# need fat and sugar subsitutes in baking that are healthy



## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

any suggestions?

a friend suggested avocado instead of butter or oil. so would you replace one cup butter for one cup avocado?

is one cup of coconut oil equivalent to one cup of butter to use as a replacement?

how could i lower the sugar content in say chocolate chip cookies?

dd is gluten and dairy free and i am trying to come up with fun 'junk' food for her which are not quite so junk.

what sweetens food without adding a tonne fo sugar to it. i heard almond flour has an inherent sweetness where you use less sweetner.

experimenting with gluten free flour i have found they usually need less sugar than what the recipe called for.


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## nstewart (Nov 6, 2010)

You cannot substitute coconut oil for butter, in the sense that you can't just use coconut oil like butter. It really depends on what you are making, so I would suggest looking for recipes online. Some suggestions:

For muffins or quick breads, use some apple sauce to replace some oil (or I've seen recipes that replace all the oil for apple sauce). I usually use half the amount of oil and sub in apple sauce for the other half. I also use coconut oil instead of veggie or canola oil.

For most baked items (except maybe cake...) I usually use 50% whole wheat flour and 50% unbleached instead of all unbleached. (if DD is gluten freen, not sure how good the "whole grain" GF flours would work)

Use coco nibs instead of chocolate chips, or really dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate.

Use fruit to add sweetness (ex. use really, really ripe banana in banana bread, and cut the sugar in half, add pinapple, berries, or raisins or the like to muffins, etc.) for a taste of sweetness.

Substitute agave nectar for sugar (so if a recipe calls for 1 cup brown sugar, you can use 1/2 cup agave nectar and I would then often cut it by even more just because I find recipes often over sweeten things). Agave nectar will work better in some applications (ex. muffins, banana loaf, etc.) than others (such as cookies).

Something I would think of for less "unhealthy" junk food would be "trail mix cookies" using oatmeal cookies as the base, whole flour instead of white, cutting down on the sugar, and adding dried fruit along with some dark chocloate and nuts. These are really yummy!

I've also seen recipes using avocado to make chocolate mousse and also to make brownies.


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## JonesiesGirl (Oct 29, 2012)

Honestly I would try to find new recipes instead of substituting ingredients in SAD recipes. If you are trying to avoid fat then avocado and almond flour are higher fat foods. You obviously won't be cutting fat by substituting coconut oil for butter. I'm not sure how gluten-free-friendly she is but the Happy Herbivore has tons of recipes for healthier treats. I have heard that it's okay to omit half the sugar from a cookie recipe though. HTH!


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## Ragana (Oct 15, 2002)

I don't know much about baking or substitutions, but I have made this recipe with great success. It was devoured, and we are not even gluten-free - it was also eaten and loved by someone who doesn't like dessert!

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2009/06/how-to-make-a-raw-fruit-pie/

I have also tweaked it using different nuts, mangoes, mixing Greek yogurt (you could use a dairy-free equivalent) in with the strawberries, freezing it (it's good partly defrosted), etc.

Another recipe I like is tofu chocolate pudding, if you eat soy:

http://chefinyou.com/2011/03/tofu-chocolate-pudding/

That might make a yummy chocolate pie, as a matter of fact!


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## crayfishgirl (May 26, 2009)

We follow a mostly primal diet, and lovelovelove these cookies. DH usually makes them with my daughter and reduces the maple syrup (maybe to 1/3 of a cup?) and uses dark chocolate chips. I'm sure you could replace the chips with nuts, raisins, or something else that works for you and your daughter. Note that they always turn out better when using an insulated cookie sheet, and I think you have to watch the baking time pretty carefully because almond flour is less forgiving than wheat flour (i.e. burns instead of making a crispier cookie).

http://beta.primal-palate.com/recipe/chocolate-chip-cookies/

ETA: primal/paleo websites might have some good offerings in terms of GF baking treats that are relatively low sugar. We really like the one I linked, and this one: http://paleomg.com/category/treats/


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JonesiesGirl*
> 
> Honestly I would try to find new recipes instead of substituting ingredients in SAD recipes. If you are trying to avoid fat then avocado and almond flour are higher fat foods. You obviously won't be cutting fat by substituting coconut oil for butter. I'm not sure how gluten-free-friendly she is but the Happy Herbivore has tons of recipes for healthier treats. I have heard that it's okay to omit half the sugar from a cookie recipe though. HTH!


yes you are so right about the fat. replacing is not making it healthier. but alas in this day i need to let dd eat some junk. it takes eating to a whole new level and she already misses out on so much.

so i try to reduce as much as possible, even knowing nuts, avocado ARE all high fat items. so since i dont use fats mostly in my diet, i think i can make some 'junk' for dd. we have already worked on just doing without instead of trying to replace foods. like our breakfast foods philosophy has changed totally - but dd seems much happier to eat noddle soup rather than bread and butter.

