Healthy Ingredient Swaps for Baked Goods

Hey, everyone. Welcome to our live event, where we're gonna Be chatting about healthy ingredient swaps for baking. I'm Rachel Teufel, and a couple of little tidbits for you. I would love if you would download your healthy tips cheat sheet. This is a fabulous sheet for you to refer to as you are trying to swap out any of your ingredients.

And also, please remember to comment and ask questions. Say hello, tell us where you're from! Today, and let me know if you are trying to make any healthy ingredient. Swaps in your recipes. Uh, so I want to share a few tips and tricks with you for swapping.

Because it's January, and we all know January is resolution time. When we're trying to cut back on sugars or fats, or just eat fewer calories, or just simply try to eat a little bit healthier. And it's about mid-month now, which means we're all probably falling away from those resolutions, getting back to our old habits, and I just want to give you a little boost back to where you need to be if you're trying to cut any of your calories or eliminate certain foods from your diet. So, let's dig into a few of our healthy Ingredient swaps. One of the things that a lot of people are Trying to do these days is just eliminate the need for additional sugar.

And obviously, in baking, that's really tricky. Having, uh, A baked good that has some sweetness and some flavor to it. Um, really is what kind of pulls us into wanting to have a baked good in the first place. Right? You know, we're looking for that.

A really delicious, moist, sweet taste that, uh That comes with cakes, muffins, and cookies, and all of those things. And so I wanted to share some swaps you can do that really aren't gonna change the texture and consistency of your baked goods too much. Um, and still provide you with that taste that you're looking for. Let's take a peek at our little sheet. Uh, this is a great sheet.

I've got not only your swaps for you with, Uh, your different ingredients, but I give you your ratios and any other adjustments. Need to make, too. So, um, if we're looking at sugar, The number one easiest way is literally just to use a ripe banana. So, these are not as ripe as I would like them to be. To be putting into a baked good.

Um, right now, but I have a tip for you. I'll get to that in a moment. Um, I drove around to... Like, four different stores last night, trying to find any kind of banana. Remotely close to ripe, and everything was way greener than these.

So, I've got two different tips for you when it comes to not being able to find a ripe banana, and the first one is you can actually bake them. Um, you can put them in a 350-degree oven just like this. Um, you don't need to do anything special to 'em. Maybe pull them apart and separate them on the tray. Um, but put them in the oven at 350 for only about five minutes.

Um, they'll turn brown first, and then you'll peel open the banana, and it's perfectly ripened, delicious banana that is used for any baked good at that point. Now, I wouldn't ripen them that way to Like, chow down on a ripe banana. It doesn't quite work that way. They do get pretty mushy, um, pretty fast, so this is only if you want to in order to put it into your baked goods. And the second way is you can pop them in the microwave.

Um, this is an interesting method, I have to say, um, it happens pretty quickly. Uh, but you microwave it for about a minute, and they actually get really steamy and gooey. On the inside, and you barely have to mash 'em at that point. So, I prefer the oven method, because it's a little bit. A little bit more textural.

You know. It keeps the banana's integrity a little bit better than the microwave. But if you're in a pinch and need to use the microwave, You can do that. Basically, substituting It's half of your amount of sugar. So if you have a cup of sugar, For instance, you're going to use half a cup of mashed banana.

It makes a really great sweetness, and it adds a little more moisture to your baked good as well, which is kind of cool. And then your applesauce is another option. Now, I do recommend using the no-sugar- added applesauce. You don't want to think that you're substituting sugar with applesauce and Then, basically, just adding back in sugar if you're using a sweetened version. Um, so make sure you're getting an unsweetened applesauce, and this is a 1:1 Substitution.

Um, it's very easy to do. It definitely adds way more moisture to your baked good. So, oftentimes with this, you might need to decrease your liquid. So whether it's water or milk, or even... We'll talk about it when we get down to.

Oils, but, uh, decreasing your amount of oil a little bit as well. So, think about the substitutions that you're doing. When you are deciding to change your recipe, uh, the The biggest thing is that some of these are gonna add a lot more moisture to your bake. Good, so your baked good might not bake up as light and fluffy. It might be a little more dense, so making some adjustments with the ratio, So, one to one versus half to one, or in the case of honey, It's two-thirds of a cup per cup of sugar.

Again, The sweetness of honey is a little more potent compared to just granulated sugar. So, uh, trying to find that right balance, uh, can be a little tricky. I'm so excited to hear from Cheryl. You are in chilly Colorado. And let me tell you, we are in chillier Minnesota today.

It is so, so cold today. Um, outside for, like, a second, and my nose is just absolutely frozen. So, um, Bundle up, stay warm, and then, uh, we've got, uh... Oh, my goodness, Slovakia, wow! Coming from, um, All the way from Europe.

That's fantastic. Um, and then Ruth from Arizona and New Jersey, trying to make low-fat swaps. Daughter who had her gallbladder, uh, the gallbladder removed. Yeah, the healthy swaps when you are dealing with health issues is definitely a. Must.

Um, and I will say that these are all really Great swaps, especially if you're dealing with a health concern like that gallbladder. Um, Teresa from St. Louis, thanks for joining us as well. Um, so you know how cold it really is? Here with us as well.

Excellent. So, let's move on to our healthy swaps for oil and butter. And this is, um, uh, let's see, Teresa, I believe, right? Uh, you are trying to swap for gallbladder, and oil is certainly one Things that you don't want to eat too much of. Um, oil is, Oh, gosh, it can come in a lot of different forms, depending upon if you're just a vegetable oil versus an avocado or an olive oil, or even a coconut oil.

