7 Superfoods You Can Swap Into Your Next Dessert
Luckily for, um, all of us, sweet treats aren’t completely off limits for the health-minded. And no, we’re not talking fruit salad.
Brownies, cookies, cakes, puddings — these can all be made a little bit lighter with some sneaky baking swaps. Check out some of the most surprising below, then let us know in the comments if you’ve ever tried any of these!
Avocado
That buttery consistency makes for a perfect replacement for — you guessed it — butter! Try swapping out half of the butter in your recipe for avocado. One fruit should give you about three quarters of a cup, according to POPSUGAR Fitness. Doing so swaps some of the saturated fat in butter for the heart-healthy and satiatingpoly- and monounsaturated fats of avocados, with a hearty dose of vitamins and antioxidants to boot. Try it in cookies, breads and muffins.
Applesauce
You can drastically cut back on calories and fat by swapping in applesauce for oil or butter in cakes and muffins. You can typically do so in a 1:1 ratio, meaning if your recipe calls for a half-cup of butter, a half-cup of applesauce will do just fine. Because the texture will change significantly, it may be best to only replace about 75 percent of the oil or butter, Kitchen Daily reported. The sweetness in applesauce can also be a smart replacement for added sugar, like in this tasty cookie recipe.