Unboxed: 7 natural baking essentials for a healthier holiday season
These dietary- and allergy-friendly baking staple alternatives make indulging over the holidays that much sweeter (and more nutritious) for consumers.
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Green banana flour is one of the latest flour alternatives to gain traction as a gluten-free baking alternative. For this USDA Organic product, Let’s Do Organic harvests and peels young green bananas, before their resistant starch transforms into simple sugar as they ripen. The bananas are then carefully dried to to preserve their subtle flavor, before being milled into a fine flour with a smooth texture and delicate flavor profile. The final product is rich in gut-friendly, resistant starch. Use 25% less green banana flour as a substitute for wheat flour when baking, or it can also be added to sauces, soups or smoothies as a thickener and added source of resistant starch
This USDA Organic syrup has a low glycemic index and a rich, buttery flavor that is similar to that of molasses—although it is made with the same method used for maple syrup, which involves simmering the sap of a tree until it intensifies and thickens. It makes an easy topping, or can be swapped for honey, maple syrup or molasses in holiday recipes. Paleo friendly and gluten free.
This blend of ancient grain teff, oat flour, tapioca flour and ground flax seeds offers another gluten-free, non-GMO, 1-to-1 substitute for wheat flour. Not only does it result in nutrient-dense baked goods, it’s a good source of fiber, and also offers a comparable texture and mild flavor.
Advertised as the first all-natural vanilla alternative on the market, this pure vanilla extract comprises a low-alcohol formula that keeps its natural flavors when baking or freezing. Made using the highest grade of Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans, this baking staple is non-GMO and free from corn syrup and gluten.
This nutty tuber is plant-based, high in fiber, and a good source of Vitamin E and Iron, making this the perfect option for bakers seeking a superfood punch in a gluten-free, UDA Organic and non-GMO flour. Use this finely ground powder in place of traditional white flour in recipes, and watch it rise to the occasion.
This seasonal cooking spray is a blend of pure non-GMO avocado oil, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice, making it the perfect companion for pies, cookies, cakes and other baked goods. For other baking-friendly, good-fat options, the line also include Spiced Chai, Warm Gingerbread and Simply Cinnamon. Safe for cooking temperatures up to 500°F.
These stevia and erythritol-sweetened baking chips are made with 45% cacao sourced in accordance with FairTrade Standards, offering a semi-sweet alternative to traditional chocolate chips, without the cane sugar.
These stevia and erythritol-sweetened baking chips are made with 45% cacao sourced in accordance with FairTrade Standards, offering a semi-sweet alternative to traditional chocolate chips, without the cane sugar.
The holiday season is just around the corner, bringing with it a flurry of culinary preparations that will satiate consumers’ cultural and culinary appetites for those nostalgic desserts that have long been synonymous with this time of year.
Even so, indulgence during this time isn’t what it used to be now that health and wellness are now top of mind among a growing number of consumers. These changing health paradigms have led to a fundamental shift in consumers’ relationship with sweets.
Fortunately, this does not require them to eschew such beloved treats entirely. There are many better-for-you baking ingredients available on the market today that can be readily substituted into favorite recipes; this way, holiday desserts can continue embodying the traditions of the past while reflecting the food trends of the future. This might mean adhering to vegan, keto or paleo lifestyles, respecting food allergies such as dairy and gluten and being more accepting of consumers’ growing tendency to seek out less sugar and more nutritionally wholesome food options.
The following baking ingredients embrace this trend, while also celebrating shoppers' enduring love for holiday sweets.
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