There are so many options to be able to just swap your oils one-for-one. Um, using a healthier version. So you can absolutely do that. And coconut oil is one of those oils in the baking industry that we use a lot. One-to-one swap.

So, if you're just wanting to make your e- your oil itself a little healthier, that's a really easy way to do that. And believe it or not, using things like olive oil and coconut oil, They will change your flavor just a touch, but it's a healthier oil than just using. Like canola oil or just a pure vegetable oil. So, um, You definitely can make those swaps pretty easily, and obviously. Those are one-for-one.

But if you're looking to make it a a little bit even healthier than that, by changing out the amount of oil. Saturated fats that are in there, then switching to something like applesauce. Um, is a great option. Now, I wouldn't recommend swapping for your sugar and your oil with applesauce. That's gonna be just way too much moisture and way, uh, way too much of one ingredient to kinda keep the structure of your recipe.

Uh, together. So it's really important to think about when You're trying to swap something, you know, how much, uh. Can you swap? Like, how many different things can you swap? One time and still keep the integrity of your recipe and still provide a baked good.

In the end? So, when I'm giving you these suggestions, Keep that in mind. You don't want to swap for sugar, oil, and flour and expect that. You're gonna get, you know, the same baked good. That's just not gonna happen.

Um, you are going to end up having to make some choices. So, if you're trying to really just make something overall healthy, You might want to, you know, swap your butter, for instance. Swap out your oils; get more vegetables and fruits in there instead. Um, rather than maybe swapping for both sugar and oil and ending up with just a pile of applesauce. Um, so, you know, be mindful about your substitutions.

Don't just decide to make all of these adjustments and then wonder why your baked good didn't come out in the end. Um, but one of the things that's really interesting, uh, It's an interesting swap for oil or butter: the avocado. And most of the reason for that is just that it's full of healthy fats. It's not, um, it's not loaded with a lot of those, uh, Really saturated, heavy, dense oils that our bodies just can't. Um, break down appropriately.

Um, so swapping an avocado one-for-one, For butter especially, it still has that creamy texture that a butter provides. In our baked goods, and surprisingly, it doesn't change the flavor a lot. I know a lot of people get concerned about using an avocado in a recipe. Substituting for butter. It just doesn't seem right.

It definitely doesn't seem right to me, but, surprisingly, it works really well. It still provides that nice, creamy texture. Um, it gives that, a luscious feel that we have when we're eating something that's made with butter. It definitely works great for oil as well, but it's a slightly different consistency. So, think about when you're swapping these ingredients.

Also, think about what you're trying to achieve in the end. So, if you're just going for moisture, that's really where we use oil. That's, um, that's a provider of moisture for us. It attaches to all the molecules in the rest of the food and ingredients we use. And it provides moisture, and that's typically why we're using an oil.

And if we're looking for a mouthfeel, something that's a little softer, More tender, maybe not as moist, but maybe fluffier. That's when we substitute, and we use butter versus oil. So, think about that, too, when you're substituting your ingredients. Uh, in for oil and butter. You know, I would choose to substitute an avocado for butter, and I'd probably choose applesauce or banana for oil.

And that's just the moisture content in both of those, and the texture and feel. That you'll get from each of those. And, of course, Another option is yogurt. You definitely can swap Greek yogurt. For any of your oils, any of your butters.

Again, I tend to use yogurt for substituting. For an oil versus substituting for butter, but it, It's totally up to you. It's what you have available to you or what Your preferences are in the final texture that you'll get in your baked good. Um, a Greek yogurt is also a really good substitute for sour cream. Now, I know that's not necessarily on our cheat sheet here.

Um, but sour cream kind of falls into that aisle. Butter category just because it's filled with lots of fat. It's also a dairy, like a butter. Um, but just swapping Greek yogurt for A recipe that calls for sour cream can work really well also. So, keep that in mind.

And I'll be honest, I often substitute a Greek yogurt that has flavor in it, so if I'm making a blueberry muffin, For instance, I want to try to make it a little healthier. I could also use a blueberry yogurt rather than just a plain vanilla. Or just a plain yogurt. So again, you have a lot of ways in which you can substitute in different ingredients in order to. Um, really up your flavor profile in your baked goods, without really sacrificing a whole a lot of, uh, nutrients as well.

So, keep that one in mind. Um, wow! Northern Illinois, Poland, and snowy Maine. Stay warm, Barbara. Um, will the avocado cream, Uh, with the sugar like butter does?

Not exactly. Um, it does cream together very well, and it does produce this. Like a lighter, fluffier texture, just like what we're looking for when we sugar together. We're basically looking for an emulsion happen. We want that sugar to start to dissolve.

It breaks down the granulation of the sugar, really breaks down the texture. Butter, and it makes it really light and fluffy. You will get some of that It's not quite the same, but it definitely still gives you that little bit of lift. That lightness that we're looking for. So, um, That's a really, really great point, Mary.

I appreciate you bringing that up. Because that is often one of those things that we look for in a baked good. We're blending our butter and sugar together first, um. Is to get that lightness, that airiness. And, um, Yes, you can get it with an avocado, but it's not quite the same.

Very close, though. So, uh, if your recipe is calling for Cream your butter and sugars together. Definitely sub in avocado in that case. Don't do it with any of the other options here. Your yogurt, Your applesauce and your banana are just going to be way too wet.

They've got too much moisture, and it's just not going to get that same lightness. Fluffiness that you are looking for. So, a great A great question, Mary. Um, and Helena, you're asking about the type of Greek yogurt: Should we use full-fat or fat-free? Or 2%.

