Pie fillings usually have very few ingredients, so it is easy to substitute parts of the recipe to create a healthier pie. The more difficult part is the pie crust.
1. Next time, try a graham cracker crust. It has less fat and calories than other cookie crumb crusts such as ginger snap or Oreo.
2. Use less butter to moisten the crumbs in the crust. Then create the rest of the moisture with honey, agave nectar, or corn syrup.
3. Add spices to your crust for extra flavor that may be missing due to less fat or sugar. I love to mix and match my spices. Try cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom.
4. Try filling your pie with a less fatty or cream-based filling. Add fresh fruits instead.
5. Try this recipe for a perfectly healthy graham cracker pie crust.
- 2 tablespoons reduced-calorie light butter
- 2 tablespoons apricot spread
- 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1/3 cup Grape Nuts cereal
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
Heat butter and apricot spread in microwave until just melted. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, cereal, cinnamon and brown sugar in a large bowl. Stir in melted butter mixture using a fork. Press the mixture into pie plate and continue with your recipe.
Here is a link to the original recipe.
Hope these 5 tips for baking healthy pies are useful to you the next time you want a less heavy pie that still has lots of flavor.
