By Kimberly J. Decker, Contributing Editor
The one thing better than a super-duper double-chocolate buttercream cheesecake brownie bar is a super-duper double-chocolate buttercream cheesecake brownie bar with nuts.
That’s a handy tip for bakers to remember these days, as an increasingly crowded baking case and a fickle market make it harder for “plain” baked goods to stand out. “Like all food industries, baking is highly competitive when it comes to winning customers,” says Brian Wood, product developer, FullBloom Baking Company, Newark, CA. “To do this, we need to make interesting, satiating foods that are a great value. Nuts have been used in baking to this end since ancient Egypt, and they continue to be key ingredients when we need to make something a little extra special with added flavor, texture or protein.”
Health nuts
“Nuts are found in all kinds of baked goods, from the obvious—cakes, cookies, muffins, breads, brownies, croissants, donuts, Danishes—to the not-so-obvious, like nut flours as substitutes for part or all of traditional wheat flour, or the use of nut butters and pastes to make great fillings or as a component of icings,” says Everett “Ed” Dudley, director of R&D, John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., Elgin, IL.
Nuts add taste, texture, an attractive appearance and the general sense that the product delivers a premium. In its North American Consumer Awareness, Attitudes & Usage Study, the Almond Board of California (ABC), Modesto, CA, found that consumers pick almonds because they “taste better,” are “more nutritious,” are “heart-healthy” and are “low in saturated fat,” says Harbinder Maan, manager, North America ingredient and category marketing, ABC. “All of this is great news for food professionals looking for easy ways to walk that fine line between indulgence and nutrition.”
Walnuts contain antioxidants, protein, fiber, magnesium and phosphorous, and “are a rich source of good polyunsaturated fat (PUFA), including alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA, the plant form of omega-3 fatty acid,” says Tina Salter, author of the cookbook “Nuts,” and a consultant, California Walnut Commission, Folsom, CA. “One ounce of walnuts contains 18 grams of total fat, of which 13 grams are PUFA and 2.5 grams are ALA.”
Peanuts, too, hold their own nutritionally. According to Raffaela Marie Fenn, president and managing director, National Peanut Board, Atlanta, peanuts “contain more protein than any other nut. And peanut butter is among the most-affordable protein options available, upping nutrition and flavor at a lower cost.” She cites studies showing that peanuts and peanut butter may aid weight management, and notes that, as a low-glycemic food, peanuts “may help balance the blood-sugar impact of foods that are higher on the glycemic index.”
Form fits function
The ever-widening variety of nut forms and ingredients starts with the usual halves, dices, slices and chops. Salter recommends big, bold walnut halves for glazing and as attractive toppings on baked goods, whereas she considers pieces and chops the best choice within a baked good, as in a quick bread or muffin.
