4 Healthy Baking Recipes

June 17, 2020

These past few weeks at home have been a great time to focus on baking with more nutritious ingredients. If you are interested on reading more about baking with healthy substitutes click here to view a previous post we wrote! With Father’s Day approaching, now is a great time to learn some new easy recipes that you can make for your entire family! Below are four of our favorite recipes.

Healthy Strawberry Crumble Bars

If you grew up loving strawberry shortcake ice cream bars- this recipe is for you! It is eggless and dairy free, so you definitely shouldn’t feel guilty enjoying this perfect summer treat! We found this recipe on Amy’sHealthyBaking.com and it was as delicious as expected. See below for the amazing recipe!

Ingredients:

For The Topping:

• ½ cup instant oats
• 2 tbsp gluten free flour of your choice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 tsp pure maple syrup room temp
• 2 tsp coconut oil

For The Filling:

• 1 pound (about 3 cups) of diced, fresh strawberries
• 1 ½ tbsp cornstarch

For The Crust:

• 1 ¼ cups gluten free flour of your choice
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 ½ tbsp coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tbsp  unsweetened cashew milk, room temperature
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 ½ tsp liquid stevia
• 2 tbsp maple syrup room temperature

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line an 8”-square pan with parchment paper (or coat an 8”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray).
2. To prepare the topping, stir together the oats, flour, and cinnamon. Make a well in the center. Pour in the maple syrup and coconut oil or butter, and stir until all ingredients are completely incorporated.
3. To prepare the filling, gently toss together the strawberries and cornstarch.
4. To prepare the crust, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or butter, milk, almond extract, and liquid stevia. Stir in the maple syrup. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated.
5. Press the crust into the bottom of the prepared pan into a thin, even layer using your hands. (If it sticks to your fingers, then moisten your fingers with a tiny bit of water, and continue as needed.) Spread the filling evenly across the crust. Sprinkle the oat mixture on top of the raspberries. (It tends to clump, so break it into really tiny pieces as you go!) Bake at 350°F for 32-37 minutes or until the topping feels firm, the strawberry juices look thick, and the crust appears to be done. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan, and let the bars rest for at least 3 hours once at room temperature before slicing and serving.

Banana and Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies

This recipe was created by a clinical dietician and is posted on forksoverknives.com. We promise it will not disappoint! The recipe requires 30mins prep time and in total will be ready in 1hr and 20 minutes. This recipe is the perfect way to enjoy a sweet treat without feeling guilty!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
• ¾ cup whole pitted dates, chopped (4 oz.)
• ½ cup mashed banana
• ½ cup unsweetened, unflavored plant-based milk
• ¼ cup natural no-salt-added peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats, ground
• ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons pure cane sugar
• 1½ teaspoons regular or sodium-free baking powder
• ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 2 bananas

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small bowl combine flaxseed meal with 6 Tbsp. water; let stand 5 minutes. Place dates in another bowl; add boiling water to cover. Let stand 5 minutes; drain. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil.
2. In a blender or food processor combine flaxseed mixture, drained dates, mashed banana, milk, peanut butter, and vanilla. Cover and blend until smooth.
3. In a large bowl combine the next five ingredients (through salt). Add blended date mixture; stir together just until moistened. Spoon into the prepared pan, spreading evenly.
4. Bake about 25 minutes or until puffed and set. Cool on a wire rack at least 30 minutes.
5. Using a fine-mesh sieve, dust brownies with powdered sugar. Cut into 16 brownies. Thinly slice bananas. Fan slices over the tops of brownies. Serve immediately.

Applesauce Cake

We found this incredibly tasty and healthy recipe on acouplecooks.com. We cannot recommend it enough! With ingredients like Greek yogurt, apple sauce, and olive oil- this is sure to be one of the healthiest cakes you have tried! Prep time is only 10 minutes, and it requires a total cook time of 30 minutes. (155 calories per serving!!)

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/4 cups flour (or flour substitute) 
• 2/3 cupfirmly packed cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoonground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoonbaking powder
• 3/4 teaspoonbaking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cupolive oil
• 1/2 cupplain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cupunsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoonvanilla extract
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. Put the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the baking pan. Use a fork to thoroughly mix the ingredients together.
3. Use your hands to make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients. Into the hole, crack the egg and add the olive oil, yogurt, applesauce, and vanilla. Use a fork to mix the ingredients together until smooth and blended. Smooth the top of the batter with the side of a butter knife.
4. Bake until the cake is fairly firm when you press lightly at its center and a toothpick inserted int the middle has no wet batter sticking to it, 25 to 30 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and leave on the counter to cool completely, 1 hour. Leave the cake in the pan. Dust with powdered sugar. Cut into pieces and use a small spatula to lift them from the pan.

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Chocolate Covered Cashew Bars

If you are a chocolate lover, these bars are definitely up your alley! Plus, there are only 6 ingredients, so what a great and easy recipe! We came across this one on halfbakedharvest.com.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup packed dates
• 1 cup roasted cashews
• 3/4 cup tahini
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 12 ounces dark chocolate
• toasted sesame seeds, or dried fruits, for topping(optional)

Directions:

1. Line an 8×8 inch square baking dish with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the dates, cashews, tahini, and vanilla. Pulse until well combined and no large chunks remain, 3-5  minutes. Press the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Transfer to the freezer and freeze until firm, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
3. Melt the chocolate in the microwave until melted and smooth. Let cool 10 minutes.
4. Cut bars into 16 bars. Cover in chocolate and top as desired. Let the chocolate set up, about 10 minutes. Keep stored in the fridge.

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