Book Review: Incredible Plant Based Desserts

I was generously offered a e-book copy ahead of release of Incredible Plant-Based Desserts by Anthea Cheng from the publisher for a honest review through Netgalley. My review also appears on Goodreads.

The book starts with some kitchen gadgets that may make your life easier. Then, even though it is called Incredible Plant-Based Desserts, the book starts with some breakfasts. Some of these may be  familiar or unfamiliar. I know I'm not a fan of ONOs or smoothies, so I didn't try some of these based upon that. There are some fun recipes, such as popsicles that people with kids would do well with. The snacks section was full of things I would consider desserts and not snacks, but that's probably my age showing.


Many of the recipes are sweetened by dates. Unfortunately, I do not care for dates - at all. Which means that any recipe that required dates would not be one I would try. I learned that even using dates for sweetening is not something I enjoy based on recipes I have made in the past. However, if you are looking for a less refined sweetener, dates is the way to go.

The layout is pretty. There are beautiful, vibrant color images, and little thought bubbles in painted swirls.

I only tried two recipes: the Chocolate Brownie Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies and the Cookie Dough Bars. I initially planned to try about six recipes. However, there are two big drawbacks to the recipes in this book: the ingredients can be expensive and hard to find (I paid $15 for just one ingredient for the cookie dough bars) and the resulting treats taste healthy or like non-vegans expect vegan food to taste. Unfortunately, for my family and I, those are deal breakers. My family asked me not to make any more of the planned recipes after two such duds.

I found the recipes to be very easy to make and not particularly time consuming. They also were very rich. So if you like rich treats, these will be right up your alley.

I would recommend this book to vegan families and parents who are trying to make healthier treats for the kids. Many of the recipes engage kids to participate with the decorating and are lunchbox ready.

Bloody Cups

Every year my office has a staff potluck at Halloween. It's fun. I took over the mantle from the previous organizer's impossible to fill shoes a few years ago. There's competitions for costumes and food - scariest and tastiest food. Last year I found these Bloody Cups from Elephantastic Vegan. These are super easy and super rich. Consider making these for your Halloween parties.

Ingredients:
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 tablespoon agave syrup
2 cups dark chocolate 

Directions:

1. Thaw frozen raspberries and mash into small bits. Warm over medium-high heat to accomplish this, if necessary. 
2. Mix in the agave syrup to sweeten.
3. Set aside to cool.
4. Melt the chocolate via your preferred method. My preferred method is to microwave for 30 seconds, stir, microwave for 30 seconds, stir, repeat until it's all melted. 
5. Keep warm and fluid.
6. Place about 8 or 9 cupcake liners in a muffin pan. 
7. Pour enough chocolate to cover the bottom of each liner by about 1/4" and tilt around so it spreads to all sides. 
8. Allow cupcake liner chocolate to harden in the fridge for a few minutes.
9. Add a teaspoon or so of raspberry filling to each chocolate base. 
10. Pour the remaining fluid chocolate over the filling and tilt as necessary to cover the filling completely. 
11. Harden in fridge for at least 5 minutes.
12. Remove cupcake liners before serving and allow small amounts of raspberry to leak out for a spooky effect.

Notes:

• Store in refrigerator until ready to eat.

Torta Sbrisolona

Back in 2011, I made a Torta Sbrisolona, and we really liked it. It was supposedly a dessert, but we treated it more like a sweet bread - one that you might eat for breakfast or with tea or in a cafe. Again, it was another recipe that used animal products, so I no longer could eat it. Given that the remaining child at home had the same exact complaints (it has nuts and is crunchy), but the adults loved it, I'd say my vegan version is a success!

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp ground flax meal
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup medium yellow cornmeal (I used Bob's Red Mill medium cornmeal)
2/3 cup fine yellow cornmeal (I used Alber's cornmeal)
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup caster sugar or baker's sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 cup vegan butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing
sifted icing or powdered sugar for dusting


Directions:

1. Whisk the 3 tablespoons flax meal with 1/2 cup water and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 350ºF and grease a 10 in round or square cake pan. 
3. In a very large mixing bowl (minimum 6 quarts, bigger is better), combine the plain wheat flour, the two cornmeals, plus the almonds, sugar and lemon zest.
4. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
5. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the flax and vanilla mixture. 
6. Give it a brief stir, then quickly finish working the dry ingredients into the wet using your hands to give a solid, pastry-like dough. Do not knead the dough; work it until it only just comes together.
7. Press the dough into the prepared pan to no more than 1" - 1 1/2" depth. Smooth the surface over a little but leave it dimpled as this will enhance the crumbly texture. 
8. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the top is just starting to brown. 
9. Leave the cake to cool in the pan. 
10. Dust with sifted icing sugar and break into chunks to serve.

Other details:

• Serves 8-12.
• This cake is traditionally smashed in the center to be devoured in crumbling chunks with sticky wines or grappa.
• Hazelnuts are sometimes used in place of, or in conjunction with, the almonds.

Double Chocolate Fudge Cookies (Vegan)

When I used to follow the Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer, he posted a Double Chocolate Fudge Cookie recipe that I enjoyed quite a bit, and reproduced here. I liked them so much that I wanted to make a vegan version. I had to try a couple times to get the correct ingredients, but this is a good replication. Whenever something could be vegan, presume a vegan version, ie chocolate.

