Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Four Ways to Healthier (and Allergen-Friendly) Holiday Baking

Monday, December 16, 2019, By Jen Plummer
Share

Here are some ways you can lighten up (and shake up) your favorite holiday treats:

Skip the Egg

The primary role of eggs when it comes to cookies and other baked goods is acting as a binder, thanks to their high protein content. If you are baking for someone who does not include eggs in their diet, you can make a flax “egg” by whisking one tablespoon of ground flaxseed (also sometimes called flaxseed meal) with three tablespoons of water and allowing the mixture to sit until it reaches an egg-like consistency (about five minutes). Generally speaking, this combination amounts to approximately one whole egg—it can be extrapolated for recipes calling for multiple eggs.

No Nuts? No Problem!

If you’re going the nut-free route due to an allergy or dietary restriction, get creative about other add-ins you can consider to enhance texture and taste. Dried fruit, oats, quinoa or other grains, crisped rice cereal, and pumpkin or sunflower seeds can all add interesting elements to your recipe. If you’re feeling adventurous, small amounts of fresh herbs or even potato chip or pretzel fragments can help bring your baked goods to the next level.

Dairy-Free Baking

If you’ve taken a stroll down the health food aisle at your local grocer recently, you may have noticed that there is no shortage of plant-based milk substitutes on the market. Depending on your preferences, almond, soy, cashew, coconut or oat milk can all generally be used as a one-to-one substitute for cow’s milk in a recipe. Go for unsweetened, unflavored varieties to minimize the impact on your recipe’s taste. If you’re looking for a dairy-free butter substitute, unrefined coconut oil and full-fat, plant-based margarines can be substituted in a one-to-one ratio as well.

Add Some Hidden Nutrition

You may be familiar with the hack of swapping out oil for applesauce in sweetbread and cake recipes to help lessen the calorie load while maintaining yummy moistness. But avocado in your cupcake frosting? Black beans in your brownies? Protein powder in your cookies? There are lots of sneaky ways to pack a nutritional punch into your treats. Search engines are your friend when it comes to the specifics!

 

  • Author

Jen Plummer

  • Recent
  • Former Orange Point Guard and Maxwell Alumna ‘Roxi’ Nurse McNabb Still Driving for an Assist
    Tuesday, July 8, 2025, By Jessica Smith
  • Empowering Learners With Personalized Microcredentials, Stackable Badges
    Thursday, July 3, 2025, By Hope Alvarez
  • Rose Tardiff ’15: Sparking Innovation With Data, Mapping and More
    Thursday, July 3, 2025, By News Staff
  • Paulo De Miranda G’00 Received ‘Much More Than a Formal Education’ From Maxwell
    Thursday, July 3, 2025, By Jessica Youngman
  • Law Professor Receives 2025 Onondaga County NAACP Freedom Fund Award
    Thursday, July 3, 2025, By Robert Conrad

More In Campus & Community

Former Orange Point Guard and Maxwell Alumna ‘Roxi’ Nurse McNabb Still Driving for an Assist

As point guard for the Orange women’s basketball team, Raquel-Ann “Roxi” Nurse McNabb ’98, G’99 was known for helping her teammates ‘make buckets’—a lot of buckets. The 1997 Syracuse University Athlete of the Year, two-time team MVP and three-time BIG…

Empowering Learners With Personalized Microcredentials, Stackable Badges

The University is enhancing its commitment to lifelong learning with digital badges, a tool that recognizes and authenticates the completion of microcredentials. The badges aim to support learners in their professional and personal development by showcasing achievements in short, focused…

Rose Tardiff ’15: Sparking Innovation With Data, Mapping and More

While pursuing a bachelor’s degree in geography in the Maxwell School, Rose Tardiff ’15 became involved with the Salt City Harvest Farm, a community farm near Syracuse where newcomers from all over the world grow food and make social connections….

Paulo De Miranda G’00 Received ‘Much More Than a Formal Education’ From Maxwell

Early in his career, Paulo De Miranda G’00 embarked on several humanitarian aid and peacekeeping assignments around the world. “When we concluded our tasks, we wrote reports about our field work, but many times felt that little insight was given…

Law Professor Receives 2025 Onondaga County NAACP Freedom Fund Award

College of Law Professor Suzette Meléndez, director of the Syracuse Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic, was honored with a 2025 Onondaga County NAACP Freedom Fund Award at their 45th Annual Freedom Fund Award Dinner. Meléndez received the Maye, McKinney & Melchor Freedom…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.