I think I remember reading somewhere that if a recipie calls for say one cup of oil that one cup of applesauce may be used instead. Is this true? Is it a cup for cup ratio. Do you know of any other baking substitutions? Any advice or tips would be appreciated!

Yes applesauce is 1 for 1.

This thread has some tips:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...&threadid=3975

Thank you so much Kelly! You are terrific!!!!

cc

Substitutions
 

yes, it is a one for one ratio: But depending on the recipe and other ingredients, you may want to only cut the oil in half and use 1/2 oil, 1/2 applesauce. Why? Texture. Some things to not translate well to a 100% substitution. they turn out rubbery -- like cellulose sponge. Additionally, you can substitute pumpkin puree (more fiber than applesauce and NO points) or prune puree (if in a chocolate recipe.) also, you can use 1/2 the fruit and 1/2 low fat or non fat yogurt or buttermilk for the oil. Again, it all depends on the ingredients you start w/ and the general proportions of flour to everything else. Happy baking!

Also, remember that fat is there for browning and crisping in some things. I remember the first time I baked anything using applesauce instead of the fat and kept it in the over forever because it didn't turn brown! I read Cooking Light magazine religiously as I learn how to cook more healthfully and they recommend when converting recipes to lower fat versions to gradually reduce the fat in them - the first time, try 1/2 and 1/2 oil and applesauce and see how you like it, then the next time, try a little more. Another tip if you don't want to buy big containers of applesauce or spend money on the prune puree advertised as a fat replacement is to use babyfood containers - I buy the infant's strained prunes or applesauce all the time for this use because when I buy big containers of applesauce, they mold on me. Good luck - it's fun to experiment in the kitchen with this concept!

Hi,

Another tip when baking with fruit substitutions is if you double the recipe, bake it in two separate pans. If you use a larger pan and increase the baking time, it turns out dry and tough. That tip came from a dessert cookbook by Alice Medrich.

Also, if you buy the Sunsweet Lighter Bake, you substitute 1/2 cup of the Lighter Bake for 1 cup of fat. I've found that I have to add a little more liquid to get the proper consistency.

Have fun experimenting.

Lin

Substitutions
 

I may have posted this in another thread but could not find it.

Looking through a cookbook in a store while waiting for DH to make a purchase, a bit about Healthly Bake and Lighter Bake caught my eye. It stated that one was for cakes and breads and one was for cookies. Read the label to be sure you get what your recipe calls for. Evidently one is thin and one is thick. It listed a recipe to make your own with 3 oz of prunes and 1 cup of water. That should be thin. You mix this in a blender. I made a puree for the BBC cookie clone of 8 oz of prunes and 8 oz of hot water in the blender. Then I did add a little more water as it was super thick. My prunes had been in the freezer for 'several years'. But they worked and the cookies were marvelous.