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  1 / 9 Try these tips out on your favourite cookie and cake recipes.

  Big on baking but feel guilty about the calories? Fret not, there are ways to make healthy tweaks to your cookie and cake recipes without compromising on taste. Here are 8 methods to try – you’re welcome.

  Photo: Pixabay

  (Also read: 4 Best Places To Go To For All Your Baking Needs)

  Read more
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  2 / 9 Tip in some chia

  A tablespoon or two of nutrient-dense chia adds little crunchy pops to cakes and cookies. Just be sure to add them to the batter right at the end, just before baking, so that they don’t absorb all the moisture in the mix.

  Photo: Pixabay

  (Also read: 5 Amazing Benefits of Chia Seeds For Women)

  Read more
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  3 / 9 Add some veggies  

  Look up recipes that feature vegetables in their cakes. You’d be surprised to know that besides the usual carrots, beetroot and zucchini, some inventive recipes include eggplant or even parsley for extra moisture, nutrients and vibrant colour.

  Photo: Pixabay

  Read more
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  4 / 9 Bump up the fibre

  Plain white flour has practically no nutrients (or taste) to speak of, but with most recipes, you can safely swap out at least 20 per cent of the all-purpose flour for nutty wholemeal flour or something else with more fibre such as ground up oats, which will also give your baked goods a slight flavour boost.

  Photo: Pixabay

  (Also read: 9 Genius Food Hacks to Increase Your Fibre Intake)

  Read more
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  5 / 9 Replace the fat

  Cut down on saturated fats by replacing butter with oil. Olive and grapeseed oil are two mild-flavoured varieties that have very little saturated fat and work well, though you’d have to do some experimenting. Another plus, oils hydrate flour better than butter, so if you’d ever wondered why your cakes or cookies are dry, here’s your fix!

  Photo: Pixabay

  Read more
• 
  6 / 9 Add a little fruity sweetness

  If the thought of adding two cups of sugar to your cakes or cookies creeps you out, consider using fruit puree to cut out the refined sweet stuff and even some fat. Bananas, as you know, work well in cakes, as does applesauce. Dates or prunes also work a treat as a substitute for brown sugar or molasses, giving cookies and other baked goods an alluring caramel flavour.

  Photo: Pixabay

  (Also read: 5 Delicious Ways To Eat Your Dragon Fruit – Recipes Included)

  Read more
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  7 / 9 Ditch the frosting

  If naked cakes aren’t fancy enough for you, and even a dusting of icing sugar won’t cut it, switch out the calorific thick frosting for lower calorie options such as a glaze, or go for meringue frostingif you like the fluffy look. You could even hide vegetables in your frosting with an easy one made with sweet potatoes!

  Photo: Pixabay

  Read more
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  8 / 9 Sneak in tofu

  Tofu looks and feels similar to cream cheese, and it’s a great substitute for lightening up your dessert. You can replace 25–50 per cent of cream cheese with tofu, just be sure not to push it too much or you’ll start tasting the tofu.

  (5 Reasons to Have More Soya, According to New Research)

  Read more
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  9 / 9 Bean it up

  If you like the fudgy texture in brownies and cookies, try replacing some or almost all the fat in the recipe with mashed up beans. Any kind will work, though black beans help maintain the rich colour in cocoa desserts.

  Photo: Pixabay

  (Also read: 7 Local Desserts That Have Less Than 200 Calories Per Serving)

  Read more

Try these tips out on your favourite cookie and cake recipes. Big on baking but feel guilty about the calories? Fret not, there are ways to make healthy tweaks to your cookie and cake recipes without compromising on taste. Here are 8 methods to try – you’re welcome. Photo: Pixabay (Also read: 4 Best Places To Go To For All Your Baking Needs) Tip in some chia A tablespoon or two of nutrient-dense chia adds little crunchy pops to cakes and cookies. Just be sure to add them to the batter right at the end, just before baking, so that they don’t absorb all the moisture in the mix. Photo: Pixabay (Also read: 5 Amazing Benefits of Chia Seeds For Women) Add some veggies   Look up recipes that feature vegetables in their cakes. You’d be surprised to know that besides the usual carrots, beetroot and zucchini, some inventive recipes include eggplant or even parsley for extra moisture, nutrients and vibrant colour. Photo: Pixabay Bump up the fibre Plain white flour has practically no nutrients (or taste) to speak of, but with most recipes, you can safely swap out at least 20 per cent of the all-purpose flour for nutty wholemeal flour or something else with more fibre such as ground up oats, which will also give your baked goods a slight flavour boost. Photo: Pixabay (Also read: 9 Genius Food Hacks to Increase Your Fibre Intake) Replace the fat Cut down on saturated fats by replacing butter with oil. Olive and grapeseed oil are two mild-flavoured varieties that have very little saturated fat and work well, though you’d have to do some experimenting. Another plus, oils hydrate flour better than butter, so if you’d ever wondered why your cakes or cookies are dry, here’s your fix! Photo: Pixabay Add a little fruity sweetness If the thought of adding two cups of sugar to your cakes or cookies creeps you out, consider using fruit puree to cut out the refined sweet stuff and even some fat. Bananas, as you know, work well in cakes, as does applesauce. Dates or prunes also work a treat as a substitute for brown sugar or molasses, giving cookies and other baked goods an alluring caramel flavour. Photo: Pixabay (Also read: 5 Delicious Ways To Eat Your Dragon Fruit – Recipes Included) Ditch the frosting If naked cakes aren’t fancy enough for you, and even a dusting of icing sugar won’t cut it, switch out the calorific thick frosting for lower calorie options such as a glaze, or go for meringue frostingif you like the fluffy look. You could even hide vegetables in your frosting with an easy one made with sweet potatoes! Photo: Pixabay Sneak in tofu Tofu looks and feels similar to cream cheese, and it’s a great substitute for lightening up your dessert. You can replace 25–50 per cent of cream cheese with tofu, just be sure not to push it too much or you’ll start tasting the tofu. (5 Reasons to Have More Soya, According to New Research) Bean it up If you like the fudgy texture in brownies and cookies, try replacing some or almost all the fat in the recipe with mashed up beans. Any kind will work, though black beans help maintain the rich colour in cocoa desserts. Photo: Pixabay (Also read: 7 Local Desserts That Have Less Than 200 Calories Per Serving)