This is really up to you. Um, I think there's always a little discretion that comes into ingredient swaps. When we're baking, the main reason why we would be swapping an oil for a Yogurt is really to try to decrease the fat content. Um, that's our whole purpose. Our goal is to just try to make it healthier by decreasing the amount of fat in the recipe.

So, my recommendation would be to swap out a 0%. Um, if you're worried that might be too much for the recipe that you're doing, you can definitely use a 2%. But swapping whole yogurt for an oil is really a One-to-one. You're... While you're probably getting slightly healthier fats in them, the yogurt versus just a, let's say, canola oil.

Um, we'll, We'll compare it to one of the worst oils that's out there. Um, you're definitely gonna see some improvement in your nutrient level. You're not going to see a whole lot of decrease in your fat content. So, keep that in mind. If your goal is to decrease fat content, just the quantity of it, then you're gonna want to use either a 2% or, Uh, like a skim yogurt, just something that has, uh, 0% fat in it.

Um, so, your discretion. You know, you guys can pick. And choose and decide what might work best in your recipe. There's no right or wrong answer. I'll be 100% with you.

There's no right or wrong answer with any of this. A lot of it ends up being trial and error, to be honest. Um, that's not necessarily a bad thing, because it helps guide you as you bake. Try to sub out ingredients. You know, always take a look at your original.

Recipe. Hopefully, you're making the original have made it in the past at some point, so you know what the texture's like. You know what the flavor should be like, you know what it looks like. And, um, you know, how you might present it. And then, swapping one item at a time, allows you then to compare.

Right? You can look at your original recipe. And what... Well, you know, think about what that used to look like, taste like, and feel like, and then swap one ingredient. Let's say you just swap the avocado for butter.

Um, and you end up with a baked good that's flat and very dense. And you have, you know, no lift in it. Um, no, that, That might not be the best swap for that recipe, right? So, you do have to do a little trial and error when you're trying to swap out what's going to work best for you. Um, it really isn't, Uh, an even process across the board for all baked goods.

You know, what you might swap out in a cake versus a cookie can be different. Also vary a little. Again, we're trying to think about Texture, and also, obviously, what your ultimate goal is. Right? If we're just trying to decrease the amount of fat that's in it.

Then, you know, just choose one of these and run with it and see. What happens. Um, I find that... Things like cookies that are denser in general. You know, they're not as light and fluffy as a cake.

For instance, those swaps tend to be easier in a cookie. Because you've got a little bit more play, you know? If you're looking for a cookie that's already dense, Like a peanut butter cookie, for instance, if it's already dense. And, you know, it just kind of breaks apart nicely. It's got a lot of moisture in there, swapping an avocado for a little butter.

In that recipe, you're probably not going to notice much of a difference. But if you're trying to bake a pound cake, and you're swapping avocado for pound cake, You're not gonna get the same result, you know? You kinda have to think about Um, which items you're swapping and what you're baking. That's probably the biggest, uh, the biggest question: What are you baking? Um, let's see what other questions we have.

So, Theresa's saying, Wouldn't adding flavored yogurt add a lot of sugar? Depends on the yogurt. Um, absolutely, adding a flavored yogurt that is just a standard yogurt... If you're adding a Greek yogurt that has fresh berries put into it, Um, and those are broken down, and there's no added sugar in that. You're actually adding nutrient value.

You are adding some natural sugar from the fruits, um, from blueberries or strawberries, um, but you're not Like, taking a tablespoon of sugar and putting it in there. Um, so yes, the value of your yogurt is important. So, just taking a regular, I don't wanna name any names, But a regular yogurt that is blueberry flavored, and it's not a. A low-sugar, low-fat yogurt? You're not doing yourself justice.

And you're not gonna get a better ingredient or a better quality product. Either. Um, you're going to be adding a lot of sugar. But if you look for a Greek yogurt with no added sugar in any flavor, Um, you will likely gain nutrient value from the fresh fruits that they're using. Yogurt, and decrease your fats.

And if you're just trying to swap for sugar, Um, using yogurt as a swap for sugar isn't usually recommended anyway. So, yes, think about that. And one of the things, Uh, it, uh... I, I appreciate that question because, Uh, Theresa, you're exactly right. You have to be mindful if you're swapping for fat, but you're adding sugar by using a full-fat, Full-sugar yogurt, um, you're not really helping yourself a whole lot.

You might be decreasing your fat, but you're increasing your sugar. And without getting into a whole lot of nutrition, sugar actually converts and breaks down and goes into fat storage. So, yes, You gotta be careful about how much sugar you're adding. Um, when you're swapping for other items, aside from just swapping for sugar. So, uh, great question.

This is honestly, like, This topic is really complex. It's not just, like, an easy, "Let's grab a banana instead of, uh, grabbing" You know, oil. You really have to think about all of the other things that are going into, uh, your recipe and think about the overall health of the recipe as well. And I 100% would not recommend swapping for sugar and oil and changing out your flour and doing all the things, 'cause you will not end up with anything that resembles the final product that you're looking for. So keep that in mind as well.

Um, Helena, You're asking, "Do you need a full swap? For example," The recipe calls for two cups of sugar, perhaps swap one cup for applesauce. Yeah, that's a great suggestion and definitely the way to do it. You'll see some of these are 100% swaps. You know, your applesauce is a one-for-one, and you definitely want to make sure that you're Following the structure for that.