CRAYFISHGIRL - thanks for the tip. i have found parchment paper on insulated cookie sheet also helps a lot as well as putting them in the fridge for half hour before cooking the cookies.

off to read all the links.


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## nstewart (Nov 6, 2010)

I would also just add that "low fat" is not necessarily healthier. Often recipes with no or little fat replace the fat with sugar for flavor. This is even more true in processed foods. It depends on your goal. If your goal is "healthy", that is one thing. If it is "low fat" that is another. If it is "healthy" then fat, in moderation, is ok if it is healthy fats (such as avocado, coconut oil or milk, cold pressed canola, etc.) and not transfats or other unhealthy fats.

This is not a baked good, but my DS loves popsicles. I will make a fruit smoothie, with spinich, and then freeze it in popcicle molds. One recent one that makes really yummy "creamcicles" is a mix of mango, pinapple, bananna and spinich (about 50% fruit, 50% spinich packed, but not tight) with coconut milk and water to thin it out. Blend until smooth and freeze in a popsicle mold for a very yummy treat.


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

you are right nstewart. low fat is not healthy either. we are not trying to do low fats. our philosophy is change the foods completely - dont substitute. i'd rather go for avocado fat rather than coconut oil fat. choose as close to the real thing instead of processed.

we dont do any processed foods except oils and sugar. but dd is 10. she is struggling in the real world. she would like to eat some junk with her friends. foods that her friends would like too. and since we already eat so super healthy i have no objections to some fat and sugar.

i cant afford the already made stuff that is on the market. i cant get her a chocolate bunny as it costs 10 bucks. if she is happy with cookies i'd rather do that. she will not have chocolate eggs in her easter eggs this year (the ones i found were chocolate coated raisins and seh hates raisins).

oooh yeah. we've been making creamsicles too. with coconut milk. dd loves them and so do i.


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## SundayCrepes (Feb 15, 2008)

My daughter can't eat gluten, dairy, or cane sugar. We are vegetarians. Trying to shop without cane sugar is the hardest part of this diet. Other than that I LOVE it.

I primarily use honey for sweetening. I avoid agave syrup like the plague (I believe it is just a highly processed sweetener.) On occasion I use coconut sugar--it has a yummy caramel taste.

Your first stop for recipes should be www.elanaspantry.com So many good recipes. Tonight we made orange cake. Sigh. I won't admit to how many chocolate chip cookies I ate the other day. Then there's her chocolate mousse. And her chocolate pie must be made the day before or it is just TOOOOOO intense. And I could go on.

The main oils I use are macadamia oil (for baked goods) and avocado oil for all other cooking. Rarely will I use coconut oil since it has a lower smoking point AND it gives food a coconut flavor. Sometimes that's good, but sometimes it's not. Here's a great resource on oils: http://theconsciouslife.com/omega-3-6-9-ratio-cooking-oils.htm

I buy unrefined coconut oil at Trader Joe's. These are the other oils I buy:

http://www.amazon.com/Massimo-Gusto-Virgin-Avocado-Bottles/dp/B00551COSU/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364366266&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=massama+gusto

http://www.amazon.com/Now-Foods-Organic-Macadamia-16-Ounce/dp/B0014M1VR4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364366310&sr=8-1&keywords=now+macadamia+oil

I'm just starting to explore http://realsustenance.com/ I was so excited to find her almond flour pizza crust recipe and have made it tons of times. (I just tried the one with cauliflower the other day and may stick with that one just to get more cauliflower into my son.) And she even has a rollable double layer pie crust that is fantastic.

Here's a recipe for raw macaroons someone just gave me. I adjusted to our needs. Most folks like the chocolate best, but our daughter likes both the plain and the chocolate:

RAW MACAROONS

2 1/2 c. dried, shredded coconut

3/4 c. coconut oil, melted

2 T. raw honey

1/8 t. sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until well combined.

Form into small mounds and place in freezer for 30 minutes before serving.

Store in fridge.

For Chocolate Macaroons add ½ cup cocoa powder and increase honey to ¼ cup. (Note, that's TO 1/4 cup total, not by 1/4 cup.)

It sounds like our diets need to be quite similar. I have conquered this diet and love it. Let me know if I can give you any other ideas.

