Following the lead of many schools around the country, our local high school is right now considering a ban on bake sales, citing recent federal guidelines that limit high-fat, high-calorie foods served during school hours.
I’m not alone in my view that banning bake sales is ineffectual, and perhaps even counter-productive, in the fight against childhood obesity. Forget the fact that bake sales are a major source of revenue for many school groups. Bake sales encourage people to make food at home, which is at least half the battle toward getting people to eat better. Home-baked goods tend to be far less processed, and contain fewer unhealthy fats, than the packaged goods that many kids would otherwise pick up at the corner mart or vending machine after school.
But that doesn’t mean that we can’t do better when it comes to bake sales. I recently read a thought-provoking blog post about school sweet bans by Claire McCarthy, M.D., a Boston Children’s Hospital pediatrician. As a mom who’d regularly sent cupcakes into school for her kids’ birthdays, she initially thought their school was crazy to disallow celebratory sweets. But then she considered the fact that “there’s something to be said for setting standards—and an example.” Kids get “35 to 40 percent of their daily calories at school,” she says, citing American Academy of Pediatrics’ research. “It’s not only important that the food they get in school be as healthy as possible, it’s important to use the opportunity (any opportunity, these days) to teach children and families about eating healthy.”
And then I recalled that the last treat I’d made for the kids’ school was Pokemon cupcakes—made from a box mix, since all the time I had the evening before was devoted to painstakingly decorating the cupcake tops into “poke-balls” (if you have a boy between the ages of 6 and 9, you might know what that means). Suffice it to say, the frosting contained enough red dye #40 to merit a case study into the effects of food coloring on kids’ behavior. The truth is, while I’m a passionate home baker, and make wholesome quick breads and muffins weekly, when I’m presenting treats for a birthday or bake sale, I’m a shameless crowd-pleaser. The more fat, sugar, sprinkles, and colors, the more likely kids are to gobble them up.
It got me thinking that instead of banning bake sales, schools should consider using them as an opportunity to get kids excited about slightly better-for-you sweets. I’m not talking about carrot sticks; think carrot muffins, maybe, with heart-healthier canola or coconut oil replacing butter. The goal is for slightly less sugar and fat, and maybe a few more nutrients, than your average Betty Crocker whip-up. Many of us have some healthier baked good recipes up our sleeve, and a growing number of cookbooks and websites are devoted to making treats more wholesome. Kids might balk at first, to see a table devoid of gummy-worm-topped cupcakes and jumbo frosted brownies, but I’m sure between a healthier bake sale and no bake sale at all, they’ll choose the former.
Here are a few recipes that have been kid-tested and approved among my kids’ neighborhood pals (this was an extra-fun week of blog research), and a link to more, below. *Note that two recipes contain tree nuts, and substitutions should be made in schools with tree-nut-allergic children.*
Brown Rice Krispy Treats
Would you believe that Rice Krispy treats that contain whole grains and zero dairy butter can actually taste delicious? I was a skeptic; no longer. (I tried substituting different natural syrups for the marshmallows, but the effect just isn’t the same; and kids can tell.) Cut into squares to fit into decorative cupcake liners to serve. Makes about 20 2-3-inch squares.
2 cup marshmallows
1/4 cup almond butter
3 tablespoons canola, sunflower, or coconut oil (I prefer coconut oil here)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 cups brown rice cereal
Heat marshmallows over low-medium eat, stirring with wooden spoon or silicone spatula until melted smooth. Add oil and almond butter to warm mixture, until smooth and creamy, and turn off heat. Add vanilla and salt, and then fold in cereal. Using hands coated with a little oil, press mixture into square or small rectangular baking dish. Let cool and set before slicing.
Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes
It’s the perfect time of year for these delectable treats, which taste a lot like strawberry ice cream. The pale pink color in the frosting comes from strawberry puree. Thanks to Jen and Emily from Layers of Happiness for the recipe. It contains more sugar, butter, and white flour than might considered “heart healthy,” but we love the addition of the fresh fruit and extra egg whites to the recipe. Makes 12.
(Cupcakes)
1 1/2 cups whole fresh strawberries
1 1/2 cups flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
(Frosting)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 and put cupcake liners in a 12-cup muffin pan. Sift dry ingredients and set aside. Remove green tops from strawberries and pulse them in food processor or blender until pureed smooth. In a small bowl, combine milk, vanilla, and 2/3 cup of the strawberry puree. In third, large bowl, cream butter and sugar with a mixer until fluffy, and then add eggs and whites. Slowly add dry ingredients, alternating with milk-strawberry mixture, until combined. Scoop batter into muffin cups and bake for 23-24 minutes. While baking, make frosting: Cream butter, salt and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and 1/4 cup of strawberry puree. Don’t over mix or frosting will be too fluffy; aim for an ice-cream-like consistency. When cupcakes are cooled, spread with room temperature icing. Top with strawberry slice if desired.