If your recipe is calling for multiple cups of an ingredient, and you'll see that when we get to flour, Um, yeah, you don't want to swap all of your ingredients for that. Um, I would highly recommend doing a cup of sugar and a cup of applesauce. Though, if your recipe calls for two cups. Um, that's a really nice middle ground. It still gives you flavor.

Uh, and texture with the real sugar, uh, versus swapping for the applesauce. Um, and again, it's one of those things, you kinda have to look at your recipe What that swap, you know, looks like in the end. Um, I definitely would not. You know, swap 100% of an ingredient if it was the main ingredient. Um, in your recipe.

You know, a pound cake, for instance, we've got a lot of butter in a pound cake. And swapping half of that butter is a better option than, than not swapping any of it. Um, but swapping all of it isn't gonna give you the same product in the end, especially a pound cake. Where the pound cake is built on the fact that that recipe is mostly butter. So, yeah, you have to think about the recipe that you're using.

Because I think that plays probably a bigger role. Than swapping any of these ingredients, and what you might swap as well. So, think about that. You know, if you're looking at A sugar cookie is built on sugar. If you're trying to swap out sugar, In a sugar cookie, you're not gonna end up with a sugar cookie in the end.

That doesn't mean you can't use a swap in that recipe. It just means that you have to be a little mindful about what you're swapping and how much. Of it you're swapping. So, um, that's a great, Uh, a great question and suggestion as well. Yes, don't, Don't swap 100% of the sugar in your sugar cookie, 'cause you won't end up with a sugar cookie in the end.

So, um, great, great question. Um, let's see. Anne is saying, "What spices help sweetness when reducing sugar?" Um, that's a wonderful, uh, question as well, and I'll be honest, I don't know of a whole lot of spices out that are going to really enhance sugar in particular, but I will say that cinnamon is Usually my go-to when I'm looking for something to kind of bring out its richness. Sweetness, a little bit. Cinnamon is probably my top.

Uh, top spice for almost any baked good. Um, it does change your flavor profile. Though, so be mindful of how you're using the spice. But most of those fall spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, um, All of those are really gonna give you sort of that, uh, sweetness, that nuttiness that you're looking for. Really comes out in a lot of those types of spices.

Um, yes, sugar-free applesauce. Absolutely, you must go sugar-free. Added sugar, at least one of those two. And, uh, Monica is asking about swapping brown sugar, so let's talk about it. The best option is going to be the honey for brown sugar.

Um, brown sugar has... It's basically white sugar with molasses. Molasses is a syrup. It's very similar to honey. It's not the same, but it's very similar to honey.

So, if you're looking at swapping brown sugar, you'll want the honey option. I mean, you could also decrease, um, this goes back to our other question about Swapping, you know, part of the ingredient rather than the whole. You can do a little bit of sugar and a little bit of honey. And that will actually give you a brown sugar texture together. So, if you mix, you know, if you take half your sugar and half your honey, And you mix that together, you're actually gonna get what resembles brown sugar.

It's not quite the same, but it's pretty close. So, you'll get that same flavor profile. It also... Again, remember, granulated sugar and brown sugar, they have texture. So that's a lot of where our fluffiness and...

And those types of things come in our baked goods. I know a lot of people think they're just there for sweetness. But they really do add a whole lot of, fluffy, uh. Fluffy feel to it as well. It's not so much that it fluffs things As much as it gives the appearance of fluffing, so...

You guys have great questions. I'm so excited! These are all so fantastic. Um, hi, Jeanette. Uh, from Ohio, one of my old, uh, my old stomping grounds.

Yeah, cinnamon, uh, cinnamon as well. You guys, You guys are chiming in with such great questions and even suggestions as well. I think this is absolutely fantastic. So, well done to all of you today as well. Alright, let's move on to that last page, where we're gonna talk about some healthy ingredients for flour.

Uh, so flour is a tricky one. And I will say that this is probably the place where, um. I would sub out just part of your flour. Now, if you're trying to be gluten-free, That's something different. Gluten-free is a totally different animal.

Um, I don't even want to really touch upon gluten-free. I will say that it's a beast of its own, and, um, It is a real challenge to do gluten-free baking altogether, especially when you're Things that are light, fluffy, and airy, like a cake. Um, it's not that it's not doable. It absolutely is. And there are some really great substitutions that I can give you.

Um, when we're talking about gluten-free specifically. Um, this one is more trying to give you more nutrients for that flour. Right? So if we're thinking about just a plain White flour, there really isn't a whole lot of nutrient value to flour. You know?

Uh, when we compare it to something like an Almond flour, the almond flour actually has nutrient value. Almonds have protein in them, so they're boosting the nutrient value of your baked good. Not just giving you something for texture. Um, so I, I want you to think about that when you are, you know, Swapping for nutrient value versus swapping for an allergen. For instance, because those are two very different things.

In my opinion, we want to make sure we're adding value. To the recipe. We're not just swapping for the sake of Swapping it. We're swapping it because it's healthier. Choice.

It's giving us the nutrients we need. Um, maybe just a little more protein in our muffin, you know. Gives it enough nutrients for us to justify even eating it. Right? Um, because oftentimes, baked goods, Truly, baked goods don't really have a whole lot of nutrient value.

They're just like, "Oh, I love this. It makes me feel good." It tastes good. It's yummy. "It's home-baked." It's like... It's more of a feeling when you eat a baked good, rather than, "I'm eating a baked good for nutrient value." I hope that makes sense, 'cause it's, um...

It's one of those things that we all kind of Like, I think, think about and battle. Um, you know, Am I eating this baked good because it's going to provide me with sustenance? Or am I eating this baked good because it makes me feel good? Right? And that's a huge, uh, a huge piece of Just trying to eat healthier in the first place.

