Holiday Health Tip #8

Occasionally I trim fat and calories from a recipe by substituting applesauce in oil-based baked goods, like quick breads, muffins and some cakes.  There is only a slight change in taste and texture (typically sweeter and softer).

I'm told that  applesauce is not a great substitute for butter, and will lead to disaster in cookies and any other treat with a crispy snap--unless you like cake-y, mushy cookies.

Most sources recommend a 1:1 swap:  if the recipe calls for 1 cup of oil, substitute with 1 cup of applesauce. However, I say, "start easy!"  For a recipe that uses one cup of oil, use ½ cup of oil with ½ cup applesauce. If the finished product makes you happy, slightly increase the ratio of applesauce (2/3 applesauce: 1/3 oil; ¾ applesauce: ¼ oil) the next time to see how it affects the cake or muffin recipe. You may be able to do without oil completely, or you might find that as little as 1 or 2 tbsp. of oil added to the applesauce is ideal.