I am slowly learning to convert all of mother’s and grandmother’s wonderful made from scratch baked goods into healthier versions, so they are not 100% white: white flour, and white sugar, and white shortening, which is bad for you. Here are my guidelines I follow when converting a recipe, which have worked very well so far:
1) Replace half the fat called for with applesauce or mashed banana (best in cakes, muffins, quick breads, and drop cookies, not in pastry crust or shortbread).
2) Replace all shortening with coconut oil.
3) Replace half the butter with coconut oil.
4) Use 3/4 cup sugar for every cup called for, then in a few months or a year when everyone is used to less sugar, use 1/2 cup sugar for every cup called for.
5) Replace half to all of the sugar with honey. If a recipe calls for 2 cups sugar, and you have gotten your family used to half sweetness and are only making it with 1 cup sugar now, next time use 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup honey, since 1/4 cup honey is equal in sweetness to 1/2 cup sugar.
6) Replace white and brown sugar with Sucanat, which is dried sugar cane juice. It is about as unprocessed as you can get with sugar.
7) Replace half the white flour with whole grain flour. I am using 1/2 gluten- free flour mix, made with whole brown rice flour, and 1/2 whole teff flour now for gluten- free baking.
Delicacies made with white everything are deceptive food; hopefully you will enjoy baked goods made this way much better, for it is much better for you.
