Don't Forget This Simple Step When Substituting Avocado For Butter In Your Baking

Desserts are a delicious treat that almost anyone can enjoy, but sadly they're usually not the healthiest option available. Thankfully, there are ways to make your baking healthier by substituting ingredients. Avocado is a promising substitute for butter in any baked good, as it's rich in heart-healthy fats and lower in cholesterol and sodium. The best part is, all it can take is one simple step to tweak your favorite recipes to use this powerhouse ingredient.

Any time you make a substitution when baking, whether to accommodate dietary needs or just improve the recipe, you need to remember that different ingredients behave differently during the baking process. Avocado is no exception. Since it causes baked goods to brown faster than butter, reduce the heat by 25 degrees Fahrenheit and increase your cook time to ensure that perfect golden brown you're aiming for. How much to increase the time by depends on what you're making and also how much of the butter you've replaced (a full replacement will need this trick the most). Use your eyes and test it with a toothpick or similar tester until your baked goods are done.

When your baked goods come out of the oven, you may notice a slight green hue from the avocado. Don't worry! This is perfectly normal when baking with avocado, so it's nothing to be concerned about. It may not even be noticeable through all the other ingredients, especially with things like cupcakes or cake that are covered in icing or when darker-hued ingredients like cocoa are in the mix.

Of course, there are a couple of other tips to keep in mind when you're baking with avocado, especially as a butter or oil substitute. One important thing is the ratio you use. You can often use a 1:1 ratio of mashed or pureed avocado for butter when substituting in baked goods, so if the recipe calls for one cup of butter, you would use one cup of avocado. However, avocado doesn't coat the rest of your ingredients like butter does, so it may be better simply to replace half of the butter with avocado.

Next, avocado generally has more moisture than butter, so you will likely need to use either more dry ingredients or fewer wet ingredients to compensate, especially when using a 1:1 ratio. Not balancing your wet and dry ingredients is a common mistake when baking cakes and other goods. If you're not careful, you'll end up with either a dry, crumbly disappointment or a soggy mess. Neither is particularly tasty.

Finally, always use the best fresh ingredients you can get your hands on. This should go without saying, but it's worth mentioning in the case of avocado, which is notoriously fickle and has such a small window of perfect ripeness. Pick the best avocados you can find in the grocery store, and plan ahead by grabbing ones that will be ripe around the time you intend to bake with them.