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I love to bake and create healthy desserts. It is the best way to regulate the amount of sugar and avoid any processed ingredients. So I wanted to share some healthy baking essentials used in most healthy, natural desserts or replacement ingredients in other recipes. By keeping a few of these on hand, you can quickly whip something up to satisfy a sweet tooth.
Natural Sweeteners:
- Dates – Blend with with 1/4 cup boiling water. This natural fruit sweetener has great health benefits and maintain its fiber. Best to used in brownies and darker baked goods.
- Stevia – Natural sweetener from a plant. Because it’s sweeter than sugar, replace with 2 tbsp of powder stevia or 1 tsp of liquid stevia.
- Coconut/Natural Cane Sugar – Keeping sugar in a most natural state is best as it maintains more nutrients. Replace with refine sugar one to one.
- Mable Syrup/Honey – Used in a lot of healthy recipes, although should be pointed out this sweetener a bit higher in glycemic index . Substitute with 1/2 cup.
- Apple Sauce – A great alternative like dates, can be substitute one to one. However as it is a liquid, for every cup of apple sauce used reduce the liquids in the recipe.
Flour Alternatives:
- Coconut Flour – A gluten free option, which maintains its fiber, is very absorbent. Therefore replace with one cup of flour, with 1/3 cup of coconut flour with an added egg and reduce heat.
- Wheat Flour – Not as processed as all-purpose (white) flour and it maintains some fiber. This flour substitute 1:1, but it may need a bit more liquid as it can become more dense.
- Almond Flour – Used in moderation, as it is high in fats (and calories). Almond flour can be substitute 1:1 with white flour, but typically requires more egg or binding agent.
- Buckwheat/Oat flour: Similar to wheat flour, substitute 1:1 with additional liquid.
Natural Fats that do not need to be substituted:
- Butter
- Coconut Oil
- Avocados
- Other fats that used in healthy ingredients are apple sauce, prunes, yogurts, and pumpkin puree.
Binding agents to keep on hand when baking with natural ingredients:
- Guar Gum or Xanthan Gum
- Inulin or Psyllium
Natural toppings to mix in or sprinkle on top:
- Flax or Meals – Replacement for rice krispies
- Cocoa Nibs – Replacement for chocolate chips
- Shredded Coconut – Replacement for sprinkles
- Other natural toppings to not be afraid to used are nuts, seeds, and dried fruit.