general baking tips for whole wheat

Kippercat, I read from your post on the book, that you are maybe having some troubles incorporating healthier ideas into traditional baking recipes.  I too went through this years ago.  I was a sugar addict and it took me a year to get it out of my diet.  I grew up on white flour and sugar cane products.  So, it has been quite a journey to learn how to achieve the result that I will enjoy and do it with healthier ingredients.  Not an easy task, but able to do in most situations.  Believe it or not, in the last two years, I discovered that I could substitute date sugar for all of the flour in a cookie recipe ( like peanut butter cookies and chocolate chip) and get a great result.  I buy grain sweetened chocolate chips and the date sugar at a health food store.  I found that butter or coconut(expeller pressed or organic) will give a good pie crust, with whole wheat or spelt flour.  For pancakes, I just throw all my wet ingredients with extras(raisins,nuts,coconut,figs,bananas, spices, etc.) into a blender and then add all that to the bowl of the flour and baking powder.  I just mix enough for about a double recipe and test the texture and add anymore flour or milk if needed, it works out great.  Sometimes, I add a third of oat flour with the wheat or spelt.  My family loved the cheese/fruit braids or sticky buns with whole wheat.  I just add additional honey and butter and milk.  I also make the sauce for the sticky buns with liquid barley malt and butter.  It taste just like the ones you can buy.  Honey always adds moisture to a recipe.  Coconut oil use to be on the no-no list, until recently when it has been revealed that organic or expeller-pressed is very healthy for you.  I love it with scrambled eggs.  But it can be substituted in most recipes for the fat.  I also use the date sugar for a crumb topping that most would use brown sugar for, like crumb pies, cobblers ( I call mine, crumbles).   Just thought you might like the tips.