Lighten Up Your Favorite Desserts

We all indulge in baked goods once in a while, especially around the holidays. The good news is that you do not have to be afraid to enjoy sweet treats in moderation. In fact, with a few simple substitutions, you can cut back on the unnecessary sugar and fat in your favorite baked goods recipes.

Fruit Purees
Fruit purees are most commonly used as fat substitutes for baking. Applesauce works well with most cake recipes, muffins and gingerbread and can replace up to half the fat in cookies. Mashed bananas or pureed peaches are delicious for those chocolate cakes, spiced cakes or muffins, while prune puree works best in a variety of desserts, including  spice cakes, muffins, scones, coffee cakes, crumb crusts, brownies and cookies. Modify your favorite recipes using about half as much fruit puree as the total amount of fat used in the recipe. For example, if the recipe calls for one cup of butter, use half a cup of fruit puree; you can always add more if the batter seems dry.

Vegetable Purees
Vegetable purees are a perfect solution to replace butter or oil in baking. Cooked mashed squash or sweet potatoes will replace half the fat and work best in muffins, quick breads, gingerbread, fruit cakes and other dense cakes – and vegetable purees are jam packed with additional vitamins and minerals. 

Soft Silken Tofu Puree
Tofu has a creamy texture and can be used in many types of desserts. You can replace half of the fat in a recipe such as brownies by using an equal amount of silken tofu puree. Silken tofu is also  an excellent substitute for cream cheese to make a lightened up cheesecake.
Bottom line: Don’t skip your favorite holiday treats this year, simply remember to enjoy in moderation If you love to bake sweet treats, try making simple ingredient swaps to create healthier versions of your favorite indulgences.

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