Pumpkin Muffins
Even kids who hate squash—dare I say, most?—tend to love pumpkin muffins. A muffin junkie, I’ve experimented with several recipes, and really like this one, which I adapted from a Food Network recipe created by Dana White, R.D., Happy Healthy Kids’ nutrition advisor and author of First Bites: Superfoods for Babies and Toddlers. Makes 18 regular sized or 36 mini muffins.
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup canola, sunflower, or coconut oil
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can of pumpkin puree
optional: Pumpkin seeds for sprinkling on top
Preheat oven to 375. Put cupcake liners in muffin pan. In large bowl,mix brown sugar, egg, oil, milk, vanilla, and pumpkin. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and sift with fork. Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet ones, taking care not to over mix. Fill muffin cups with batter and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds if desired. Bake for 25 minutes (for regular sized muffins) or 12-14 minutes (for mini muffins).
Zucchini Chocolate-Chip Bread
No one says no to this bread, and it’s as good for breakfast as it is for after school. Chocolate chips are optional but pair so nicely with the herby zucchini, I think they’re a must. Serve individual slices in decorative, labeled bags or pretty paper plates.
3/4 cup canola, sunflower, or coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups white flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 and butter and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan or 2-3 mini loaf pans. In large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, honey, vanilla, and lastly, the beaten eggs. In separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients with a fork. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until combined and smooth; don’t over mix. Fold in zucchini, and then chocolate chips. Bake 50-60 minutes until bread is slightly golden on edges and toothpick comes out dry (a few moist crumbs are okay).
Dark Chocolate and Hazelnut “Nutella” Bark
Dana White introduced me to this antioxidant-packed recipe, which she created for the Food Network. Keep it in the freezer in between nibbles, and package in cellophane or ziplock baggies (with tops cut off and tied with ribbon).
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
16 ounces dark chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup brown rice cereal
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat and set aside. In a double boiler or microwave, slowly melt chocolate. Stir gently with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until smooth, and fold in cereal. Spread in a rectangular shape to 1/4 inch depth on baking sheet (doesn’t have to be perfect). Sprinkle nuts over evenly and press gently into surface. Let cool at room temperature for 1-2 hours or in the ‘fridge for 30-45 minutes. Break into pieces.
Fruit Flower Skewers
As the folks at Edible Arrangements found out long ago, fruit seems to just taste better when it’s cut into pretty shapes and put on a stick. Purchase short skewers at your hardware store, supermarket or here, and spring for these adorable flower shapes cookie cutters, which you can repurpose for cookies, Play-Doh, and other projects for years to come. Chill until just before selling; you can arrange in a flower pot, spearing the ends into a piece of styrofoam or floral foam tucked in the bottom, just like the pros do, or on a chilled plate.
1 watermelon
1 cantaloupe or honeydew melon
1 bunch grapes, halved
1 pint strawberries
Slice melons width-wise, scraping away seeds at center. Use flower shapes to cut various size blooms. Layer on stick, with halved grapes between to look like flower centers. Top with hulled strawberries.
For more ideas, check out the Martha Stewart article, Better (For You) Bake Sale, and this Cooking Light Bake Sale post.
It’s important to get other parents on board with a plan for healthier bake sales at the beginning of the school year. (Buckle up for some blowback!) Present the idea to the school principal and at a parent association meeting, and offer to “test drive” a sale before making it a regular feature of the school year. Here are other tips, some mine, and some from a helpful PTO article on the subject.
| How to Hold a Healthier Bake Sale |
|---|
| Tips adapted from ptotoday.com |
| Look at traditional recipes and figure out ways to make them more health-conscious. In most recipes, the fat or sugar can be reduced by one-fourth to one-third without changing the texture. If you reduce both the fat and the sugar too dramatically, however, you will alter the texture. Always test drive recipes once or twice before serving them at a sale. |
| To further reduce the fat content, substitute applesauce or yogurt for up to half the oil or fat in the recipe. |
| Add seasonal fruit or veggies whenever possible. Berries, carrots, bananas, pumpkin, and zucchini add mild flavor that kids tend to like. |
| Make recipes healthier by boosting the fiber content. Adding oatmeal or nuts will help. In many recipes, particularly bread and muffins, you can substitute whole wheat flour for up to half the all-purpose flour and end up with the same yummy baked treats. |
| Ask parents to try to steer clear of store-bought treats and baked goods made from a mix. |
| Offer some treats for adults and children who are allergic. A gluten-free brownie, for example, can be made with black beans instead of flour. The Celiac Sprue Association has a list of gluten-free dessert recipes; you can also find recipes for many other specialized diets online, including ideas for diabetes-friendly or lactose-free sweets. |
| Offer the great health beverage of choice: water. |
| Make it easy for parents to find healthy recipes to prepare before the sale, and learn to make them at home after. Assign a baking-savvy parent to gather and print or email out a simple "cookbook." |
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