    I'm not sure if that would give a good result, but if it were me, I'd try it anyway.
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,972 Member
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    With all due respect, all OP asked for was lower calorie substitutes for this recipe.

    Margarine isn't lower-calorie

    Depends on the brand of margarine, really.
  • Pandy1962
    Pandy1962 Posts: 105 Member
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    I really want to make this now after reading the recipe, I would'n't adjust anything, keep it as it is but just eat a small amount and savour the flavour.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    Try this very similar recipe:
    http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/low-sugar-low-fat-flapjacks

    150g reduced-fat butter (we used Lurpak Lighter Spreadable), plus extra for greasing
    150g ready-to-eat, soft, stoned dates
    3 tbsp apple juice
    30g toasted whole hazelnuts, finely chopped
    100g ready-to-eat dried apricots, finely chopped
    225g porridge oats

    Nutritional info

    Per flapjack: 185kcals, 9.6g fat (3.8g saturated), 3g protein, 20g carbs, 7.3g sugar, trace salt
  • susanstar88
    susanstar88 Posts: 14 Member
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    Splenda might work just fine, I don't enjoy artificial sweeteners but use it often for our diabetic neighbor & sometimes cannot tell the difference. I would use a lower calorie syrup - use spray in pan, margarine or butter (toss up there) and ENJOY the nuts for extra protein. Yes, a smaller portion with extra exercise is the best treat for holiday enjoyment! Enjoy without stress.
  • chooriyah
    chooriyah Posts: 469 Member
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    You could try replacing the sugar with chopped dates and water. Boil the chopped dates, water and golden or maple syrup together, and then follow the rest of the recipe. Dates still have sugar in them would probably end up less in calories.

    Like another poster said, you could replace the butter with margarine or oil of some kind, might cut out some calories.

    That being said, the easiest way to the cut the calories in half is probably to cut the pieces in half (:

    Alternatively, these look really good if you're willing to try a different recipe... http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/nikkis-healthy-cookies-recipe.html
  • athryn
    athryn Posts: 59
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    The one caveat with using margarine to replace butter, it can change the overall texture of the dessert, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. I used to actually prefer the cookies my mom made with margarine instead of butter, because they ended up with a less greasy mouthfeel. It all depends -- baking is more chemistry than art at times.
  • tryclyn
    tryclyn Posts: 2,414 Member
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    Is ~142 really too much for 1/16?
  • paintedpixie
    paintedpixie Posts: 8
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    I would try coconut palm sugar in place of sugar, honey or agave in place of syrup, choose your nuts wisely and maybe mix them up a bit, instead of butter use coconut oil. The best I can tell you, when making sweet treats there aren't many ways to reduce calories, but there are plenty of ways to make your calories count. Coconut sugars are low on the glycemic index and won't affect your body the way white sugar or artificial substitutes will. Same with agave nectar. Nuts are a great source of fiber, healthy fats and protein. Keep em in. Coconut oil is a great butter sub. Though not lower in calories, it is a healthy fat that can help your body process the other fats and sugars in your treat efficiently. Also, once baked, cut them and then portion them out individually so that you won't be tempted to eat more than you should. Good luck.

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