I love to bake, but for about half the year it just isn't practical to turn on the oven because it is so hot.  Luckily, the seasons have changed and it is now time to get out those oven mitts and muffin pans.

Over the years, I have tried to balance my love of baking with my nutritional knowledge.  I know that homemade is better than those box mixes with all the preservatives.  I know that white flour is bad for you, saturated fat is second only to hydrogenated fat in terms of the damage to your heart, and sugar should be avoided as much as possible.  Well, there goes the brownies and pumpkin cranberry muffins I was going to bake-- or does it?

With a few easy substitutions, a sinful dessert becomes... well, a less sinful treat that still tastes excellent, which is the point of baking a treat in the first place after all.

Lower the Fat

• Replace eggs [1] with powdered egg substitute, soy yogurt, soy flour, or ground flaxseed and water.
• Replace buttermilk with an equal amount of soymilk and 1 tsp cider vinegar
• Replace 1/2 cup oil with 1/3 cup applesauce in non-chocolate recipes, except for 2 tsp oil
  

Increase the Fiber

• Use whole wheat pastry flour instead of white flour for all your baking needs.  I don't notice much of a difference, but if the texture shocks you then try a 1:1 ratio at first of wheat/white, and gradually increase the whole wheat.
• Add a tablespoon or two of ground flaxmeal

Lower the Sugar

• I regularly half the sugar* required in any recipe, and sometimes add only 1/3 of the required amount
• Use fruit to sweeten a recipe instead
  a) fresh, chopped fruit
  b) dried fruit
  c) frozen fruit cooked over low heat in a saucepan until it makes a sauce

*Note: I'm not one of those people who believe that something laden with maple syrup and agave nectar is "sugar-free," so this applies to all sweeteners in a recipe, except for stevia.

Here’s to happy, healthy baking in the coming months.  I love autumn!