The weather has finally cooled down and the holidays are upon us.  Reading the news about all the health issues that we Americans suffer from -- high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease to name just a few, is it even possible to bake healthy treats for the holidays?  My answer to this question is an emphatic yes!  The key is to create your own healthy treats.

We work hard all year and the holidays are traditionally a time to unwind with family (well maybe not "unwind" -- after all you have never met my family!) and friends, relaxing any dietary restrictions, right?  Aren't we entitled?

You can indulge in baked goods and other sweet treats in a healthful way by just experimenting a bit with the recipe's ingredients.  You may be pleasantly surprised at how wonderful they taste.  After all, if the healthier version of Grandma's Apple Cake does not taste as good or better as the original why bother, right?

Most baked goods and desserts contain an inordinate amount of fat (usually saturated).  There is a reason for this.  Fats give foods wonderful flavor and they act as tenderizers.  This means they cut down on the amount of gluten formed in the baked good giving it a tender, light texture.

There are many ways to make a dessert recipe healthier.  First, read through the recipe's ingredients.  I immediately zero in on the fat, especially if there seems to be a great deal of it.  For example, two sticks of butter in a brownie recipe that only yields a 9-inch square pan of the fudgy treats seems excessive.

Second, look at the form in which the fat appears in the recipe.  Is it a solid, as in two sticks of butter or 1 cup of vegetable shortening, or a liquid, as in 1/2 cup of vegetable oil?  Usually solid fats come from animals and contain more saturated fat than a liquid fat such as canola oil that comes from a plant.  The two exceptions are palm and coconut oils that are saturated even though they come from plant sources.  The cocoa butter in chocolate is also saturated, but research has shown it is not as damaging to our cholesterol levels as other solid animal fats.  In fact, it has been shown to be good for us (in moderation).

Third, look at the role the fat plays in the recipe.  If the recipe calls for the fat to be blended with sugar in a mixer until light and fluffy (known as creaming), the fat will need to be a solid one.  Solid fats already contain air and can hold even more air through the creaming process.  It is these air bubbles that work with chemical leaveners in the recipe to help the batter or dough to rise in the oven.  So, if the recipe calls for a solid fat, I usually substitute a trans-fat-free "light" butter or margarine for all or half of the butter or shortening.  Sometimes, I even substitute up to one-half of the solid fat with a fruit or vegetable purée (apple sauce or sweet potato purée).  This way I can still use the creaming method but I have also lowered the fat tremendously.  Apple sauce works best in light colored cakes like yellow butter cakes or pound cakes.  Puréed sweet potatoes or carrots work well in chocolate cakes where the orange color is hidden by the cocoa or chocolate in the batter.  The fruit and vegetable purée adds nutritional value and moistness while cutting the fat.

Fourth, egg substitutes or egg whites can also be used to replace some or all of the eggs in a recipe.  However, if there are only two eggs in the entire recipe that will serve 8 people, it is easier to just use the original two eggs.

Fifth, to increase fiber, very often I will add whole-wheat flour or white whole-wheat flour (for those of us who want a less "wheaty" taste and texture) to cookies, cakes, and pie crusts.  You can also add flax seed meal or wheat germ to bake goods for enrichment.  Be careful here.  I once made delicious cinnamon rolls with some flax seed meal in them and because the dough was light in color, my kids were not too happy to have "dark lumpy things" in their cinnamon buns.  Live and learn.  That is why experimenting with recipes and learning the comfort level of your family with different tastes and textures is crucial to success.  For example, I can easily use whole-wheat or spelt flour (a variety of hard wheat) for up to half the all-purpose flour in my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and my kids love it.  Experiment with varying the ratio of all-purpose to whole-wheat flour to get the best taste and texture for you.

Sixth, heavy cream is used in many pastries and desserts especially at holiday time.  Mousses, frostings, candies, and caramel all contain huge amounts of cream.  The skinny on cream is that it will make you anything but -- it contains up to 40% butterfat, a saturated fat.  I have been very successful with using puréed tofu.  That's right!  Firm, silken tofu, when puréed, is the perfect foundation for an absolutely delectable mousse or frosting and I guarantee no one will ever know (unless you tell them of course).  I refer to tofu as a "flavor follower" because it tastes like nothing.  It will take on any flavor that surrounds it -- chocolate, raspberry, lemon, etc.  Try my recipe for Chocolate Raspberry Mousse.  Once chilled in a bowl for several hours or overnight it can be piped from a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip into tall wine or champagne glasses for a spectacular presentation or poured into a crumb crust and served as a tart with fresh raspberries.  Try it!

Don't be shy about experimenting with preparing healthy baked goods.  You may just like the "lightened" version better than the original.  Happy Holidays!

Chocolate Raspberry Mouse

Makes 20 4-ounce servings

• 3 cups (685 g) reduced-fat silken tofu
• 1 1/3 cups (150 g) confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup (180 g) seedless raspberry preserves
• 2/3 cup (85 g) Dutch processed cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup (120 ML) piping hot brewed coffee
• 1 1/3 cups (230 g) high-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped and melted over a double boiler
• 2 teaspoons (10 ML) vanilla extract

1. In a food processor, purée the tofu, the confectioners' sugar, and preserves until the mixture is completely smooth.  Stop the machine and scrape down the sides periodically with a rubber spatula.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and the hot coffee.

3. Whisk the melted chocolate and the vanilla into the cocoa and coffee mixture.  Continue to whisk the mixture until the chocolate and cocoa are smooth.

4. Place the chocolate mixture into the food processor with the puréed tofu and process until the mousse is completely smooth.

5. Divide the mousse into stemmed glasses and chill for at least 1 to 2 hours or overnight.  The mousse will thicken over time.  Alternatively, place the mousse in a large bowl, covered, and chill it for one to two hours or overnight.  Once thickened, it can then be placed in a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and piped decoratively into stemmed glasses or poured into a pre-baked tart shell.

6. Garnish with fresh raspberries just before serving.

About Chef Gail Sokol

Gail D. Sokol is an award-winning professional in the culinary arts industry with demonstrated success in baking and pastry arts, supervision and training, and classical cuisine. Chef Sokol brings her expertise and unique teaching style to the serious home baker and professional in her book, About Professional Baking for which she was a Finalist for the International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Awards for 2007. In addition, she has been featured on many weekly radio and television programs. Chef Sokol is currently an instructor of baking at Schenectady County Community College (SCCC) in Schenectady, New York. She is also creator and director of the Children's Baking Camp at SCCC 's Continuing Education Division.