And since it is that time of year when I don the apron and get flour all over the kitchen, I wanted to share a few tips that you can use to lighten up your baked recipes without sacraficing flavor or texture.
Some of these you may be familiar with and some, or all, may be brand new. Regardless, they are all worth trying when you want to eat a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven but don't want to feel guilty about it.
1. EGGS
If your recipe calls for three whole eggs, use two yolks and two whites. If it calls for two eggs, use one yolk and two whites. Alternatively, use 1/4 of egg substitute in place of half of the eggs called for in the recipe. In breads, cakes and cookies you can't tell the difference.
2. OIL & BUTTER
Most baked goods call for either oil or butter, both of which can pack a lot of fat and calories. Next time you bake, try cutting the "fat" ingredient in half. So if a cake recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, oil or margarine, use 1/2 cup instead. The missing half of the fat ingredient needs to be replaced by something moist. Some great substitutes are applesauce, greek yogurt, pureed fruit, lowfat buttermilk, light or fat-free cream cheese and lowfat or fat-free cottage cheese. You may need to experiment to see which subsitutes work best with which recipes.
3. SUGAR
Sugar is what makes things taste sweet, but it is also what gives you cavities and saddlebags. Almost every recipe for baked goods calls for sugar, some in minute amounts, others in huge quantities. In order to cut the amount of sugar in your baking without sacraficing sweetness, try using something that has concentrated sweetness. Stevia is 250 times sweeter than sugar, which means you use a lot less of it. In fact, you only need one teaspoon to equal a full cup of sugar. To compensate for the loss of volume, add applesauce, pureed fruit, canned pumpkin, fruit juice or yogurt. Add 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of the replacement bulk for every cup of sugar that is called for.
Other sweetners you can try include maple syrup and molasses. When using maple syrup, use ¾ cup for every cup of white sugar and decrease the amount of liquid in the recipe by 3 tablespoons. For molasses, use 1 1/3 cups molasses for 1 cup sugar, and reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe by 5 tablespoons.
Another good substitute is honey. Use ¾ cup plus1 tablespoon honey in place of 1 cup sugar, and reduce the other liquid ingredients by 2 tablespoons. Unless the recipe includes sour cream or buttermilk, add a pinch of baking soda to neutralize the acidity.
4. CHOCOLATE AND CHOCOLATE CHIPS
Everyone loves chocolate-laden sweets, but beware: they are full of hidden fat (that's why chocolate tastes so good). To retain the lovely chocolate flavor but pare down some of the fat, instead of using two squares of baking chocolate, use 6 tablespoons of cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon of canola oil and 1 tablespoon of fat-free sour-cream. For every 2 squares of baking chocolate you replace, you'll shave almost 90 calories and 14 grams of fat (most of which is saturated fat). If your recipe calls for chocolate chips, use the same ingredients and amounts listed above for every two oz. of chocolate chips you are replacing.
5. MILK
If your recipe calls for whole milk, you can substitute 2% without anyone noticing. You can also use fat-free milk and whisk in a tablespoon of fat free plain yogurt or Greek yogurt per cup to add body to the milk. Alternately, soy or almond milk works great in many recipes and often the taste of the finished product is better than if made with cow's milk.
You don't have to completely give up baking--and consuming---goodies. Plan ahead by going over your recipes and figuring out your substitutions so that you have them on hand on baking day. And above all, be brave and dare to experiment. Some great low-fat cookies just may be in your future.
