Welcome to another How-To Tuesday everyone!!
I hope your day is great so far!
(Image Credit)
(Image Credit)
Today’s post is very close to my heart, so let’s get right to it shall we?
One of my favorite things to do is bake. I find it relaxing, calming, and, of course, I love the end result: warm and delicious baked goods! I know a lot of people associate baking and sweets as something that can’t be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle, especially when you want to lose weight, but cutting out dessert forever isn’t the answer. I like to “healthify” my baking with lower-calorie and more nutritious ingredients so I can still enjoy these sweets, plus they’re better for you in the long run! It’s easy to be intimidated by baking because it’s more of an exact science than cooking, but even with simple swaps and adjustments the recipes still taste delicious. 🙂
This is: How-To Healthify Desserts!!
(Inspired by this article)
- Start with a recipe you’ve used before
By using a recipe that you know turned out well before, you can make small changes and substitutions with your measurements and ingredients. You’ll increase your chances of an edible treat, and don’t end up wasting food! - Reduce sugar
An easy way to make a dessert more nutritious without sacrificing taste or texture is to reduce the amount of sugar a recipe calls for by one-fourth. Most of the time, I don’t even notice a difference! Additionally, I’ll substitute in a more nutritious ingredient that has some natural sweetness like yogurt, applesauce, an overripe banana, or maple syrup. - Replace fats with healthier alternatives
Fat creates moisture and richness in a recipe, but the wrong kind of fat adds loads of unnecessary calories. Omitting all of the high-fat ingredients can yield boring and even inedible results, so definitely keep some, but replace the rest with more nutritious ingredients. For instance, if a recipe calls for a stick of butter, try using half of a stick and replace the other half with a ripe banana, coconut oil, canned pumpkin, or Greek yogurt. I’ve even used canned black beans for this recipe! Pretty much anything that adds moisture with a bit of texture works well. - Flaxseed “eggs” – fiber bonus!
In baking, eggs help baked goods rise and become light and fluffy. They’re also needed to prevent the baked goods from crumbling or falling apart. However, if you’re watching your cholesterol or simply want to reduce calories and fat, ground flaxseeds are a great way to add healthy fiber and omega-3 fats to your recipe. When mixed with water, they become great substitution for eggs in baking. Just combine one tablespoon of ground flaxseed with three tablespoons of water for each egg and let it sit for about 5 minutes before adding to the recipe. - Taste-test the batter
Licking the spoon every now and then ultimately guides the direction of the new recipe. Is the batter too thick? Is the flavor too sweet? Based on taste, add more of the necessary ingredients to make the batter taste good. Basically, my theory is: if the batter tastes delicious, the baked good will taste delicious too! - Try a new extract
Besides the usual vanilla extract, testing out different extracts is a great way to play with the flavors of a recipe without adding calories. For example, butter extract adds a sweet, indulgent flavor, and coconut, almond, and coffee are other tasty options too. Jessica uses different extracts all the time and her recipes are amazing!!! - Use mini chips – less is more
In my recipe searches from different blogs, I discovered that using miniature chocolate chips gives me more bang for my buck with a bonus of fewer calories. Mini and regular size chips have the same nutritional content, but by reducing the amount, I get tons of mini chips throughout the cookies, so it feels like I’m getting more goodness, rather than less. ALWAYS a plus! - Make smaller portions
When it comes to cookies, who can eat just one?! Try baking half batches of recipes, so you’re not constantly tempted by delicious treats hanging around the house. Also, make smaller cookies by using a teaspoon instead of a tablespoon to scoop the cookie dough or use a mini muffin tin for small muffins. You can actually get more baked goods out of your batter!
Here are my top 3 favorite healthy dessert blogs:
Amy’s Healthy Baking
Chocolate-Covered Katie
Desserts With Benefits
I hope you decide to get creative in the kitchen with these healthy tips and tricks. So now you can make these…
Strawberry Maple Cookies!!
(Photography by Amy of Amy’s Healthy Baking)
Happy baking and have a tremendous Tuesday!