Also, I have gone to a fair number of parties where kids with food sensitivities are present. I remember one where there were 3 or 4 kids who could not eat the SAD birthday cake. Each mother had stopped at Whole Foods and gotten their kid a clamshell with a single piece of something in it that they were supposed to eat when the other 20 plus kids shared the communal cake. I had brought homemade mini-cupcakes that my daughter could eat and I brought plenty to share. (I left a couple home for my husband.) Every single one of those special diet kids ignored their clamshells and ate the stuff I brought (since it was compatible with their diets.) They actually got to eat something that was made for general consumption. I learned at that party how important that is. So, even though I was already doing it, I always make sure that I have ample stuff to share at every party we go to. That way my daughter is eating the same stuff as everyone else. Of course, it all tastes good enough that everyone else WANTS to eat it. Often choosing it over the SAD cake. (I was really surprised when the chocolate brownies made out of black beans was one of the first things to go when my daughter was the only special foods person at the party.)

BTW, I have made cake pops with sprinkles. (Sprinkles without cane sugar are my greatest accomplishment. I crushed her pink vitamin D tablets that are sweet and sprinkled it on a cake pop I made her special. The birthday mom gave me a stick and ribbon to match everyone else's. I also made "Eeggees" which is a local icee. I froze fruit juice into ice cubes. I took my vitamix to the party and made her icee on the spot. I put it in an Eeggees cup, gave her an Eeggees spoon and she had the same as everyone else. I made those at many pool parties last summer and all the kids loved them. Even when served in regular cups.)

You will figure this out, it just takes time.


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## katelove (Apr 28, 2009)

My mum automatically halves the sugar in all her recipes and they're fine. She also uses wholemeal flour for everything. It does change the texture a bit but otherwise works well. You can work up to it by doing half white, half wholemeal if you prefer.

one of my recent discoveries is coconut balls. Only I usually set it in a slice tray and cut into squares as I can't be bothered with balls.

1 cup almond meal

1 cup medjool dates (ordinary dried dates are fine too)

1/2 cup coconut oil (as long as you use virgin oil it is good for you. It is the heat treating which destroys the medium chain fatty acids)

2 tbspns cocoa powder (not sweetened drinking chocolate)

Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined and dates are finely chopped. Roll into balls or spread in tray. Refrigerate until set.

We live in a hot climate so our coconut oil is liquid in the pantry. If you are colder you may need to melt the oil first.

this recipe has the mouth feel of chocolate and a chocolatey taste but the only sugar is from the dates and the fat is all from nuts.


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

much food for thought here. thank you for all those helpful links SundayCrepes

i keep thinking where is the smoking point of oil going to end. what are we doing to other countries as we eat so much coconut oil. i think most of our coconut oil comes from the phillipines. what is happening there? do they have access to CO or has it been priced out of the common man's table just so we can have it. of course all this is beside the point - as this is more about dd and i have no right putting my stuff on her.

your cupcakes sound delicious. how cool that others could share. the same happens when i make stuff for dd. i know it feeds those others who cant eat most of what is there.

yes you are right. i just have to be better organized. dd LOOOOOOOOVES icecream and the last get together i hadnt factored in icecream for dd. and she was so sad everyone was eating but not her.

the only thing that stops me from having the perfect diet - of course is $$$s

sundaycrepes i suffer in the desserts field. i have mastered the other areas of food/cooking and dd and i are on the same page with that. for myself i have been able to totally replace desserts the way i think is the right way of eating. but my poor child has not. thus my looking for help.

oooh yes. one more thing. any good bread recipes? dd doesnt care much for what is out there.

how about butter replacement that does not contain palm oil? i think i will have to make this myself too.


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## JonesiesGirl (Oct 29, 2012)

The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book has a lot of great bread recipes. There are many that I would not class as healthy but they are all wholegrain.


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## ollyoxenfree (Jun 11, 2009)

To answer the original question, fruit purees like mashed banana or applesauce are useful to cut the amount of oil and sugar and dairy, while maintaining moisture and flavour in baked recipes.

Since she likes ice cream, does she also like pudding-type desserts? Chia seed puddings are dairy-free (if you use coconut or almond or rice milk), creamy and easy to make and you don't need much sweetener if you use essential flavours like vanilla and almond.


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## nstewart (Nov 6, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *meemee*
> 
> i keep thinking where is the smoking point of oil going to end. what are we doing to other countries as we eat so much coconut oil. i think most of our coconut oil comes from the phillipines. what is happening there? do they have access to CO or has it been priced out of the common man's table just so we can have it. of course all this is beside the point - as this is more about dd and i have no right putting my stuff on her.