So it's a bit of a challenge. So, think about it from that perspective as far as, like. Trying to add nutrient value rather than just subbing things out. Um, okay, so if you're going to use almond flour, you also have to use an egg. And you would sub out one-for-one here, um, unless.

Of course, your recipe calls for five cups of flour, and it's the You know, number one ingredient, and it's the largest ingredient in your baked good. You may not want to sub out all of it, and subbing some is better than none. Subbing out none of it. It's going to give you some nutrient value. It gives you protein.

It's also got better fiber in it. So, it's got lots of value to it from a nutrient perspective. Not just plain flour. And same goes for wheat flour. Now, there is a note here.

When you're subbing out wheat flour, While it's a one-for-one substitution, one cup of flour compared to one cup is exactly the same. In your recipe, you only wanna sub out a third of that flour. So, let's say we have three cups of flour. Uh, we're gonna sub out one cup for wheat flour, And we'll keep the two remaining cups of regular flour. And really, this comes down to a texture issue.

Wheat flour is much, Uh, sturdier than just a regular white flour that we traditionally use in baking. Recipes, and it will get extremely tough in your recipe. So, if you sub out all wheat flour for all of your, uh, regular flour, you're gonna end up with a super dense, very firm [product]. Probably hard, definitely chewy... You're gonna have to tear into this.

It's just not, uh, a suitable flour usually for baked goods. Um, because it is just such a tough, tough flour. Um, wheat flour isn't usually processed as much as our white flour is. And so, gluten comes into play here. And that's oftentimes why in breads, We're using wheat flours.

We're using sturdier flours so they can hold up. And really, um, keep their structure, and in baked goods, We want them to be light, airy, and fluffy. And so a, a heavily processed white flour that doesn't have... You know, white flour has gluten, but it doesn't have nearly as much gluten as like a wheat flour does. They're tender.

They're softer. The bite is, you know, softer, not as chewy. You don't have to, like, rip it apart. So think about pizza dough versus cake. Um, those are two very different textures, as far as.

Like, how you're breaking apart and how you're chewing and eating that food. That's what would happen to your baked good if you used all wheat flour. Cake. You're going to have a cake that's more like a bread. Um, so that's why you're only doing a third of the flour when it comes to wheat flour.

Um, and with, Uh, with other types of flours, like coconut flour or, Um, any of your other nut flours, you're gonna have to add that egg. So, it's the same... Any of your nut flours, um, Almost all of your other types of options are gonna require a little more moisture. Because if you feel, um, even just the texture of an almond flour versus a white Flour, almond flour is very gritty. It's very granular.

It's almost like granulated sugar. You know. It's got a lot of texture to it, and that texture isn't going to kind of distribute. Nicely and evenly throughout the rest of your ingredients. So, that's part of it, too.

That's why that egg is necessary. It also helps with binding, because we don't have gluten in almond flour. There's nothing to bind. The gluten is what kind of attaches to everything and holds it all together. So that's why we're adding egg when it comes to coconut and even the almond flour.

Some of those other, Uh, substitutions, um, just require that binding agent, really, more than anything. And that egg kind of substitutes in for the gluten itself. Um, all right. Jeanette says, "How are you?" I'm good. I'm with you guys.

This is awesome. Um, let's see. Ah, happy to be here and learning. I love it. I'm so glad you guys are all here.

Um, is almond flour best for value? Um, I really do think it is. You know, I think a lot of the nut flours are Definitely gonna have a higher nutrient value, compared to white flour. Um, you will have some nutrient value with the wheat flour. You're looking more at fiber content in wheat flour versus protein.

Content in a nut flour. So, it depends on what you're trying to achieve in the end, right? Think about the goal that you're you're, uh, going after and maybe how to achieve that. Um, some people are after a high protein content. Some people just want to add more fiber to their diet.

Uh, some people are looking to decrease the sugar and the fat. And, you know, so everybody's got to look at what your own goal is and then... Get there. Figure out how to get there by subbing of these other, um, options. Um, so they lie when they tell us 100% whole Wheat bread?

Yeah, basically, Teresa. It very well could be 100% whole wheat, that they're using to make the flour, but they're probably processing it quite a bit. Um, and they're probably processing it with ingredients we don't want to see. Our breads anyway, you know? Um, I think that's Uh, that's probably the tough, tou- well, it's one of the tougher pieces about healthy, what often happens is we think we're getting something 100% whole.

Wheat bread. Um, but really, we're... We are getting 100% whole wheat. But we're also getting a lot of added chemicals in there to break that wheat. Make it finer and make that texture similar to what we're used to.

Um, they could also be using other things like cornstarch and, You know, all the gums, xanthan gum, all the other gums and things in there. Uh, keep different things together, especially when it comes to gluten-free. Uh, bread. So, yeah, the... I don't want to say they're 100% lying, but there's definitely extra stuff in there.

They're, that obviously they have to list and put on the. The ingredient list. But, um, think about your nutrition. Uh, labels, read through them, look at the ingredient list. Look at what's actually in there, and you would probably be surprised.

Other chemicals and things that are being tossed in here in order to, Um, give us what they think they're giving us. Um, great! Um, let's see. Can dates fully replace sugar in baking? Fiona, that's a great question.

Um, dates are a fabulous substitute because they add a lot of sweetness. I wouldn't say I'd sub it out 100%. You know, Like with our applesauce, for instance, in our sugar. We're looking at a sugar. Yeah.

