Secrets Rediscovered

Several weeks back, Angela and I were discussing, at some length, low-fat baking. (Wait, don’t click on that mouse just yet; read on, it won’t be boring – at least, not in my opinion anyways .) Both of us seem to have a fondness for baking and indulging in (everyday, if we had our way) all things sweet and dessert-y, and yet both of us have, of late, started on an “eat healthier” drive, which, unfortunately, doesn’t leave much room for “sinful” cakes and other baked goodies. So, we have an ongoing quest to find good, delicious and easy-to-make recipes that are healthy and yummy at the same time.

In one of her emails, Angela mentioned Sandra Woodruff’s “Secrets of Fat-Free Baking” and “Secrets of Fat-Free Desserts”. From the latter book, she had made a scrummy-looking apple-topped cheesecake, which not only looked good, but which she said also had the “wow” taste factor. At the time, I was in the midst of a business trip (this was way back in August sometime). “Secrets of Fat-Free Baking” sounded very familiar; I was quite sure I too had a copy of the book. As soon as I got home, I rummaged through my sagging and over-bulging (I guess it needed to go on a diet too) bookshelf; and yes! I did have a copy. I must have purchased it, oh, maybe 7-8 years ago, but I have probably used it only once in all that time! I don’t even remember what it was I made from the book, but I do have some vague, obscure memory that the results of that baking expedition were less than stellar. That was the one and only time I made anything from that book. Since then it had lain forlornly forgotten and neglected in a dusty corner of my bookshelf.

As I had yet to be disappointed by any of the cookbooks Angela had recommended to me, I figured it was time to give this book and its recipes a re-look. Besides, 7-8 years ago, my baking skills were, let’s just politely say, negligible at best! The dismal results I had experienced then were probably more to do with the baker than the recipe!

I gently took the book down from its hiding place on the shelf; I could almost hear it heave a sigh of relief and gratitude. I could have sworn it gave me a huge grin of welcome; it would have probably given me a hug too, if it could. It was just so glad that it had now been remembered and “rescued” from a lifetime of obscurity – that it was about to have purpose in life again; to be made useful once more. It even knew what it would take to get me to use one of its recipes…

As I opened up the book, it fell open on a page with a picture of oatmeal fudge squares. These looked good. They sounded good (and healthy too). I liked all things chocolatey. I liked oatmeal. I liked walnuts. I also liked easy as 1-2-3 recipes. And this recipe had it all. Okay, that did it. These fudgey squares would be my “return outing” with Secrets of Fat-Free Baking. Now, could there be a simpler way of picking out a recipe, I ask?

And you know what? These turned out pretty good. The squares were richly chocolatey (as the whole family proclaimed), moist and dense. These were not “fudge” as such; they were almost brownie-like – dark, rich, dense, moist, fudgey brownie-esque squares of yummy sweetness.

The texture was very interesting – there was a light nubbliness from the oatmeal which gave the squares a nice toothsome bite, and which, I thought, set off the rich, moist, smoothness of the dough rather nicely. Added to this: a sprinkling of crunchy, aromatic walnuts; it made for a rather more-ish combination. Just how more-ish? Well, almost as soon as they came out of the oven, I had four pieces of the stuff in one sitting! And we didn’t have any leftovers for the next day.

This is something I would quite happily make for regular eating – a daily treat sort of thing; when it is not a drop-dead, jaw-hanging, weak-in-the-knees dessert that you are looking for, but rather when you just want a tasty, wholesome, sweet indulgence.

The recipe is so simple and fuss-free that you could even make it for breakfast if you are so inclined, and have something warm and indulgent to start the day with. This takes all of 10-15 minutes to put together, and another 20 or so minutes in the oven. It really doesn’t get any easier than this. Plus, almost all the ingredients are readily at hand in most kitchens (I would assume).

Oatmeal Fudge Squares
[adapted from Secrets of Fat-Free Baking by Sandra Woodruff]

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons quick-cooking oats
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce or mashed ripe banana
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons unbleached flour
¼ teaspoon salt (optional)
¼ cup honey
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

• Combine the oats and applesauce or banana, and let sit for 5 minutes.

• In the meantime, measure out and have ready the rest of the ingredients. (I sifted the cocoa powder and flour together. The book doesn’t call for that; so I guess you don’t have to, if you’d rather not.)

• Add the sugar, honey, egg whites and vanilla to the oats mixture. Mix well. Then dump in the cocoa powder mixture together with the walnuts and stir to combine. (The book says simply to throw all the ingredients in at the same time; I prefer doing it this way. But it’s a personal quirk, so feel free to do as the book suggests.)

• Coat an 8-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the batter evenly in the pan, and bake at 160C (325F) for about 22 minutes (and don’t ask me why she gave such a precise timing for this recipe), or until the edges are firm and the center is almost set.

• Cool to room temperature and cut into 16 squares.

Notes:
• I actually “over-baked” mine by a few minutes, to little ill-effect. I was otherwise occupied and only made it back to the kitchen about 3-4 minutes after the timer had gone off (22 minutes zipped by in such a jiffy). My squares were thus probably less fudgey than the recipe had intended; yet they were still very good. So, I think the baking time can be adjusted slightly to suit the level of fudginess (is there such a word?) that you desire.

• I would also recommend lining the bottom of the cake pan with parchment paper before coating it with cooking spray. While the dough pulls away from the sides as it cools, it is a lot harder to get it off the bottom of the pan without it breaking up somewhat. A piece of parchment paper will simplify life a great deal.

• And oh, as I was cutting the squares, I remembered one of the “complaints” I had about my previous experience with a recipe from this book. Both that and this recipe seemed to give a quantity of batter that produced very “flat” or “shallow” cakes. In this instance, it was fine – I quite liked the squares flat and slab-like. But for a more traditional look of “square” or “slice” baked goods, a double batch of the recipe is probably needed.

• I used banana instead of applesauce, simply because that was what I had at hand. This gave the fudge squares a subtle but distinct banana flavor. So, for those who do not like anything banana-y (like my brother), the applesauce would be the more subtle choice.

• There was also a fairly distinct, though not overly strong or overpowering taste of honey. Some people like this, some don’t. I’m thinking it may be nice to substitute honey with maple syrup or similar for a different twist to the flavors.

• I found the squares just a tad too sweet. I think I would be quite happy reducing the amount of sugar to ¼ cup the next time round. This will not only make it less sweet, but healthier too (with less refined sugar). You’re probably thinking: why not use just the honey and forget the sugar altogether. I’m suspecting that that will make it overly fudgey and probably too “wet”. But, having said that, I guess if you want something super fudgey, that could be an option.

• The walnuts are listed as “optional”; but I would highly recommend putting them in. I think they do make a world of difference, and do add much to the taste-experience of these fudge squares. Although they do raise the fat content somewhat, walnuts are incredibly nutritious, and I think that more than makes up it.

• These squares were great eaten as is. But I also had a couple with “lite” peanut butter spread over the top, and that lifted them up another notch. It worked really well! The light saltiness of the peanut butter was a perfect foil to the sweetness of the squares. And this had me thinking: I think it would make a lovely dessert to sandwich two pieces of these fudge squares together with peanut butter and then top it with a dark, bitter-sweet chocolate frosting.

• And as I’m typing this, it has just occurred to me that these fudge squares would be great crumbled over vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream, for another simple, quick to prepare, healthy and great tasting dessert.

Okay, enough of me and my bossy suggestions; I’ll just leave you to it…

Enjoy!

Copyright © 2004 Renee Kho. All Rights Reserved.
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