Not for this thread, but other issues with healthy "superfoods" exist too. For example, the environmental impact. Quinoa is a case in point.

Quote:



> Originally Posted by *ollyoxenfree*
> 
> To answer the original question, fruit purees like mashed banana or applesauce are useful to cut the amount of oil and sugar and dairy, while maintaining moisture and flavour in baked recipes.
> 
> Since she likes ice cream, does she also like pudding-type desserts? Chia seed puddings are dairy-free (if you use coconut or almond or rice milk), creamy and easy to make and you don't need much sweetener if you use essential flavours like vanilla and almond.


 Another one is rice pudding, which can be made with coconut milk, brown rice, and raisins and honey as a sweetener.

This thread is making me hungry!


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

unfortunately she is not a pudding gal. but i might try it just to be different. have to go look for a chia seeds pudding.

oh yeah. rice pudding.

however...

i am trying to stay away from rice as much as i can. that is dd's grain of choice and she eats a lot of rice. just rice with either japanese rice spices or just rolled in seaweed is her favorite.


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## pek64 (Apr 8, 2012)

When substituting, keep taste in mind. Altering a recipe you know and love may be disappointing, since it will taste different with the substitutions.

Butter contains some water, and is a saturated fat. Coconut oil is also saturated. If you are looking for unsaturated fat, olive oil is a good one, as it is a monounsaturated fat.

Milk substitutes for baking include nut milks, rice milk, and oat milk. Nut milks tend to bring a nutty flavor. That may work well, or be unwanted. Rice milk tends to bring a sweetness, but there's the arsenic concern and rice releases moisture in baking. If it is paired with something hydroscopic, like fruit (banana, apple, grape, pear, coconut) or honey, rice milk works well. Oat milk also brings a bit of sweetness, but there is the gluten issue.

Rice flour releases moisture in baking, so be sure to pair it with something that holds moisture, or you will have a an inedible block.

Oat flour works well in baking, but there is the gluten issue.

For anyone reading who does not have gluten issues, whole wheat pastry flour works well in baked goods.

Whole grain flours add nutrients and I find them tasty.

Nut flours taste nutty, in my experience. Also, too much nut at once for my system doesn't work well.

Sweetener substitutions can be tricky. First, I have cut sugar to 1/4 of what the recipe called for without anyone noticing!

Honey carries it's own flavor. Clover honey usually works well, since it's a mild flavor. It seems really sweet to me, and replaces some of the other liquid in the recipe, so I recommend using it sparingly.

Maple syrup has a strong flavor, so use it where it will complement the other ingredients. As with any other liquid sweetener, reduce the wet other liquid.

I have used brown rice syrup, and liked the result. There is the arsenic concern, however. Again, reduce other liquid. It has a mild flavor, but MUST be paired with something that retains moisture.

Agave, and stevia I have no experience with. I have seen date sugar in my natural food store, but not tried it. I have also heard that raisins can be soaked, and the liquid used as a sweetener. I've not tried it. I would imagine that that darker raisins would carry a stronger flavor than golden, however.

Eggs can be replaced with 1 t flax seed added to 1 T boiling water, per egg. I know you didn't ask, but since I listing substitutions, I thought I'd add it. Bananas also work to substitute for eggs. Eggs also help with rising, however, so removing them means you need another leavening agent, such as baking powder or yeast.

Some baking powders contain aluminum, or used to, so be aware, if you're going for healthy baked goods.

Expect some mistakes when altering recipes. You will get the hang of it.

I once made spice "cookies" for Christmas that were only useful as decoration, as I hadn't paired the rice ingredients with anything that retained water.


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## pek64 (Apr 8, 2012)

One idea is to start a thread for one recipe, and see how we all alter it. Then you would have recipes to try, and would get a feel for what each person is recommending and why. That may help you feel more confident about substitutions.


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

thank you so much pek. about flours right now that is exactly what i am doing. reading up on qualities of the different flour. i mean i am not the first one doing it. it has been done. i am trying to put pieces and parts together. so i am not reinventing the wheel. but to understand exactly what happens with the flour and how they behave.

i have found a good way to figure out is by making pancakes. gives me an idea of texture and taste in a simple way rather than go the whole baking route.

thank you for the egg suggestion. yes i needed that as dd while not a full vegan is going down that path and doesnt want to eat hidden non vegan things. if she wants an egg she wants to eat it. she is struggling philosophically vs. taste.

eggs, icecream and sushi are her vices.

she has been able to give up meat easily.

however she does follow my philosophy (at the cost of stomach ache) - wont refuse for manners or insult situation. she does not have to, but she chooses to.


