Help me make over my choc weetbix slice!

So, DS (oh, ok, me too!) loves choc weetbix slice as a treat. I've been working on making it healthier, but can't figure out a workable substitute for the butter that doesn't make it crumbly.

This is the basic recipe with my substitutions in brackets:

1 cup SR flour (whole meal SR flour)
3 crushed weetbix
1/2 cup brown sugar (1/4 cup brown sugar, or less)
Vanilla
1 tbs cocoa powder
1/2 cup coconut (1/3 cup coconut, plus a little oat bran if I feel like it)
125g melted butter

Mix together, bake at 180 degrees for about 15 mins. Cool, ice, cut.


I've tried substituting all or part of the butter for oil and substituting part of the butter for various combinations of oil, apple purée and milk, but its always crumbly! I know the oatbran and wholemeal flour dry it out even more too. My only other thought is margarine, but I'm not keen on using something not natural.

Any ideas, or any choc weetbix slice recipes that don't use melted butter?
TIA

Maybe try pureed avocado? And if it's too dry add a bit of milk. Not sure but might be worth a try.

Have you tried using coconut oil?
also you could substitute raw cacao powder instead of the cocoa powder?

Coconut oil works well

I would use coconut oil, coconut sugar and raw cacao powder.

Would I use the same quantity of coconut oil as butter? Does coconut oil have different binding properties than olive or rice bran oil? Never thought about coconut sugar, either.

Yes, I've been meaning to get some raw cacao powder too.

Thanks for the ideas! ;)

Coconut oil gets hard at room temp and is harder than butter so you wouldn't need as much.

Ok, so I'll experiment with less...thanks ;)

how did you go?

Butter is super healthy! The only thing I would sub it with is coconut oil which is also healthy. But they both have their own goodness going on so maybe 1/2 and 1/2.

Change the flour to spelt or sprouted wheat.

Change the sugar to honey or maple syrup.

Don't cut down on the coconut- that's the good stuff there. And absolutely don't replace any of it with oatbran.

Haven't made it again since - suffering stupid MS again, so doing very little atm.
Where do I get coconut oil? Couldn't see it at Coles or Woolies. Am I looking in the wrong section - is it refrigerated? Or do I need to go to a health food store?

I know the coconut is the good stuff, but DS won't eat it if I put too much in, lol! It's my fave part :)

If I change the sugar to honey, will that help it bind do you think?

Why not oat bran?

I have this exact base recipe to and substitute coconut oil for the butter, but only use about 80grams. I substitute coconut flower nectar for sugar. It is VERY sweet so I use about one quarter. I sometimes substitute some of the flour for rolled oats too. Like a PP said, I also use raw cacao instead of cocoa powder. So, all in all I tell myself that I'm giving the kids a significantly healthier option ;-)

I buy my coconut oil normally online (much cheaper in bulk), but if I'm desperate any good health food shop will have some.

HTH

Yanno butter isn't unhealthy? In fact it's got oodles of health benefits (although I'm not sure if they all survive the baking process)

Agreed Zazou. My main reason for substituting butter is allergies, not health.

Yeah, I've never worried too much about butter in the past. DS eats it straight, absolutely loves the stuff! I suppose I'm more just trying to sneak some extra 'goodness' in if I can. DS refuses to eat fruit (though by some miracle he's eaten two apples in two days, his first straight fruit since February!), but I still like to give him something 'treat like' occasionally. Besides, I really like it for some reason. ;) There's only so many hidden fruit/vege scones, pancakes, muffins, slices and cakes we can make/eat.... especially when the fruit/veg has to be puréed or it won't be touched!

Have you seen the cookbook that Jerry Seinfeld's wife wrote about hiding vegetables?

:

---

Have you seen the cookbook that Jerry Seinfeld's wife wrote about hiding vegetables?

---

I love this book! We have made carrot and spinach brownies and an oat, blueberry spinach slice the kids were none the wiser.

The butter and the coconut are the healthiest things in the recipe IMO. Kids needs fat for brain development. If you are going to ditch anything, get rid of the sugar. The wholemeal flour is not any better than white flour. Sub it for coconut flour.

You can get coconut oil from Woolworths in the Asian food section.

:

---

Have you seen the cookbook that Jerry Seinfeld's wife wrote about hiding vegetables?

---

No. Might check it out though. I've tended to give up on most 'hidden recipes' as they only grate stuff and DS will painstakingly go through and pick every bit out, or just flat out refuse to eat it! We suspect there's a bit of a sensory issue going on, so are dealing with that...I remember when DS was little (and ate everything!), I used to vow I'd never hide fruit or veges in anything and anyone who did was doing things all wrong! Ha! Now we hide them in everything... ;)

This book uses purees so nothing to pick out, which is why it works.

:

---

The wholemeal flour is not any better than white flour. Sub it for coconut flour.

---

Do you think coconut flour would work? I'm not used to subbing in recipes so I didn't recommend it but it's the best choice for sure. It's all we use :D I do know that you need a lot less of it so try 1/4 cup of coconut flour in place of the 1 cup of flour.

With the raw cacao and pureed veg like beets you could possibly get rid of the flour all together.

Is the recipe baked? You can also add an egg or two to bind it together and that will add extra nutrition and healthy fats. The more fat & protein you can get into it the more satiating it will be too so you'll eat less at a time which will help you eat less of the starches and sugar in it.

I mainly said no oatbran because you already have a stack of refined carbs in there with the weetbix and flour and there's no need for more- just overloading your body with sugar to process.