Healthy Alternatives In Your Baked Goods

You can make your favorite organic baked goods with much less sugar and fat, according to the July issue of the Mayo Clinic Health Letter. Reducing sugar by one-third to one-half works in many recipes. To enhance sweetness, increase the amount of vanilla extract, cinnamon or nutmeg. Applesauce, mashed banana or prune puree can replace up to half the butter, shortening or oil in many recipes.Use reduced-fat or fat-free ingredients instead of high-fat products. For example, fat-free, 1% or 2% milk can replace whole milk; evaporated fat-free milk can replace regular evaporated milk. Fat-free plain yogurt or low-fat sour creams can be substituted for sour cream. Light cream cheese or low-fat cottage cheese often substitutes nicely for cream cheese. Organic Authority.