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## newmamalizzy (Jul 23, 2010)

Apologies for not answering your original question, but I had to add my favorite GF/DF recipe to your list:

http://www.healthhomehappy.com/2011/07/grain-free-scones.html


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## SundayCrepes (Feb 15, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *meemee*
> 
> sundaycrepes i suffer in the desserts field. i have mastered the other areas of food/cooking and dd and i are on the same page with that. for myself i have been able to totally replace desserts the way i think is the right way of eating. but my poor child has not. thus my looking for help.
> 
> ...


What kind of desserts does she want? If www.elanaspantry.com doesn't have it let us know and we'll see if we can help you figure it out.

Bread. Hmmm...I'm not much of a bread eater so I haven't had to worry about that. A friend likes Rudi's gluten free bread. His kids have celiacs and he doesn't. He says it's good enough for him to eat without having to buy a wheat-based bread for himself. He buys it at Costco in the frozen section. It has cane sugar so my daughter can't eat it. He used to make flour out of Pamela's bread crust mix. I thought it tasted good but the texture was a bit moist for me.http://www.amazon.com/Pamelas-Products-Wheat-Free-Gluten-Free-19-Ounce/dp/B000DZFMEQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364450598&sr=8-2&keywords=pamela%27s+bread+mix

If you're trying to understand the different gf flours you may want to look at these books. They talk about how to use the various flours. I own them but just haven't had time to look through them.

http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Gluten-Free-Baking-Guide-Part/dp/0977611140/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y

http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Gluten-Free-Baking-Guide-Part/dp/1938104013/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y

What types of recipes do you need the butter substitute for? I'm not a big fan of Earth Balance (it has canola oil and soy. Palm fruit oil as well.) I only use it for buttery garlic sauce for pasta. I can make everything else without it. So, maybe we can just come up with recipes that don't need a butter replacement.


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *newmamalizzy*
> 
> Apologies for not answering your original question, but I had to add my favorite GF/DF recipe to your list:
> 
> http://www.healthhomehappy.com/2011/07/grain-free-scones.html










Thank you!!!

SCrepes we have tried all the different kinds of bread. dd is not very happy with them. yes even rudi's. problem is we used to get ours (during wheat days) from a local bakery so its hard to match. i am hoping fresh warm bread might be a good idea.

butter on toast kind.

i want bread to be an occasional treat. bread, butter and fig jam  i found this butter recipe. might skip the soy http://vegangster.org/2011/08/22/futter-for-all-your-faux-butter-needs/ but i like the explanations.

THANKS for the book recommendations. will check them out from the library. hope they have them.


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## pek64 (Apr 8, 2012)

I came up with, but never tried a faux butter recipe close to the one you posted!! Mine added a touch of corn oil for a buttery flavor, and didn't use the nutritional flakes or tumeric. I saw why the tumeric, but didn't see why nutritional flakes were being used. Did I miss it?


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

i wondered that myself pek.

i wonder if it works as an emulsifier. so does Nutri. yeast have some form of emulsifying feature?

that seems to be logical. otherwise i cant see why it has to be there. its too little to add any significant amount of B12


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## LitMama (Sep 22, 2009)

I'm loving all the great ideas here!

I'm GF and avoid refined sugar and anything processed. I bake a lot for my family, who seem to love everything I make even though they are not GF.

On fats and oils... I will sometimes replace half the fat in a recipe with apple sauce or yogurt, if I'm feeling the need to lighten up. But I mostly just bake with healthy fats and oils. I consider grass-fed butter (such as Kerrygold or Organic Pastures) to be a healthy fat, and I also use a lot of coconut oil -- in most recipes, it replaces butter cup for cup pretty well. You can buy both Kerrygold and coconut oil at Trader Joe's and Costco -- other brands of grass-fed butter are available at most natural foods stores.

On sugars, I used to use sucanat or rapadura to replace white cane sugar, but I now use mostly coconut sugar (low glycemic, and unlike agave, it's unrefined -- just evaporated over low heat from natural sap). It replaces white sugar cup for cup in any recipe. The one thing to be aware of is it turns everything dark brown! So it's great for chocolate or spice doughs. Not so great for lemon curd, vanilla pudding, etc.! For lighter colored treats, I use light clover honey. For recipes where the flavor of honey or coconut sugar would be too strong, I will use maple syrup (coconut sugar has a molasses-like taste that I and my family enjoy, kinda like brown sugar). When swapping out sweeteners, just be aware that if you replace a liquid (like honey or maple syrup) with a granular (like coconut sugar), you will need to add a little water to the recipe or it will come out dry. I will add 1/8-1/4 cup to most recipes. And vice versa.

