We searched the shelves for the best products to help lighten your favorite heart-healthy desserts. From whole wheat flour to a better cooking oil to a low-sodium baking soda, these pantry must-haves will help you keep your baked goods healthy.
Read on for 10 better baking products, plus tips for using them in your favorite dessert recipes.
Reduced-Fat Swap for Margarine
Baking product: Musselman's Unsweetened Applesauce
Baking tip: Cut fat and boost vitamin C in baked goods by using unsweetened applesauce to replace half or more of the margarine, shortening, or oil.
Antioxidant-Rich Swap for Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
Baking product: Hershey's Cocoa, Naturally Unsweetened
Baking tip: Use 3 tablespoons of this antioxidant-rich cocoa plus 1 tablespoon of canola oil to replace 1 ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate.
Lower-Sodium Swap for Baking Soda
Baking product: Ener-G Baking Soda
Baking tip: This baking soda substitute saves you more than 1,200 mg of sodium per teaspoon, so it's a smart swap if you bake a lot.
Cholesterol-Lowering Swap for Flour
Baking product: Quaker Oat Bran Hot Cereal
Baking tip: Add cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber to your recipes by replacing a few tablespoons of flour with oat bran. It keeps baked goods moist, too.
Higher-Antioxidant Swap for Regular Sugar
Baking product: Florida Crystals Organic Cane Sugar
Baking tip: This sugar is less refined than regular white sugar but bakes the same. Studies suggest the less refined sugar is, the higher its antioxidants.
Lower-Sodium Swap for Baking Powder
Baking product: Hain Featherweight Baking Powder
Baking tip: Replace your baking powder with this sodium-free version (made with potassium chloride) to save 480 mg of sodium per teaspoon.
Note: Hain Featherweight Baking Powder has 70 milligrams of potassium per 1/8 teaspoon serving. Ask your doctor before using this product, as potassium can pose problems for people with kidney disease.
Good Fat Swap for Regular Canola Oil
Baking product: Spectrum Organic Canola Oil
Baking tip: This all-purpose canola oil was obtained by a mechanical (expeller-pressing) rather than chemical method. It's high in good monounsaturated fat.
Healthier Swaps for White Flour
Baking products: Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flour, King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour, and Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
Baking tips: Higher in fiber and antioxidants than refined (all-purpose) flour, whole wheat flour can replace up to half the refined flour in recipes. White whole wheat flour bakes like traditional whole wheat flour but is light in color because it's from white wheat.
Recipes that make the swap:
Healthier Fat Swap for Butter
Baking product: Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend
Baking tip: A tablespoon of this trans-fat-free butter blend has 160 mg of heart-healthy EPA and DHA omega-3 fat and 2 grams less saturated fat than butter.
Bonus! Add Antioxidant-Rich Walnuts
Baking product: Gurley's Golden Recipe Chopped Nuts
Baking tip: Add chopped walnuts to your baking recipes to boost your intake of heart-healthy antioxidants and omega-3 fats.
Recipes that include walnuts:
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