Lemon brownie bites use a secret ingredient you’ll never guess

Baked goods can be oh so good, but they often contain oh so much saturated fat, sugar and sodium. Here are some tricks to save the flavor but lose the unhealthy culprits, plus a delicious recipe for lemon brownie bites with a secret ingredient you’ll have to visit the baby aisle to find. 

Saturated fat vs. unsaturated fat

In baked goods, the saturated fat often comes from butter, lard or vegetable shortening. The fat helps to blend flavors, provide moisture and increase tenderness. But too much saturated fat can raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol the risk for heart disease. 

You can replace saturated fat with an unsaturated fat such as vegetable oil or margarine. Another trick is cutting a portion of the fat and replacing it with a pureed fruit like applesauce, mashed bananas, or pureed pumpkin. This provides moisture, sweetness and some vitamins and minerals. Using less fat can make baked goods a little chewier and less fattening.

RECIPES: Vegan BBQ recipes to try this summer

Sugar vs. pureed fruit

Sugar and other natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup and molasses can help to retain moisture in baked goods. It also provides calories without any real nutrients. Often, you can cut the amount of sweetener by one-third and still retain some sweetness. Use less sweetener if you use pureed fruit in place of the saturated fat.