Whole wheat flour: healthy treats of your holiday wish list? Make them happen with whole wheat flour

What with all the cookies, pies and confections, holiday season is sweet-tooth heaven. (That's why we love it!) But wouldn't it be great if you could sneak a few healthy benefits into a soft, spicy gingerbread man or an ooey-gooey piece of pie--without having it taste, you know, healthy?

Whole wheat flour lets you do just that. It contains both bran (the outer skin) and germ (the protein- and nutrient-packed heart of the kernel)--two components processed out of refined or white flour. So using whole wheat flour actually adds some nutritional qualities to baked goods.

There are two ways to bake with whole wheat: Showcase it in all its textured, nutty-flavored glory, or sneak it into sweets traditionally made with white flour. Our recipes do a little of both. To experiment on your own, replace one-third of the white flour called for with whole wheat flour. If that works, you can go up to half-and-half white/whole wheat. Beyond that ratio, though, whole wheat usually makes batters and doughs too dense and even bitter, so be patient with your experiments. As you'll see from the recipes here (which took several tries to get just right), the pay-off can be great.

Nutritional Profile

1 cup of whole wheat flour contains: Calories 407, Fat 2g, Protein 16g, Fiber 14.5mg, Iron 4.5mg, Niacin 7.5mg

From the USDA Notional Nutrient Database