Um, you know, Eh, with the sugar swap, you want something that also has moisture. And dates are pretty darn thick. You know, they don't have much moisture. Because it's a dried fruit, it doesn't have quite the same texture and moisture things that some of these other options have. I would say dates and honey together would be amazing.

So, if you want to use a date as a substitute for sugar, I would mix it with honey. So, if you needed to do a cup of sugar, I would do maybe a third cup of honey and a third cup of dates together. And mix those so that you end up with something that's a, A closer consistency to what sugar would be in the end. And remember, sugar is a liquid. I know a lot of people say, Oh, well, it's dry.

It's, you know, it's considered dry. Ingredient." It's not. It's actually a liquid ingredient because it dissolves extremely quickly in water or any other type of moisture product. Like bananas, applesauce, and all the other things. Um, so it definitely turns into a liquid when it's mixed with other wet ingredients.

Um, so you have to think about what your substitution would be. So, things like dates or prunes even would be a great substitute. Um, those two items do have a heavier flavor profile, so if you're looking for sugar, the date would actually be a really great substitution. Again, I would mix it with the honey just to make sure the moisture is right. Um, but a date has that molasses-type flavor to it.

So that's a wonderful substitution for the brown sugar. Um, I didn't really think about putting brown sugar on our little. Uh, cheat sheet here. I just thought about regular sugar That's so often... You know, I know we, we do, Of course, I have a lot of brown sugar in a lot of our baking recipes.

But, um, yeah, the dates, that's a good one for brown sugar. It has a very similar flavor to molasses, so, um, great question for that. Um, all right, so let's talk a little bit about the sugar substitutes. Because, uh, Justina and Ja- um, yeah, Justina and somebody. Else is, is...

Uh, there are a couple of people in there asking About, um, different substitutes like Stevia and Monk Fruit. You can absolutely use those. And today, uh, We have a multitude of substitutions for sugar. That are not actually sugar. Um, they are either natural Sweeteners, like Stevia, is a leaf.

It's a plant. And the way that it's processed down, they turn it into this amazing, You know, sweet flavor, with little to no calories at all. So, uh, you can definitely substitute some of those out. I'll give you my personal take, and I'll give you, sort of, the Like, nutritional take, right? Um, I'll give you the nutritional take first.

Nutritional take first is, If you are just eliminating sugar, and that's your goal, is just to eliminate sugar, which also then eliminates calories. Right? Or you're a diabetic and you just wanna Decrease your sugar amount in general. Your body responds differently to Stevia and some of the other, the monk fruit, some of the other, Uh, faux sugars, like totally fake sugars as well. That's a whole other story.

But, um, things like stevia and monk fruit, Those are all, like, highly, highly sweet agents, so you don't need nearly as much. It... So, on the market now, they have tons of products where you can just buy a bag of monk fruit sugar. For instance, they are usually all one-for-one. Substitutions and work extremely well in recipes that you're simply trying to get rid of the sugar out of that.

They provide a natural sweetness because They're natural ingredients; they're leaves, they're plants. Um, those types of things. Um, they provide a natural sweetness, which is really nice. I personally find them to be overly sweet. Uh, in comparison to a regular sugar, but how your body processes it is key.

Because eliminating that true sugar, your body doesn't view it as sugar. It doesn't store it, you know, in... If it's in excess. It doesn't get stored in fat. So, yes, there are benefits to utilizing, Uh, monk fruit and other types of natural sugars.

Just be careful that what you're getting is actually what it's saying. And it isn't just a bunch of chemicals, like aspartame and other products. That have been developed. Those are basically chemicals, So you, you want to make sure that you're getting something real. I'll give you my personal take on it now.

So, this This is not based on, like, health or science or any of the things. This is just me. I don't like using any fake sugars. The aspartames, the sweetener, Sweet'N Lows, those types of things. Um, because they're chemical.

Um, I don't mind using the monk fruits and Those types of natural sweeteners. I just find them to be overly sweetened. Flavor-wise, what comes out seems way too sweet for me. Like, I, uh... It's just, I don't know.

It's a personal thing. Um, so I prefer to use other types of sweeteners, like applesauce and those types of things. Because I don't find them to be nearly as sweet in flavor. Uh, it's just my personal preference. But, uh, Absolutely, use them if you see fit, especially if we're concerned about sugar.

Like grams of sugar, how many grams of sugar you're intaking. Because that's, uh, the best way to get rid of that. Um, ah, let's see. Oh, my goodness, you guys have such great Questions! I love this.

This is so great. Uh, while we're still on sugar, Let's, uh, let's chat about that. Then, Jen, I'll come back to your, Uh, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. Uh, when adding, Um, dried dates, and reconstitute or grind them, mix them with honey. Yeah, uh, you need to grind up your dates, your prunes.

Um, any apricots, for instance. Those are all... Those are basically fruits that have been dried. Uh, so, Like, an apricot is an actual moisture-packed, you know. Fruit that we could be eating, and you could certainly grind that up.

And you wouldn't have to reconstitute that. Same thing with, If you use a plum versus a prune, I can't remember what a date is. I feel like maybe the date is just, it is what it is. But, um, but it's very firm, and it does need to be reconstituted. Uh, so you can either reconstitute it with some hot water.

Um, that works great, especially for things like apricots and prunes. I would grind them in a food processor, make them into a paste. Add a little bit of hot water, and it comes right back. Um, and it has a lot of texture. Um, you could also grind them and mix them with A little bit of honey, and I think that would work just as well.

As good. You don't necessarily need the water, 'Cause the honey's providing a little bit of that liquid. Um, so, great question. Um, date syrup is a good one. Uh, date syrup/molasses.

