I found some information at an extension site about using prune puree in place of butter in baking. You use it along with margarine to replace butter in some baked goods.
Combine pitted prunes and water in food processor. Pulse on and off until prunes are finely chopped. Makes 1 cup. Another option is to make prune butter by blending 1 pound of prunes with 1 cup of hot water.
Use prune puree in baked products to replace up to 1/2 the fat without flavor or texture being compromised according to researchers at Pennsylvania State University. Other fat substitutes that you may want to try are apple butter, applesauce, bananas and yogurt.
Makes 24 bars. Approx. 60 calories per bar.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Does anyone have any baking recipes using healthy oil instead of hard margarine, lard, butter, etc.? I am on a low fat medical diet but still like cakes, pastry, and other baked goods. Please help.
you can generally replace the fat in many recipes with applesauce and still have good results! It definitely works for oil (like cake in a box mixes) but you can try it out to replace butter or margarine too.
You can replace butter/margerine in bread, pie crust, cookie and cake recipes with canola or olive oil. This works best when the amount in the recipe is 1/3 cup or less.
I SUBSTITUTE OLIVE OIL FOR ALL RECIPES THAT CALL FOR OIL. YOU WON'T TASTE THE DIFFERENCE. AND TRY CUTTING DOWN ON THE SUGAR TOO.
hi mary,
just to let you know -
i use olive oil for all my baked goods -
no matter what the recipe calls for.
good luck on your diet -
jan from NJ
There is a lady named Betty Rohde who has published a series of cookbooks featuring low-fat recipes of various kinds under the name So Fat, Low Fat, No Fat.... I really like the So Fat, Low, Fat, No Fat Desserts book. I found this copy ( used) listed on the net for less than $3.50 American dollars, shipping and handling included and am including the URL so that you can look at it. With a little searching you can probably find an unused copy, somewhere.
One of my favorite recipesis is not only zero fat, but also super quick. My son and all his friends love it as well. You simply mix together a 16 ounce angel food cake mix with a 16 ounce can of lemon pie filling. When it is well blended, transfer the mix to a 13x9x2 inch baking pan that has been sprayed lightly with a vegetable oil cooking spray. Bake in a preheated 375º oven for 26 minutes. Cool for about an hour and drizzle with a glaze made up of 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar (powdered sugar) mixed with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. This serves 15.
I just sent you information about the Betty Rohde book and included a recipe. I forgot that you might need the metric equivalents.
16 ounces = 454 grams
I had no difficulty looking these equivalents up since the first page of the book includes equivalency tables. And, oh yes, 375º F is equivalent to 190º C.
We substitute extra virgin olive oil for the fat in cakes and soft cookies. There is no damage to the flavor. Fruit pulp such as unsweetened applesauce also accomplishes the purpose. Oil makes wretched biscuits. Are you familiar with the Weston Price Institute? Author Sally Fallon writes for them, and she says lard is a safe fat because it is not hydrogenated. Of course, keep fats to a minimum. Hope this helps!
I use single serve applesauce in place of oil in most recipes and for mixes. It works great and comes in flavors so you can experiment.
I keep reading to replace oil with applesauce. Are they exchanged measure for measure? Such as 1/3 cup applesauce for 1/3 cup Oil? Thank you.
Applesauce replacement is equal parts, 1/2 cup oil is 1/2 cup sauce. It works really good for boxed mixes (don't forget to add a squirt of vanilla to OOmph the flavor too!). There is also another bottled prune mixture on the market (I think in the canned fruit aisle sometimes) but why pay the money when you can get applesauce for cheap. I buy the single serving sizes for my daughter's lunches so we always have them around, the size is usually what I need and sometimes she gets a bite or two left over.
I know with breads like pumpkin and the quick bread mixes, as well as cake mixes you may substitute applesauce instead of oil using the same measurements. It tastes no different and cuts down the fat. Also try low fat cookbooks and recipe websites, you should be able to find plenty of info, I find a lot on lowfat very easily. Also I saw a doctor on the PBS station here and he co-wrote a book called you on a diet with a lot of low fat and nutrition info contained on the tv program and also in his book. I ordered the book from Amazon. -kim
I use a container or two, depending on the recipe of baby food prunes to replace the fat in my recipes. I omit the oil all together and the added fiber is a bonus. It is really good in chocolate cakes or brownies. that is all I have tried so far. The health benefits are worth the exchange.
