Baking Tips?

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DEgal99
DEgal99 Posts: 100 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have a major sweet tooth and love to bake. Bad combination! Are there good tips to "heathify" baking? Could I use artificial sweeteners instead of sugar? Does whole wheat flour taste the same in sweets?

I've tried the black bean brownies, and while not horrible, I don't think I made them right! Right now I just try and take the majority of my baked goods to work so I don't have them hanging around the house.

Thanks!

Replies

  • LouiseTaylor__
    LouiseTaylor__ Posts: 14 Member
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    If you use instagram, have a look at my friend's food blog @whygowithout :) They love to bake and most of their stuff is sugar free!
  • tnwlkr43
    tnwlkr43 Posts: 57 Member
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    I love to bake also and although i have switched over to Swerve or Steviva it is not quite the same. Whole wheat works with some things, but i also use almond flour and coconut flour. Swapping eggs or butter with puree prunes or applesauce works good too. It is just something you have to get use to. For myself I have just about given up and just eat fruits to squelch my sweet tooth. Now I just bake for the church etc.
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
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    I was going to say substituting applesauce in baked goods for the eggs/oil usually works well.
  • Howdoyoufeeltoday
    Howdoyoufeeltoday Posts: 481 Member
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    Bake your regular desserts but in smaller batches. Like a recipe that makes 24 cookies, halve it. Or get a mini muffin tin and use that for smaller portions. Try different combinations of flour like white/whole wheat/coconut/rice/oat etc. banana works really well in baking cause it acts as glue and helps add moisture and sweetness. Fruit is your friend. Also cream puffs are surprisingly lower in cals if you fill them with lightly sweetened whip cream and dust them with icing sugar. Play around. :)
  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
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    The only really reliable trick I have is to substitute applesauce for oil. Usually a 3:1 ratio of applesauce:oil works best--you really do need some fat left in the recipe. I'll sometimes use egg whites instead of eggs, but over a whole recipe that's negligible calorie savings.

    I've never had luck baking with artificial sweeteners, even the ones supposedly for baking. They lose too much sweetness when heated. You could try half sugar/half sweetener if you're feeling brave.

    If you're not whipping it up, fat free evaporated milk is a decent substitute for heavy cream (like in pumpkin pie).

    I do not, personally, believe that adulterating e.g. chocolate chip cookies with whole wheat flour is worth the marginal nutrition benefits from an ounce of flour.
  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
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    In some cases (particularly cakes) you may be able to reduce the amount of sugar and butter that the recipe calls for and still have it turn out great.
  • DEgal99
    DEgal99 Posts: 100 Member
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    Great tips! Thanks everyone!
  • mistikal13
    mistikal13 Posts: 1,457 Member
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    I have had some great results using applesauce and ww flour in recipes. I usually just replace about 3/4 of the flour so that my treats dont turn out too dry. Hope this helps.
  • tnwlkr43
    tnwlkr43 Posts: 57 Member
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    Tomorrow is my 59th birthday and I was wanting a cake....so I made Skinnytaste Pineapple Zucchini Cake and tweeked it just a bit so without the frosting it is going to be 100 calories per slice. The tweeking i did was use gf all purpose flour in place of regular AP and applesauce instead of oil. I used fresh pineapple instead of canned. The batter taste great. I would love to have the frosting but dont need the calories so i am going to use cool whip on the side. Also i did half and half on the sugar. it called for a cup of sugar and i used 1/2 cup of regular sugar and a 1/2 cup of Swerve replacement sugar.
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    I love to bake, typically bake 2-3 times per week. Only change I make is I try to make smaller batches. Some recipes work better than others with this, but if I make too much of something I freeze it, give it to neighbors, etc.

    I would be careful with the substitutions, because it does change the taste & texture many times.
  • kitchensolo
    kitchensolo Posts: 38 Member
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    Check out vegan recipes ... they often have better alternatives than traditional baking. Applesauce is a good substitute, but you'll lose out on texture a bit. Still, if you've convinced yourself your okay sacrificing a bit of taste for better nutrition, you'll enjoy any modifications you make. Re: wheat flour - that's one of those things that is hit or miss. Often, it's too dry. If you have a sweet tooth, dry Savi Seeds from Vega Brands ... they have 17 times more Omega 3 that Sockey Salmon, and a whole pack (which I can never finish) is 170 calories w/ only 4 grams of sugar. You can grab 'em on Amazon.
  • Minda611
    Minda611 Posts: 4 Member
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    Check out www.skinnytaste.com and browse through those recipes. I haven't really tried her sweet recipes, but I have never had a complaint with any of the others. She does have one of the black bean substitute recipes, but she has others as well. :smile:
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    Here's a great website to help with smaller batches:

    http://www.dessertfortwo.com/about/
  • otheliemoor
    otheliemoor Posts: 50 Member
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    I love these veggie loaded muffins: http://www.superhealthykids.com/power-packed-fruit-and-veggie-muffin-for-picky-eaters/
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,647 Member
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    I bake all the time. I like to substitute part of the butter with coconut oil and unsweetened applesauce. Substitute part of the flour with oatmeal. Cut the amount of chocolate chips, cut the amount of sugar, skip the frosting. I just can't give up baking, and things like Hungry Girl leave me cold. Best of luck!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    GiveMeCoffee wrote: »
    Here's a great website to help with smaller batches:

    http://www.dessertfortwo.com/about/

    Love that site!

    But yes, don't sub stuff, just make smaller portions of the real thing. Way more satisfying.
  • tat2cookie
    tat2cookie Posts: 1,899 Member
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    I use avocados, applesauce, or coconut oil in the place of regular oil.
    Honey, pure maple syrup, coconut sugar or xyaltol in the place of regular sugar.
    There are a ton of really good paleo recipes on Pintrest. My favorite is a chocolate cake with sweet potato frosting and a carrot cake with cashew "cream cheese" frosting.
  • DEgal99
    DEgal99 Posts: 100 Member
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    Love all the ideas, thanks!

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