Hey Reader!

It’s cookie week, and there’s only one baker in the tent. Feeling pretty good about my chances.

In the ninth issue of BakedLean Weekly, we’ve got:

• Apple butter oatmeal, cherry winks, and peanut butter blossoms to cram your cookie tray.
• A protein-boosted pineapple upside-down cake with guilt-free macros.
• An invitation to share your family recipe that could stand to be baked lean!

Apple Butter Oatmeal Cookies Soft oatmeal cookies with apple butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg, finished with fluffy apple butter cinnamon frosting. Plenty of oat texture underneath, plenty of frosting on top. These belong next to a cup of coffee on a cool morning. MACROS PER FROSTED COOKIE: 132 calories | 1g protein | 6.5g fat | 18g carbs VIEW THE RECIPE →

Vintage Cherry Winks Chewy dates, pecans, and candied cherries inside a soft cookie with a crunchy cornflake coating. The little cherry on top makes them look ready for a holiday cookie tray, but I see no reason to wait. MACROS PER COOKIE: 85 calories | 1g protein | 4g fat | 11g carbs VIEW THE RECIPE →

Peanut Butter Blossoms Soft peanut butter cookies rolled in sugar and finished with a milk chocolate center. This version comes from a handwritten family recipe card—the kind of cookie that rarely needs an introduction. MACROS PER COOKIE: 140 calories | 2g protein | 8g fat | 17g carbs VIEW THE RECIPE →

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake: Low, Slow, Then Flip

For this week’s protein experiment, I sought to retain the traditional look of the bottom…err, top, of the upside-down cake, but give the whole thing a calorie diet and protein boost using casein, yogurt, zero-sugar cake mix and a brown sugar substitute for the batter.

That last ingredient deserves a little attention, though. Different brown sugar substitute blends can behave differently during baking or cooling:

• Allulose browns faster than regular sugar, so it can darken your final product. It also holds moisture well, which lends it to use cases like gooey desserts and sauces.
• Erythritol can recrystallize as it cools, leaving a gritty texture, particularly after chilling. So use caution using an erythritol-based substitute in toppings like streusel.

Since this cake is such a soft texture and has extra moisture from the fruit, I found that allulose suits the recipe quite well, but the difference between them is not as noticeable compared to recipes that call for a lot more brown sugar.

For this cake, keep it low and slow: 325°F for 45 minutes in an 8-inch aluminum pan. The lower heat gives the center time to bake through without the edges going too far.

Check that the center is set and a toothpick comes out without wet batter. The second-to-last step is simple: patience.

Wait exactly 15 minutes before flipping. That’s the tested rest for this cake: let it settle, but don’t leave it to cool completely in the pan. Loosen the edges, put a heatproof plate over the top, and use oven mitts to flip the plate and pan together. Let it finish cooling on the plate before slicing.

MACROS PER SLICE — ⅛ OF THE CAKE:
190 calories | 14g protein | 3g fat | 32g carbs
Includes the pineapple, cherries, and brown sugar-substitute topping.

VIEW THE RECIPE →

Pineapple upside-down cake is my mom’s go-to for cookouts and family gatherings. Making this version got me thinking about the desserts other families always expect someone to bring.

What’s yours?

Hit reply with your family’s go-to baked treat that you’d like me to “bake lean.” If you make it, feel free to share the recipe.

If a family member makes it, share what it is and who always makes it.

Whoever the baker, be sure to tell me what makes it so good so I don’t lose that element during the conversion!

Much love and happy baking, Jacob