Tips for Making Healthier Sweet Goods

Almost everyone has a sweet tooth. Sweet goods such as cookies, tarts, pies, muffins, and cakes are everyone’s favorite. But on the other hand, too many sweets can also be bad for the health. Sweets contain fats and sugar, so every time we consume them, we also increase the amount of calories in our bodies.

Is there any way we can reduce the amount of calories on our favorite dessert? The answer is YES. So if you’re into baking and preparing sweet goodies, here are some useful tips on how you can keep them healthy:

1. Reduce fat. Butter, margarine, oil, and shortening are used for making sweets. These ingredients are also rich in fat and calories! What you can do is to reduce the amount of fatty ingredients in your recipe. For instance, you can cut the use of butter in half. Just look for an alternative part that would complement the flavor. Such alternative ingredients come in the form of applesauce, fruit purees, light cream cheese, low-fat buttermilk, and orange juice, among others.
2. Go whole wheat. When we bake muffins, cookies, brownies, cakes, and other sweets, we usually use white flour. But did you know that white powder is also high on calories? So next time around, try to use whole wheat flour for your recipe. Whole wheat flour is healthier because it contains fiber, phytochemicals, and minerals that aid the body’s process of digestion.
3. Cut the use of sugar. Another culprit in increasing calorie levels is sugar. You can cut the amount of sugar in your recipe so that you can say goodbye to those extra calories. Another option is to replace half of the sugar with an artificial sweetener.
4. Use cocoa instead of unsweetened chocolate. You can reduce calorie levels too by using cocoa as a replacement for chocolate chips and bars for your recipe. Cocoa gives you the full flavor of chocolate minus the extra calories. Not only that, but it is also full of antioxidants that help strengthen the body’s immune system. You get to avoid calories and saturated fat when you use cocoa for your sweets.
5. Make use of non-stick pans. Finally, you can use non-stick pans and canola cooking spray when you make your sweet goodies. This way, your muffins, tarts, and cakes won’t stick, and you’ll need less fat in the batter. You can purchase non-stick baking materials, muffin pans, spring form pans, cookie sheets, and dish pie plates.

You can make sweets healthier. With these tips, you won’t have to worry about getting more calories.