Use a homemade prune puree made with dried prunes and water to replace the fat (oil or butter) for healthier baked goods.
Prune puree may not be the best sounding, or the best looking thing in the world, but it’s magical. Almost as magical as college acceptance letters… almost.
Did you know prune puree can replace the fat (i.e. butter or oil) in baking? And the best part is that while cutting down on the fat, it doesn’t actually change the flavor, and it keeps the baked goods perfectly moist. It truly is life changing! Also, because prunes are inherently sweet, this adds a slight sweetness to baked goods so you might even be able to cut down on the sugar using this homemade prune puree. I know, it sounds kind of silly, but it’s a great option to use in rich, chocolate desserts or in muffin and quick breads.
I first got this idea from Martha Stewart, who uses prune puree in one of her brownie recipes. The brownies were so good, ever since I’ve been using prune puree often in my baking. Often you’ll hear of using apple sauce or some kind of fruit puree to replace fat, but this was the first time I heard of using prune puree and I’m definitely converted. Martha Stewart just has so many great ideas.
A prune is basically a dried plum (hence the sweetness). When dried they end up tasting rather sweet, and have a really sticky texture. Prunes are a very dark brown, and when pureed with water it turns into a lighter brown as seen in the photo (I know, not the most appetizing puree in the world). Because of their dark colour, I find they work best in dark coloured desserts, (i.e. chocolate) so far I’ve baked them in my brownies and muffins. I wouldn’t recommend using prunes in a vanilla dessert or in a dessert where butter is the star of the show — there are just some desserts that are meant to be calorie and fat loaded morsels, and there is nothing wrong with that, it’s all about balance.
Try my homemade prune puree in these recipes:
Double chocolate pecan pie bars
Whole wheat pumpkin quick bread
Homemade Prune Puree
Pin PrintIngredients
- 1 cup 250g/8 oz dried prunes
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoon water
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, combine water and dried prunes. Pulse until it has the texture of a sticky pure (I pulsed between 15-20 times!) It will be slightly thick, and may have a few chunks.
Notes
Let me know if you use this homemade prune puree in your baking — would love to hear how you use it in the comments below.
Jean Jurlina
I pour hot water over the prunes and leave them for around 10 minutes then place in food processor , add the the left over water gradually until it is a good consistancy.I find a 250grms pitted prunes makes approx 2 cups of puree, lovely !
I also make date puree in exactly the same way
OneshotWunder
8 oz is actually 228 grams. So is it 8 oz or 250 grams?
Louisa Clements
Hi there, thanks for catching that it should be 228 grams! I hope you enjoy.
Vicki
I’m wondering if soaking the prunes in warmer water for a bit then pureeing them would be easier? Just a thought.
Lou
That’s a great idea Vicki, let me know if you give it a try!
emersunrose
Is oil/fat replacement in recipes a 1:1 thing?
Lou
I’ve used prune puree a few times in my baking and I’ve just done a 1:1 replacement and it’s worked fine. But, I’ve read a few articles where they say for each 1/2 cup of fat, replace with 1/3 cup prune puree. Hope that helps!
rewrew
This may be a silly question, but can you use the puree right away? Or does it have to be stored for a month?
Lou
You can use it right away :)
Louberry
@Anonymous – Oh no!! Were you pulsing your blender? I found that pulsing with the chop setting helped to break up the prunes at first and then I moved it to the puree setting.
Anonymous
I tried with my blender but smoke started coming out of it (the blender, not the prunes!) and then it gave up altogether :-(
I think I need to get a food processor.
Shirley
Good to know, Miss Lou…I shall try it…You even make a photo of "Prune Puree" look good…Haha…