I've never posted a new topic before but I am trying to learn how to substitute applesauce instead of butter or oil.  How do you know what ratio to use?  Also can you use sweetened applesauce and knock off on the sugar?  Is there a minimum amount of butter you have to use before the recipe goes kaplooey (spelling?)  I did this once for oatmeal raisin cookies and it was a disaster.  Does anyone have a list of little tricks like this to make foods a little healthier (egg whites instead of whole eggs etc)?  Thanks for the advice.  I have never been very good at cooking desserts. 

I use plain unsweetened applesauce and use the exact amount that is called for for the oil or shortening. ( such as 1/2 cup oil=1/2 cup applesauce)  I use it for cakes, brownies and other cake like desserts--but not cookies. The cakes etc come out great and moist and you can't taste the applesauce. This really helps anyone trying to lower their fat intake. Doing little things like this adds up.  I have served these many times and no one ever questioned them.

3 egg white to 1 whole egg

I also substitute applesauce for buller or oil, you can do half applesauce if you are making cookies.  Some recipes it works, but the cookies will turn out more cakelike, so I prefer to not use applesauce in cookies. 

You can also use mashed bananas, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes in most recipes and pureed prunes in chocolate recipes.

Thanks for the input Diane and Christa.  I'm a pretty decent regular food cook but don't have a good handle on dessert.

My mother is diabetic so we use 'no sugar added' cake mixes which only takes water and they come out very very dry tasting.  Last week I made a no sugar added chocolate cake.  Instead of the 3/4 cup of water I substituted 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, and 1/4 cup cannola oil.  It was much better, however, it was still a tad bit dry!  I'm going to start trying homemade cakes with splenda next.

I love using unsweetened applesauce in cakes and fuitbreads!  I use a 1:1 ratio for the oil.  It works really really well in zucchini bread, banana bread, and carrot loaf.  They always come out moist, and no one ever misses the fat.

The other thing I've started doing is mixing FiberSure into my baking.  I convince myself that the cake is good for me that way ;)

If you find that the cookie texture isn't good when you use applesauce, consider baking the recipe as bars.  You might need to put a sheet of waxed paper or parchment in the pan (and spray pan before and after the paper), because the bars might be a bit stickier with applesauce instead of oil.

I find substituting applesauce for oil or butter works best when baking 'quick breads' such as zucchini bread, banana bread, etc., other wise, it becomes too dry and the texture is'wrong.' (imo)

I'm so excited!  I decided to try making a "healthy" bread pudding and it didn't suck!  It actually tasted quite good.  I used some stale challah (?spelling) bread (basically a egg based bread from my understanding).  I put 2 eggs, cinnamon, applesause, 2 cups of skim milk and about a cup of light yogurt, vanilla, half a cup of sugar and some splenda...I cooked it for about an hour and it actually came out good!  No butter, no cream and very little sugar.  Even my husband ate it! 

Bleh...okay maybe I took the healthy baking too far.  Tried making some sugar free fat free banana and oatmeal muffins.  Let's just say it was a lesson well learned.  I didn't even finish half of one.  Strangely my mom seemed to like them...so I gave ALL of them to her.  Who knows maybe she didn't want to hurt my feelings and fed it to the garbage disposal later.  :)