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To lower the fat content of a recipe and increase the vitamin and antioxidant content, try substituting apple sauce instead of some of the cooking oil.
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Apple sauce is best suited to replace oil in moist quick breads, muffins and cakes. Since both are baking liquids, apple sauce is a more comparable substitution for oil than it is for butter or another solid fat.
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Start with a 1:1 oil to apple sauce ratio. If that works well, experiment with replacing more of the fat. For example, to replace 1 cup oil, start with 1/2 cup apple sauce and 1/2 cup oil; with good results, try 2/3 cup apple sauce and 1/3 cup oil.
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Use "no sugar added" apple sauce.
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Drain apple sauce in a colander lined with paper towels to thicken before using; measure amount needed after draining.
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You may be able to slightly reduce the amount of sugar listed in a recipe since apple sauce is naturally sweet.
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Keep apple sauce single serve snack cups on hand for baking; if a recipe calls for 1 cup oil, substitute half of it with one of these ready to use apple sauce cups.
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When adding the liquid ingredients in a recipe to the dry ingredients, do not over mix.
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Lower-fat baked goods tend to be less tender and over-mixing the batter will make the final product tough. As a guide, give the batter about ten stirs around the bowl using a wooden spoon.
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Do not over bake. Baked goods made with apple sauce may take slightly less time in the
oven and may come out moister and denser, bake just until a toothpick inserted in the
center comes out clean.