A few days ago when I was at work at the gym, I left my desk for a moment to refill my water bottle. On my 30 second adventure for hydration, I ran into a coworker who offered me one of the brownies she just made. Naturally, I assumed it was a trap. I’m a fitness personnel, and automatically thought my job was testing me (I know, it sounds pretty dumb). After a few seconds of hesitation, I caved because I was pretty hungry, and took the smallest one. My coworker watched me bite into it, and for a moment I thought my crazy theory might really be right.
“How is it?” She asked. It was chocolatey and delicious, everything a brownie should be. It had more of a cake-y consistency, but I’m hardly picky.
“It’s great. What is this, Betty Crocker?” I responded, shoving the rest in my mouth to get rid of any evidence.
“Nope, homemade. Want to know the secret ingredient?” She watched my face drop, racking my brain for what I may have missed. Eventually giving up, I asked her.
“Beets.” Say what?! Veggies in a brownie? How could that be?
But it is. My coworker had substituted beets for butter in her recipe, cutting back on the fat content and adding the bonus vitamins. All without any indication that the secret vegetable was in there; they tasted just like normal brownies!
Now, beets for butter isn’t the only swap you can make to give your baking a healthy kick. And it’s time we started enjoying desserts again. This is where I put my foot down on the matter. Good thing Greatist has created an infograph that breaks down healthy baking substitutions and the recipes they work best in.
Still, it’s good to keep in mind that everything should be eaten in moderation; a brownie is still a brownie. Even if the fat is drastically reduced, sweets are still a treat, so don’t eat ten thinking that it’s okay. They’re suddenly less healthy when you eat them as such.
Check out the chart below for healthy baking substitutes to spruce up your favorite recipes!
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