There seems to be a lot of confusion when it comes to making healthier baked goods.  I am here to tell you that it’s not hard at all.  I hope some of these baking tips can help you.

Baking with Flours

There are a few rules when converting traditional all purpose over to healthier flours.  Some types of  flours that can be coverted at a 1:1 ratio.  These are the following:

• white whole wheat
• whole wheat pastry flour
• spelt flour
• whole wheat flour
  

Gluten free oat flour and gluten free all purpose can also be done at a 1:1 ratio, but I always add an extra egg to make sure my product binds well.  I find that if I add two eggs when baking with oat flour, things work out the best.

Here is another chart on gluten free conversions.

Some flours can be very fickle to bake with.  They are the following:

• coconut flour
• almond flour

Coconut flour soaks up a ton of moisture, so the general rule is to add 1 egg for every 1/4 cup coconut flour you use.  For optimal results, it’s best to mix coconut flour and almond flour together when trying to do grain free baking.  It’s also good to keep in mind that grain free baked goods will never have the same texture as baked goods made with gluten.  It’s not necessarily a bad thing.  Just a different texture.  Here is a helpful chart when baking with coconut flour.

Photo Credit: Maria Mind Body Health

Substituting Eggs in a Recipe

If you avoid eggs, you can still make very delicious baked goods!  There are several ways to replace an egg in a recipe.  I personally use the flax egg the most.  Flax seems to work great and is cheaper than chia seeds.  Here is a helpful chart on egg substitutions.

Photo Credit: No Meat Athlete

And another on how to make a flax egg.

Replacing Oil in a Recipe

There are several ways to replace oil in a recipe.  Keep in mind if you do replace all the oil in a recipe, you will get a slightly gummy end product.  Personally, I like to replace most of the oil in a recipe, but I usually keep about 2 tablespoons oil in to prevent the gummy factor.  You can replace oil in a recipe with the following:

• banana
• applesauce
• Greek yogurt
• avocado

Personally, I like to use applesauce the best, but any will work.

Replacing White and Brown Sugar in a Recipe

White and brown sugar are highly processed.  Good news is, it’s easy to replace them in a recipe.  I have often found that I can cut the sugar in half in most traditional baking recipes and the end product will still be plenty sweet.  There are few options you have.

• coconut sugar
• pure maple syrup
• raw honey

Coconut sugar has a very similar flavor to brown sugar.  It can be subbed with a 1:1 ratio.  You can also sub coconut sugar for white sugar in recipes.

Maple syrup and honey are a little tricky.  You can sub them for sugar at a 1:1 ratio, but you will most likely need to decrease the liquid somewhere else in the recipe.  I usually choose to decrease the milk or oil.

Replacing Butter in a Recipe

If you need a dairy free substitution for butter in recipes, you can use the following:

• coconut butter
• applesauce
• coconut oil
• avocado
• coconut yogurt

The butter substitutions can be done at a 1:1 ratio.  I like to use coconut butter, but you need to be careful not to over-mix your mixture or you end up with a runny batter.  I also like to use coconut oil in place of butter.

Lastly, I will leave you with this cheat sheet of kitchen measurements.

Photo Credit: One Good Thing By Jillee

I hope you find these tips helpful.  If you have any tips of your own, feel free to share them in the comments!