I have done some experimenting with substituting pumpkin puree for half the fat when baking. It works very well and gives an extra delicious taste (and it's more nutritious). I then wondered if I could substitute almond paste for half the fat in baking products.
Pure almond paste is made of almonds, sugar, and water. When comparing 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp almond paste, the latter has 24 fewer calories, 13 fewer grams of total fat, 13.5 fewer grams of saturated fat, 19 more of carbs, 2 more grams of fiber, 4 more grams of protein. Almond paste already has sugar in the product, so I cut back on the amount of sugar in the recipe. Almond paste is soft, but don't turn to a liquid like melted butter does. So it works well for recipes where you crumb the soft butter and flour together. That's what I did with this recipe, so be prepared to get your hands a little messy.
What you'll need:
For the bottom layer:
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
- 2 tbsp almond paste
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 2 tbsp melted butter
For the filling:
See previous recipe: Cranberry Sauce
For the topping:
- 1/4 cup four
- 1/3 cup oats
- 2 1/2 tbsp almond paste
- 1 1/2 tbsp orange juice
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
What to do:
1. Make Cranberry Sauce from previous post.
2. Preheat oven to 325*F. Combine the first 8 ingredients (through salt) in a medium bowl. Mix together with your hands, pinching together the ingredients to mix in the almond paste. Mixture should look crumbs. Add in vanilla, melted butter, and orange juice mixing constantly with a wooden spoon. Mixture should not be dry, nor should it be really sticky.
3. Spray a 9x9 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread out mixture in the pan. Top with cranberry sauce.
4. Mix together all the ingredients for the topping and pinch together in the same manner as the first mixture. Mixture should look like crumbs, and should be much drier than the first mixture. Sprinkle over the cranberry mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.
Pure almond paste is made of almonds, sugar, and water. When comparing 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp almond paste, the latter has 24 fewer calories, 13 fewer grams of total fat, 13.5 fewer grams of saturated fat, 19 more of carbs, 2 more grams of fiber, 4 more grams of protein. Almond paste already has sugar in the product, so I cut back on the amount of sugar in the recipe. Almond paste is soft, but don't turn to a liquid like melted butter does. So it works well for recipes where you crumb the soft butter and flour together. That's what I did with this recipe, so be prepared to get your hands a little messy.
Cranberry Almond Oatmeal Bars
What you'll need:
For the bottom layer:
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
- 2 tbsp almond paste
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 2 tbsp melted butter
For the filling:
See previous recipe: Cranberry Sauce
For the topping:
- 1/4 cup four
- 1/3 cup oats
- 2 1/2 tbsp almond paste
- 1 1/2 tbsp orange juice
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
What to do:
1. Make Cranberry Sauce from previous post.
2. Preheat oven to 325*F. Combine the first 8 ingredients (through salt) in a medium bowl. Mix together with your hands, pinching together the ingredients to mix in the almond paste. Mixture should look crumbs. Add in vanilla, melted butter, and orange juice mixing constantly with a wooden spoon. Mixture should not be dry, nor should it be really sticky.
3. Spray a 9x9 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread out mixture in the pan. Top with cranberry sauce.
4. Mix together all the ingredients for the topping and pinch together in the same manner as the first mixture. Mixture should look like crumbs, and should be much drier than the first mixture. Sprinkle over the cranberry mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.
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