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Healthy Kitchen Hacks #28 – Holiday Baking Edition

Healthy Kitchen Hacks #28 – Holiday Baking Edition

*How to Bake Without Eggs * How to Make a Healthier Frosting * How to Make a Flaky Whole Grain Pie Crust * Quick Way to Flour a Surface * Dark Chocolate Fondue in the Slow Cooker*

Top 5 Healthy Kitchen Hacks- Baking Edition: *How to Bake Without Eggs * How to Make a Healthier Frosting * How to Make a Flaky Whole Grain Pie Crust * Quick Way to Flour a Surface * Dark Chocolate Fondue in the Slow Cooker*

It’s that time of year – dust off your spice rack, cookie cutters and rolling pins and get ready for this week’s Healthy Kitchen Hacks.

Here are my top 5 favorite healthy baking hacks that I’ve recently tested to help you have a bit of a healthier holiday and perhaps a little extra time, too (because actually that’s what I’d love for Christmas – an extra day of doing nothing :).)

1) How to Bake Without Eggs
Abby @The Frosted Vegan

 Healthy Kitchen Hacks - How To Make a Flax Egg
Now, I regularly bake WITH eggs so this hack would only be useful to me if 1) I had to make a recipe vegan or 2) I ran out of eggs (ack!) The secret is to make a “flax egg” with ground flaxseed and water.

Abby shows how to make a flax egg and she points out that this egg substitute is best for recipes like chocolate chip cookies, brownies, quick breads, heartier baked goods or recipes that use no more that 2 eggs. So, the flax egg swap won’t cut it in eggy dishes like French toast, custards, cream pies or lighter desserts like chiffon or angel food cake.

I tried it in a chocolate chip version of my biscotti recipe and it really worked!

2) How To Make a Healthier Frosting
Regan @Healthy Aperture

Healthy Kitchen Hacks - Dark Chocolate Fondue in Slow Cooker

You’ll boost the protein and swap out the fat with this frosting made from just two ingredients: Greek style yogurt and powdered sugar. Regan shows you how to make Greek Yogurt Frosting in this quick video.

I used this recipe for my Butternut Squash Cake Roll and it was a winner. This frosting works well on top of all types of cakes and cupcakes. Try flavoring it with citrus zest, your favorite baking spices or extracts.

This week's top 5 #HealthyKitchenHacks - Holiday Baking Edition! via @tspbasil Click To Tweet

3) How to Make a Flaky Whole Grain Pie Crust
Katie @Healthy Seasonal Recipes

Healthy Kitchen Hacks - How To Make a Flaky Whole Grain Pie Crust @tspbasil

I often swap in whole wheat pastry flour for some of the regular flour when I’m baking but it’s usually for only half or less of the total flour in a recipe.

Katie has a wonderful, flaky, whole grain pie crust recipe that’s 2/3rds whole wheat (way better than my half or less ratio.) She uses it in her a swoon-worthy Chocolate Swirl Pumpkin Pie (<–I’ve made this pie a few times now, it’s THAT good.)

Bonus hack: Use leftover pie scraps to make these simple but festive Whole Grain Pie Crust Cookies.

4) A Quick Way to Flour a Surface
via America’s Test Kitchen

 Healthy Kitchen Hacks - Quick Way to Flour a Surface

Here’s a small hack that I really love and now use every time I have to flour a surface for rolling out dough. Fill a powdered sugar shaker with whole wheat pastry flour and in just a few shakes, you got a dusted countertop. (I’m serious loving this hack!)

Storage tip: Keep your flour shaker in the fridge or freezer to preserve the flour.

5) Make Chocolate Fondue in Your Slow Cooker
@CookingLight & Ellie @FoodNetwork

Healthy Kitchen Hacks - Dark Chocolate Fondue in Slow Cooker

So, this is a bit off of the holiday baking theme but it’s a fun dessert idea for a holiday party featuring dark chocolate, lots of fruit for dipping and a Crockpot. I got this idea from the December issue of Cooking Light.

I used their slow cooker fondue method (cook on LOW for 1 1/2 hours and then turn to WARM for dipping) and applied it to Ellie Krieger’s easy Dark Chocolate Fondue. I brought it over to a friend’s house with strawberries, sliced bananas and orange sections – both the parents and kids LOVED it.

And another fondue tip from Cooking Light–> pat the fruit dry before dipping so fondue coats well.

Would you try any of these hacks? Do you have healthy kitchen or healthy living shortcuts to share? Shoot us an email ([email protected] or [email protected] ) or share below in comments and we’ll try them out.

Jessica @ Nutritioulicious

Wednesday 25th of November 2015

Love the hack to use powdered sugar shaker for flouring your counter. Now what's the hack for cleaning the surface once you're done?! ;-)

Emily @ Sinful Nutrition

Wednesday 25th of November 2015

Love that flour idea! I always end up wearing more of it than I actually use in the recipe, so maybe this will help me cut down a bit. ;)

Deanna Segrave-Daly

Wednesday 25th of November 2015

Me too! And on the floor - I always make a mess with the flour and now it's more contained :)

Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes

Wednesday 25th of November 2015

Thanks so much for including my pie crust in your hacks. And I love all of the other great tips you've rounded up! Happy Thanksgiving!

Deanna Segrave-Daly

Wednesday 25th of November 2015

It's become one of my favorite pie recipes - made two more for Thanksgiving!

Sharon Stanton

Wednesday 25th of November 2015

Great ideas, Deanna! I am sharing this and will definitely be trying the whole grain pastry crust first. And what a great idea for flouring the work surface!

Deanna Segrave-Daly

Wednesday 25th of November 2015

Let me know how the crust turns out - I made Katie's Chocolate Swirl Pumpkin Pie for Kathy's tomorrow and making another for my second Thanksgiving dinner Friday with my parents - soooo good.

Sally @ Real Mom Nutrition

Wednesday 25th of November 2015

Love that slow cooker fondue idea!!

Deanna Segrave-Daly

Wednesday 25th of November 2015

It was a big hit with kids and adults alike - I'm definitely doing it again over the holidays :)

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