Substitute Avocado for Butter to Cut the Fat from Baked Goods [Food Hacks]

If you're watching your fat intake, or just prefer lighter baked fare, here's one way to have your cake and eat it too: use avocado instead of butter when you fire up the mixer. You can cut the amount of saturated fat in your muffins, cakes, or cupcakes by close to half, and while the food will definitely be lighter, it'll still be delicious and rich.

We've seen this tip in a couple of places, but the folk at The Kitchn explain how to apply the substitution really well:

You can substitute avocado for butter in a 1:1 ratio, but since it doesn't melt the same way it won't coat your dry ingredients the same. You need to increase your wet ingredients a little to compensate. In my kitchen, I just substitute avocados for half of the butter instead.

You'll need to mash up your avocado really well to get it as smooth as possible, but other than that, you won't need to change much about the recipe or the cooking process. The Kitchn notes that you may need to decrease your oven temp about 25 degrees if you're going for a 100% substitution, just to prevent over-browning. Don't go overboard—you need fat in your diet—but even so, if you're looking for a great way to make those muffins a little healthier, this is a great way to do it.

Baking Tip: Did You Know That You Can Substitute Avocado for Butter? | The Kitchn

via Lifehacker http://lifehacker.com/5928518/substitute-avocado-for-butter-to-cut-the-fat-from-baked-goods