Just be careful with molasses because It tends to be heavily processed. It's not as healthy as honey. But it's still a great option. Let's see. I'm gonna come back to, uh, Jen, with the pumpkin and the sweet potatoes.

Um, "Can they be used beyond muffins?" Yeah, you can use them in cakes. I use pumpkin puree in cakes. I use it in cheesecakes. Um, I use it in a lot of things. So, absolutely.

Feel free to add those to other types of Uh, baked goods as well. Let's see. I don't know much about the date sugar they're marketing. I think they're marketing it really, uh, as, you know. It's a natural fruit, right?

Um, it's very much like monk fruit sugar. So, uh, I don't know much about it. I can't speak to it. I haven't used it. I don't know a lot about it.

But, um, if I had to guess, it's gonna be pretty similar to, like a monk fruit, a sweetener as well, since they're both coming from a Fruit. Hi, Donna, from Michigan. Um, Teresa is saying, "If I wanna bump up protein, I will. Add a little pea protein powder to your flour. Great suggestion.

Um, I actually add protein powder to a lot of my baked goods. Um, I have a chocolate chip banana nut muffin that I make. I sub out some of my flour and put a protein powder in there. There are lots of protein powders on the market. So if you're looking to add protein, I know that that's...

That's not really, you know, so much a part of, um, uh. What ingredients we're talking about today. Obviously, protein is really important. It's Probably one of the most important things that we need in our lives. But, um, that's a great way.

You can actually add protein powder to Any baked good. It doesn't matter what it is. Um, it could be a pie crust, a muffin, a cake, or a cookie. There are multiple ways to add protein into. Any of your baked goods.

Obviously, using nuts, Um, just tossing nuts into a muffin adds protein value. So if we're just talking pure ingredient and pure, you know, Protein, um, I... You can add those things in. Typically, without having to take anything back out. Like adding a nut, you might actually have to add a little more moisture.

Add a nut, 'cause they kinda tend to suck the moisture out of things. As they're cooking in your products. But, uh, But yeah, adding in a handful of nuts to anything is gonna add protein value. So, if you're talking just pure nutrient, absolutely, toss those items in. Um, protein powders are a little trickier because you do kind of have to think about you're adding it into.

Um, it definitely, uh, Can sub out for a little bit of your flour, but I wouldn't do a whole lot. You know, it's not the same texture. It doesn't provide the same, Uh, characteristics that flour does in our ingredients. So, I do recommend you be a little careful with adding the protein powder. Just because you're gonna have to either add a little bit of moisture.

Decrease a little bit of your flour. There's a little more of a process of playing, rather than just being a one-for-one substitution. So, think about that. Let's move on to our last ingredient. Make sure we can just get this one in before we run out of time.

But let's talk about substituting for eggs. So, eggs are a tricky one. In that eggs are a binding agent. They actually add a lot of nutrients. Value as well.

Eggs have lots of protein. Um, eggs serve a great purpose in our baked goods. So, people who are trying to get rid of eggs in their, um, baked goods, they're typically getting rid of it because it's an an allergen, rather than like, "I don't wanna eat eggs." Um, Because eggs are actually very healthy, and they provide a ton of nutrient value. But if you're doing it more for an allergen purpose, um, Then subbing out some yogurt. And again, I'm giving you a half, a quarter cup of yogurt per egg.

Um, so these are just substitutions directly. A quarter cup of applesauce cup of mashed banana. And these are really all three of these Ingredients are really substituting the moisture content that an egg provides to a recipe, and a tiny bit on the binding. But it's not going to do a ton. In the sense of nutrient value.

So, if you are subbing things out because you want better nutrients and more protein content and less sugar, don't sub out your eggs. Your eggs are actually very beneficial and really helpful in a lot of baked goods. Um, this is really more if it's an allergen issue, you just can't tolerate eggs. Um, you, you can't have that. Um, fat content is another thing that eggs provide.

So, if you're subbing out for oils, Don't sub out your eggs as well. So, don't mix these two together. So, oil and eggs should not be substituted in a single recipe. Uh, don't swap both of those out, 'cause you'll be... You will not recognize...

Whatever baked good you are making, You will not recognize it when it comes out of the oven. Um, it will not be the same. So, let's think about that. Um, you can absolutely substitute a couple of these at a time. Without sacrificing the overall quality of your baked good.

Though. So, let's talk about that. What would I swap together, and what wouldn't I swap? So if I wanted to swap both for sugar and for oil and butter, I absolutely could do both of those. But don't pick the same ingredient.

So, for instance, if I'm gonna swap for honey, or sorry, Swap for sugar and swap for butter, I'm not gonna pick applesauce for both of them. I might do, um, honey for my sugar, and a banana, or honey and applesauce. It kind of depends on the product. If I'm making a muffin, And I want them to be super moist and delicious, I would probably go Honey and banana. The banana has a little bit more, Like, substance to it.

It holds on in its ingredient. It thickens it just a touch, too. It has moisture. But it's not as, like, ooey-gooey and drippy as an applesauce. For instance, it can be, if you mash up that banana until it's liquid, and there's like, no banana, no banana left.

It's just moisture. You can absolutely do that. Um, when I say mashed banana, it's mashed. Like, you don't wanna, Like, beat this banana until it's pure liquid. Um, that's kinda defeating the Keeping that, uh, texture and content together.

So think about that a little Mashing bananas. So, um, the mashed bananas that are on our sheet, this is exactly where you want to be. You still want to have chunks of banana. You don't want to over-mash it. If you over-mash it, it's pure liquid.