Here's a cool thing you can do with coconut sugar -- make your own low-glycemic, unrefined powdered sugar! You can then use it to make frosting, icings, etc. replacing powdered sugar cup for cup. I do this all the time with great success.

You can also buy unsweetened chocolate, melt it slowly over a double boiler, and then add powdered coconut sugar in until it's sweet enough for your taste. Pour into candy molds or ice cube trays or a baking pan and refrigerate until it hardens -- voila! Low-glycemic chocolate for nibbling or baking with (you can chop it up for "chips").

My daughter loves all of the coconut sugar treats I make, and I notice it does not give her a sugar high and crash the way white sugar does. She brings my treats to school and shares them, and her friends love them, too.

Re: flours, I use whole spelt flour for my DD and DH, but it does have a little gluten in it. For totally GF treats, I use a combo of GF flour blends (Bob's, Arrowhead Mills, Trader Joe's) and other flours such as oat flour, amaranth flour, teff flour, corn flour, etc. If you're lucky, you'll have a good natural foods store nearby that stocks these. Otherwise, you can order them online. Oat flour has a lovely flavor and soft consistency for things like cupcakes or sweet quick breads, but it does have some gluten in it due to cross-contamination. You can buy GF oats and make your own flour in a food processor, coffee grinder, or blender.

As for recipes that use healthy fats and sweeteners, you can find many of them online by adding the keyword "nourishing" or "clean" (or "paleo") to whatever you're looking for. For example, search for "nourishing chocolate chip cookies". "Nourishing" will get you recipes using alternative sweeteners, but often still using butter and dairy (based on the principles of Weston A. Price). "Paleo" will get you recipes that also avoid grains and are sweetened with honey.

Here are some of my favorite healthy baking sites:

The Nourished Kitchen

The Unrefined Kitchen

Pattycake -- amazing not-sweet GF quick breads -- no more Udi's! And delicious cookies

The Nourishing Gourmet -- try her chocolate fudge! My first foray into unrefined treat-making and still a hit in my house

Elana's Pantry -- except I find almond meal and coconut flour to be too heavy for my taste and I'm okay with grains

Chocolate Covered Katie -- I just made her black bean brownies and my daughter has been begging for more! She does use a lot of stevia, which I detest, but usually offers alternatives like maple syrup

La Tartine Gourmande -- great recipes for unique things like tart and pie crusts using interesting whole-grain GF flours -- but she uses white sugar (just swap it out)

Gleeka -- they make cake, frosting and brownie mixes that are GF and use coconut sugar

I also bought the Baby Cakes cookbook and use quite a few of their muffin and quick bread recipes and just tweak them to my liking. They use almost exclusively agave, which I replace with coconut sugar or coconut nectar (liquid). I also have and really like Heidi Swanson's cookbooks -- she does interesting things with alternative sweeteners and flours (for example, she has recipes for chocolate chip cookies with mesquite and teff flours), but they are not GF (just swap out the wheat or spelt flour for GF flour). And I've heard Good to the Grain is very good, too, but don't yet have it.

Have fun!


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## SundayCrepes (Feb 15, 2008)

Great resources Litmama.

OP, what kind of treats does your daughter want?


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## LitMama (Sep 22, 2009)

My apologies, I totally spaced the fact that you said your DD is dairy free! So no butter then.

Coconut oil is a great option (and you don't taste the coconut in most recipes, especially if you get "virgin" or "white" coconut oil, which is made from the heart). You can also use coconut cream (Trader Joe's has it) to make vegan frostings, etc. and coconut butter (by Artisana, or I buy it in bulk at my co-op) to make vegan fudge and fillings for candies, etc.

The Babycakes cookbook is completely dairy free, and I think a lot of Elana's Pantry's recipes are dairy free as well. Friends of mine who are dairy free use Earth Balance to replace butter, and I notice Elana's Pantry uses a lot of vegetable shortening. I don't know what kind of oil is in vegetable shortening, so don't know if it's healthy, but I noticed some at my co-op the other day (by Spectrum) and am curious about it. Think I'll pick some up and try it.

