With so many traditions including baking around the holidays, it can be challenging to balance a healthy diet with spending time with your loved ones. The good news is that you don't have to give up one to concentrate on the other when you have a few quick recipe modifications available to you to make your holiday baking healthy. There are straightforward substitutions to utilise in your baked goods that make this chore easier. Traditional baking components, such as oil, butter, and shortening, can be enjoyed in moderation. It's okay to add a few healthier components to a classic treat, especially if the end result is still delicious, even if these ingredients weren't in your original brownie recipe. In light of this, here are five simple recipe modifications you can make to your holiday baking to make it healthier.
Oil with Fruit Mash
Try replacing the vegetable oil in your favourite banana bread recipe or the family's traditional brownie recipe with unsweetened applesauce. There is no complex math required for this swap because the oil may be replaced in a one-to-one deal. Therefore, if your recipe calls for 1/2 cup oil, substitute 1/2 cup applesauce. Additionally, most mashed or pureed fruits will work in its place if you don't have applesauce on hand. In a pinch, you could even use the blended fruit pouch from your children! Traditionally used in baking, vegetable and canola oils offer less health advantages than olive and avocado oils. Blended fruit replaces these inferior oils while retaining moisture, flavour, and certain nutrients.
Eggs with Ground Flax
This extremely simple and nourishing method of adding some extra nutrition to your baked products is frequently referred to as a "flax egg." Although eggs include important nutrients like protein and choline, you may easily substitute ground flax if your vegan friend wishes to eat your handmade cookies. Flax seeds have a mild nutty flavour and are a good source of fibre and omega-3 lipids. It only requires mixing one tablespoon of ground flax with 2.5 tablespoons of water, letting it stand for about five minutes as it thickens, and then combining. Then substitute it for one egg in your recipe or double the recipe for flax eggs to substitute for two eggs. This is a fantastic substitute for homemade pancakes, chocolate chip cookies, or muffins.
AP Flour with Whole Wheat Flour
It's a terrific way to add more fibre and even protein to a recipe, and you may have previously tried it or even use it right now. Most whole wheat flours also include more iron than white flour, which is a crucial nutrient for the health of the blood. Whole wheat is another simple one-ingredient substitution that is healthier than white flour due to its vitamin content. This substitution could be preferable for some recipes, such as quick breads and brownies, because whole wheat flour's higher protein content might result in a thicker texture. Start out slowly if you are unsure about this exchange. To increase the number of nutrients in your recipe while maintaining the texture of your baked goods, replace half of the white flour with whole wheat flour in the recipe.
Butter For Avocado
Despite adding the richness we all adore to baked products, butter is deficient in essential nutrients. In fact, because it can increase blood cholesterol levels, the saturated fat in butter is regarded to have a detrimental effect on heart health. The vital unsaturated fats in avocado, on the other hand, are regarded to have a highly favourable impact on heart health as they can lower cholesterol and minimise the chance of a heart attack or stroke. Fortunately, this is again another simple switch. Use avocado in a one-to-one ratio in place of butter. Additionally, you can substitute avocado for shortening, another item with unhealthy fats, in your baked goods. You can ease into things by substituting half of your butter or shortening for avocado, just like with the flour swap.
Milk Chocolate For Dark Chocolate
Speaking of chocolate chip cookies, you can lower the sugar content of your recipe and boost the amount of healthy antioxidants in your baked goods by making this one-ingredient change. In general, less sugar is present in chocolate that is darker. Accordingly, white, milk, and semisweet chocolate contain a similar amount of sugar per serving as dark chocolate, with white and milk chocolate potentially having a higher sugar content. You won't even realise that your chocolate chips have less sugar because your cookie recipe probably already calls for one or two types of sugar. If you want to go even farther, milk chocolate can be replaced with cocoa nibs, which have no added sugar and are healthier. Although utilising this option has a stronger bitterness than using dark chocolate, it has the most health benefits.