I know I’m writing for and to a VERY savvy group of people. You folks know your way around the kitchen. Because of this, I tend to hesitate to pass on what I think is a hot tip—I second guess myself usually, thinking, “Ah, they probably already know this.” BUT in the off chance there may be a few of you who don’t know this, I’ll pass it on.

Today’s ridiculously high egg prices don’t need to get us down. In fact, let’s thumb our noses at them! While I understand it’s disheartening for those of us who love our bacon and eggs, our quiche, etc., we can at least still bake with abandon, because we simply do not need eggs for this comforting pastime.

In fact, Ree, over at www.thepioneerwoman.com, will tell us all about oodles of ways to bake without ‘em. She says, “For recipes that use eggs as a binder or for moisture, substitutes like applesauce or oil can do the trick. If the eggs act as a leavener, try a combination of vinegar and baking powder or baking soda (1 tablespoon vinegar or apple cider vinegar + 1 teaspoon baking soda = 1 egg).” Hold onto that thought; there’s a scrumptious muffin recipe below that uses this baking soda + vinegar trick I think you’ll appreciate.

But just look at her other suggestions. You may already be using some of these ideas:

AQUAFABA. This magical ingredient is just liquid from canned chickpeas. It makes a great binder on its own, but here’s a bonus—you can also whip the liquid to create an egg-free meringue. (3 tablespoons aquafaba = 1 egg)

FLAX SEEDS = WARM WATER. When ground flax seeds and water combine, it creates a thick mixture that's similar in texture to eggs. (1 tablespoon finely ground flax seeds + 3 tablespoons warm water + 10 minutes = 1 egg)

VEGETABLE OIL + BAKING POWEDER + WATER. This easy is ideal for recipes where eggs are the only leavener, such as quick breads like muffins and scones. (1½ tablespoons vegetable oil + 1 teaspoon baking powder + 1½ tablespoons water = 1 egg)

APPLESAUCE. Ideal for baked goods where there’s another leavening agent at work, this substitute is used for binding and moisture. Unsweetened plain applesauce works best for the swap, but if sweetened or flavored is what you have, just cut back on other sweeteners in the recipe or save the swap for baked goods that will benefit from the extra spice. (1/4 cup unsweetened plain applesauce = 1 egg)

MASHED BANANA. This substitute doesn’t necessarily help baked goods rise, but it does provide lots of moisture. And of course, because of that distinct banana-y flavor, you’d only use this approach when that flavor works with everything else in the recipe. (1/4 cup mashed banana = 1 egg)

CHIA SEEDS + WATER. Similar to ground flaxseed and water, this replacement works best as a binder in quick breads and brownies. Baked goods will likely turn out slightly denser, as this substitution isn’t able to trap air pockets like the classic egg. (1 tablespoon chia seed + 1/3 cup water + 15 minutes = 1 egg)

ARROWROOT POWDER = WATER. This is used more for binding and moisture, ideally for baked goods that call for another leavening agent. (3 tablespoons water + 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder = 1 egg)

YOGURT. This substitution is ideal for baked goods where there's another leavening agent at work like baking powder or baking soda. It'll help with binding and moisture. (1/4 cup yogurt = 1 egg)

It should be said that the finished product won't be exactly the same as when you use real eggs. The texture may be a bit different, but overall, you can expect the flavor to remain intact and the texture to be pleasant.

Now, as promised above, here is a favorite recipe that works well with most of these substitutions (I wouldn’t use the mashed banana or applesauce, but the others are just fine as egg replacements in this.) This recipe calls for the vinegar + baking soda technique.