Here's a quick recipe my DD and I made up the other day using some of these ingredients I'm talking about:

Chocolate mint cups

Unsweetened chocolate

Coconut sugar

Coconut butter

Honey

Peppermint extract

Vanilla

Melt some chocolate slowly over a double boiler and add coconut sugar until it tastes right to you

Pour a bit into prepared mini muffin tins (with paper liners) and pop the whole thing into the freezer for a few minutes

Meanwhile, melt some coconut butter (in the microwave works fine) and then stir in a bit of honey, vanilla, and peppermint extract until it's to your liking

Take the mini muffin tin with chocolate out of the freezer, and spoon some of the minty coconut butter mixture on top of the chocolate

Pour some additional chocolate over the top and freeze again (or you can grate hard chocolate over the top, which is pretty) and freeze again for a few minutes

Take out and enjoy!

My DD loved these, and they were quick and easy. We also made a peanut butter cup variation, mixing peanut butter with the coconut butter, and omitting the mint.

And here's a vegan, refined-sugar free cupcake recipe we tried recently that's pretty good.


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

oooooooooh these are GOOOD.

question for you L'mama

in the cupcake recipe - could i use coconut milk instead of soy milk

in the flour mix if i have potato starch AND tapioca starch do i still need to add xantham gum?


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## LitMama (Sep 22, 2009)

Glad you like!

Yes, you could sub coconut milk, or rice milk, or almond milk (I've done all of the above in recipes). You can even add 1 Tablespoon of vinegar to any non-dairy milk to create "buttermilk", which adds a flavor to many quick breads and cakes.

As for xantham gum, I go back and forth on that. The conventional wisdom is to add it to any GF recipe (even if you have starch). But I notice that Pattycake's recipes do NOT call for any xantham gum, and they come out fine. I've made her quinoa-corn bread and her oat bread, both of which have a full cup of starch, and no xantham gum, and they hold together beautifully. I've also made cupcakes with just oat flour, and cakes with just brown rice flour, (no xantham gum) and they came out fine, too. I would just try experimenting!


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## MichelleZB (Nov 1, 2011)

It's hard to screw up muffins. You can use whole wheat flour and oatmeal and bran, chuck in some plain yogurt and some baking powder, and then put in pretty much anything else you'd like. Cut up fruit, whether raw or frozen or dried. Applesauce, mashed banana. Chocolate chips. Coconut shreds. Cinnamon. Ginger. Any kind of nut or seed. Whatever you want. Your daughter can decide what she likes!

Edit: and I forgot to say you can sweeten to taste with sugar, honey, maple syrop, or anything else!


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## SundayCrepes (Feb 15, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MichelleZB*
> 
> It's hard to screw up muffins.


We really like these almond flour muffins. I've made them with almond meal from Trader Joe's and they turn out fine as well. Sometimes I put in blueberries or cut up strawberries. Sometimes we make them plain and eat them with all fruit jelly. http://www.elanaspantry.com/ratio-rally-quick-breads/


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## asherie23 (Apr 2, 2013)

Hi! I use xylitol and stevia in a lot of my desserts- stevia does take some.. Getting used to or tweaking as some day there's an aftertaste, but xylitol is awesome! Used cup for cup with sugar it's a pricier option, but when sourced from birch bark its healthy and yummy (and GMO free!) my best friend has an awesome website www.healingcuisinebyelise.com and all her recipes are gluten free and sugar free.
Her brownies are spec.tac.u.lar. Does use eggs but mostly nut milk and coconut oil.


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## asherie23 (Apr 2, 2013)

Oh, and an awesome healthy easy dessert she told me: 3cups frozen strawberries + 1 avocado. Blend blend blend and sweeten to taste if you wish, I like plain. Yummy sorbet!! (No avocado taste!!!)


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## asherie23 (Apr 2, 2013)

H


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

oooh strawberries and avocado? i've done strawberries and onions. never avocado. sounds delish. once strawberry season is here though there's never any left to make it to the stove top.


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## asherie23 (Apr 2, 2013)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *meemee*
> 
> oooh strawberries and avocado? i've done strawberries and onions. never avocado. sounds delish. once strawberry season is here though there's never any left to make it to the stove top.


No stove no stove! Blender!! You want it cold and frozen- its an icy sorbet straight out of the blender, no refreezing involved!!







you gotta try it!!!!


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *asherie23*
> 
> No stove no stove! Blender!! You want it cold and frozen- its an icy sorbet straight out of the blender, no refreezing involved!!
> 
> ...










i know. i know. but thanks for pointing it out. what i meant is fresh strawberries are so good that it never gets a chance to be cooked ever in anything. we are so lucky. if we drive 10 minutes we are at a strawberry farm in the city selling organic strawberries dirt cheap. even luckier. sometimes we get wild blueberries that they have harvested.