It will still add sugar, If you want to beat the snot out of that banana, let out a little stress. Go for it and put it, put it in for your sugar, because it's gonna turn to liquid. Um, but if you're looking at it from a binding perspective, like what eggs do, Um, or even something like butter, where it, you know, Kinda holds stuff together, um, th- uh, definitely don't, Don't smash that banana. Um, there are better ways to get out your aggression and stress. So, think about that as well.

And then, uh, let's see. What else would I do together? Um, I almost never substitute out for eggs. Personally. I, it's a nutrient thing for me rather than, an egg allergy.

I know some people feel like they've got It's got too much fat in it, but they're good fats, so it's not bad. Um, and then, uh, for flour, flour's a tricky one. Let's talk briefly about flour and its gluten. Tendencies here. Um, when you're swapping out for flour, I tend not to swap out anything else.

I'm just swapping the flour. Um, and that's because a flour provides, you know, that texture. It's, it's like a web. Um, it's really, uh... It binds together, it holds things together, and if you are swapping for oil and flour.

God forbid you're doing eggs, too, um, again. You're just not going to recognize your product in the end. It's just a totally different thing, and we should probably not call it a cookie. We should call it something else. Um, you know, it just doesn't.

Uh, it doesn't hold up to swaps well when you're swapping other ingredients. So think about that when you're looking at your own recipes and which recipes you want to swap out. So, uh, think about what ingredient might be good Swap. You know, swapping, um, a wheat flour For instance, if you're a Premium member and you plan on sticking around for our next Talk, I'll actually be making a banana cake with three swaps. Um, and it's, it's fantastic.

It's a fantastic recipe. It's a wonderful flavor. It's got great texture. Um, and I actually swap for sugar, oil, and flour. Didn't think it would work, but it did, and it's great.

I use just a little bit of the wheat flour in it. And it has this wonderful nuttiness to this cake. It's great. Um, but traditionally with cake, I wouldn't Swap out flour. Cakes are built on being light and fluffy.

So, unless you're looking for a very dense, like, pound cake, For instance, you could probably get away with, uh, swapping and getting, Um, some wheat flour in there, um, because you're used to that. Like, firmer texture. Great. But if you're looking for something light And fluffy and airy? Don't sub out your flours.

You're just not gonna get there. Um, you're going to end up with something totally different, and, Um, if you're swapping out, uh, like an almond flour for, Uh, for regular flour in a light cake, you're gonna end up with something very textural. It's just not the same, right? So, think about the different ways you can Adjust your recipes. If you are wanting a really light cake, but you just don't want it to be as sweet, or you don't want it to have as many calories.

Then, swapping out your sugar and butter is the best option there. Um, you know, if you're trying to create a cookie, and this cookie is normally light and airy. Then again, you're not gonna wanna sub out... Like butter, for instance, helps create that light, fluffy texture. Airy texture when we combine it with sugars and butters together.

You're not going to get that. So, you've got to figure out a different way to either lower a count, like lower a nutrient, like, uh, the amount of sugar or the amount of fat in it. Or think about adding nutritional value. So maybe you take a muffin or a cookie, And you add protein to it by utilizing a nut flour. So, again, it's really about thinking about what it is that you're trying to accomplish in the end, and then thinking about what type of baked good you're making You can change that.

Pie crust, phenomenal with nut flour. They work well. They taste fantastic. Um, so I almost always make, Uh, my pie crust with some sort of nut flour substitution. Um, and again, it's just bringing up the nutrient value of that particular product.

Um, so you don't necessarily have to cut out baked goods altogether. Um, if you're trying to decrease calories, for instance. They... Bake: Traditional baked goods add very little. If any, nutritional value to our health and our bodies.

Um, so if that's your goal, you don't want to eat something that, You know, doesn't have nutritional value, then just cut out baked goods. And that sounds terrible, but you get used to it, I promise. But if you're wanting to just boost the nutritional value so that when you're eating Something that still tastes delicious, looks delicious. You want to bite into that. But you don't want to feel that guilty, add some protein to it.

Add... You know, make sure you're decreasing your sugar a little bit, so maybe it's not quite as sweet, but it still has the And it still tastes delicious. So, you know, You gotta think about what your end goal is, and then what product you're doing. And what you want to accomplish, and then make those substitutions. So, I wish that I could give you an end-all, be-all.

"This is how you should do it," but it really is a trial-and-error process. And I encourage you to play with your recipes. That's the only reason I have a This banana cake recipe is because I was seeking out a banana cake that had flavor. That had texture, and I wanted it to be a little healthier. I didn't want it to be quite as sweet, and I wanted it to have more nutrition.

Value. So, you know, you gotta figure out what it is that you want to do, and then, um, take those appropriate steps. So hopefully, you guys can do that. Let me see if there are any other questions. That we really want to address, and then we're going to have to head out.

Um, flaxseed and water is great for egg whites. You're correct. Um, I personally don't like flaxseed. I don't like the way it feels. So, um, but maybe if I boiled them, it'd be better.

Um, Kathy, you're welcome. Um, you're gluten-free and wanna experiment on sugar substitutes. It will be trial and error for sure. And, um, correct, just because you're gluten-free doesn't mean you should eat all the sugar. Um, I'm glad you like, uh, cookies as well.

That's fantastic! Um, well, wonderful. I am so glad that all of you were able to join. Us. If you didn't already, please make sure You download your recipes, or not your recipes, your ingredient substitutions.

Recipes. If you're one of our premium members, stick around because I'm gonna be Sharing my favorite banana cake recipe that's not only tasty and delicious, but also healthy. For you.