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## Ragana (Oct 15, 2002)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *asherie23*
> 
> Oh, and an awesome healthy easy dessert she told me: 3cups frozen strawberries + 1 avocado. Blend blend blend and sweeten to taste if you wish, I like plain. Yummy sorbet!! (No avocado taste!!!)


You can also do this with 1 pkg. frozen berries, 1/4 c. water and a little sweetener. Blend in a food processor until smooth and sorbet-like. I bet this would be delicious (more like ice cream?) with a little coconut milk added.


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## SundayCrepes (Feb 15, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *asherie23*
> 
> Hi! I use xylitol and stevia in a lot of my desserts- stevia does take some.. Getting used to or tweaking as some day there's an aftertaste, but xylitol is awesome! Used cup for cup with sugar it's a pricier option, but when sourced from birch bark its healthy and yummy (and GMO free!) my best friend has an awesome website www.healingcuisinebyelise.com and all her recipes are gluten free and sugar free.
> Her brownies are spec.tac.u.lar. Does use eggs but mostly nut milk and coconut oil.


Although I let my daughter chew xylitol gum (she has some cavities that the dentist is watching and I want to try and prevent them from getting worse,) I have serious concerns about the safety of xylitol in food. There's a lot of info out there about the use of xylitol to prevent cavities and often it mentions that too much xylitiol causes diarrhea.

http://www.naturalnews.com/022986_xylitol_health_sugar.html


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## LitMama (Sep 22, 2009)

It definitely causes diarrhea for me! Any sugar alcohol (xylitol, maltitol, etc.) does. And stevia makes me really nauseated. So sadly, all of these no-cal / low-cal options are out for me -- and I'm afraid to give them to my DD for the same reason.

But I find that between coconut sugar or syrup (for dark-colored things) and raw honey (for light-colored things), I'm good. Honey is higher on the glycemic index, but at least it's a nutritious whole food with health benefits. I also picked up some granulated *date sugar* at my co-op yesterday and will be experimenting with it (date sugar is low-glycemic as well). Has anyone out there tried *yacon syrup*? Another low-glycemic option. Curious about that.

Thank you for the strawberry-avocado recipe and the recipe website!


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

oh boy. this all gets CRAZY!!!!!!

i have a friend with arthiritis.

so she can do very limited sweetner so xylitol is the one that i have easy access to. she can handle the alcohol. she and dd bake once in a rare while. so with her we have even fewer choices. she goes into too much pain if i dont. and since its once in a while i am ok with xylitol.

OMG!!!! when i have friends over it can be a NIGHTMARE!!! and that's why i love it. coz i have to figure out how to make things taste good and try to keep it as healthy as i can. fresh ground spices i have discovered is the key.


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## asherie23 (Apr 2, 2013)

Quote:


> There's a lot of info out there about the use of xylitol to prevent cavities and often it mentions that too much xylitiol causes diarrhea.
> 
> http://www.naturalnews.com/022986_xylitol_health_sugar.html


Yes xylitol at first gave me an upset stomach (I binged on almond flour/xylitol brownies!) but it takes some getting used to and now I'm fine with it. I think because of its source it isn't as easily absorbed like sugar) I've learned to read labels- If you're watching for GMOs some xylitol is sourced from corn- didn't know that before.


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## pek64 (Apr 8, 2012)

I read last night that nutritional flakes add a buttery/cheesy flavor. So this, I guess, answers my question about why Nutritional flakes were added in the futter recipe.


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## SundayCrepes (Feb 15, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pek64*
> 
> I read last night that nutritional flakes add a buttery/cheesy flavor. So this, I guess, answers my question about why Nutritional flakes were added in the futter recipe.


Not sure if I mentioned this before, but I have read that nutritional yeast is a glutamate.


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## pek64 (Apr 8, 2012)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SundayCrepes*
> 
> Not sure if I mentioned this before, but I have read that nutritional yeast is a glutamate.


Not sure what the point is. Are you saying that's bad?


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## SundayCrepes (Feb 15, 2008)

The most famous glutamate is MSG. Now products are saying that they are MSG free when they are adding various "yeasts" (not baking yeast) that are essentially MSG. So, as much as I LOVE nutritional yeast I avoid it because I do not want to do the glutamate thing.


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## pek64 (Apr 8, 2012)

Thanks for the clarification.


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