Ingredients:

18 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, (1.5 bags)
4 oz unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees farenheit. 
3. Place 12 ounces (1 bag) chocolate chips in a large microwavable bowl (glass is best). Microwave on high 30 seconds then stir, repeat until chips are melted and smooth. 
4. Beat sugar, vanilla, and applesauce in a large bowl until thick. 
5. Add melted chocolate and beat until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. 
6. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in medium bowl and slowly add to the wet chocolate mixture, beating until blended. 
7. Stir in the remaining 6 oz (half bag) of chocolate chips by hand (the dough will be very hard.)
8. Roll by hand into 1-2 tablespoon size balls and place 2 inches a part on the parchment lined sheet.
9. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until cookies are just cooked enough to hold together. 
10. Cool by pulling parchment paper off the cookie sheets and placing on cool counter top until cookies are firm, then move to wire racks to finish cooling completely.

Notes:

• Makes about 2 dozen.

Strawberry Sweet Wine Compote Cake Bites

I loved these so much I made them for several events last summer. I based the recipe off One Green Planet's recipe. These use a mini-cupcake tin, which is a perfect bite-sized dessert.


Ingredients:
Strawberry Wine Compote:
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries (hulled and quartered)
1/2- 3/4 cup sweet wine, such as Riesling, Moscato, Gewürztraminer, or another sweet wine

1/4 cup sugar 

Cupcakes:
3/4 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

baking spray

Sweet Wine Frosting:
1/4 cup vegan margarine, room temperature
1/4 cup vegan shortening
3-3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons sweet wine of your choice (see above) 

Additional fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered

Additional powdered sugar

Directions:
To Make the Compote:

1. Combine the strawberries, wine and sugar in a small pot and heat over medium high heat. The amount of wine depends on your taste. The 3/4 cup measure will provide a fuller flavor, but it will take a little bit longer for the compote to cook down.
2. Bring the compote to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer. Let the compote simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The liquid should have reduced by about 3/4 and all of the strawberries should be broken down. 
3. Set aside and allow to cool.

To Make the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a mini cupcake tin with baking spray.
2. Use a whisk or a fork to mix the apple cider vinegar into the almond milk. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk or sift the mixture together.
4. Add the oil, sugar and vanilla to the almond milk mixture. Mix well and add to the flour mixture. 
5. Use a whisk to beat the mixture for a minute, getting rid of lumps. (Electronic mixers are good for this.)
6. Pour the strawberry wine compote into the batter and use a spatula to fold it in. Do not completely mixed, you want ribbons of the compote throughout the cupcakes.
7. Pour batter into each cupcake cup about half-full or so and bake for 9-11 minutes, until the cupcakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 
8. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the tin for about 10-15 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

To Make the Frosting:

1. Use an electric mixer to cream the margarine and the shortening together, beating for about 2 minutes. 
2. Add the powdered sugar half a cup at a time with the mixer on low. 
3. After 2 cups of powdered sugar are added, add 2 tablespoons of wine. 
4. Add 1 more cup of powdered sugar. 
5. Beat for 2 minutes on high (as high as your mixer can go without frosting being flung all over your kitchen!). Taste the frosting, add more sugar or wine as needed.
6. Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, frost them with a butter knife or using a pastry bag. 
7. Dust with powdered sugar for a pretty presentation.
8. Store covered at room temperature.

Notes:

• If you are desperate, you can use frozen strawberries for the compote, but they will not make pretty toppings.
• Makes 48 mini-cupcakes, or so.
• By the way, I shared these with a large group of people that I did not tell they were vegan and then once they found out (because 1 person knew I was vegan and saw me eat one, they were amazed.)

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting

In search for a vegan lemon cupcake that could possibly replace the delicious Lemon Creme Lemon Cupcakes, I found a recipe at Vegan Cupcake Recipes. The problem is that the recipe is slightly poorly written and there's no creamy center like the cupcakes I've made. In addition, the images shown look like there's a lemon custard in the middle, but that's clearly added in for the photos and the recipe for it is not given. All those drawbacks aside, the cupcakes are delicious. I've fixed the recipe so they issues should be less of a problem. I'm still on the hunt for a vegan cupcake that has all the components of a lemon cream lemon cupcake.

Ingredients:
1 cup vegan margarine, softened
2 cups organic unbleached sugar
1/2 cup non-dairy yogurt
1/4 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups vegan sour cream

Frosting
3 tablespoons vegan margarine, softened
2 1/4 cups organic unbleached sugar (what the recipe calls for, but I need to try it with powdered sugar)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1-2 tablespoons soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)


Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, cream margarine and organic unbleached sugar.
2. Mix in yogurt and applesauce.
3. Add lemon peel and vanilla, and continue to mix well.
4. In a second bowl, combine dry ingredients. 
5. Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream (batter will be thick).
6. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups with 1/4 cup of batter.
7. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
8. Cool for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool 
9. Frosting:
10. Cream margarine and organic unbleached sugar in large mixing bowl. 
11. Add lemon juice, vanilla, lemon peel, and soy milk; whip until smooth. This may take awhile as I never got it with granulated sugar to be smooth.
12. Frost cupcakes.

Notes:

• As I noted, either powdered sugar needs to be used in the frosting, which I haven't tried yet, OR you have to whip for a very long time to get nice smooth frosting.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Another version of these same whole wheat chocolate chip cookies. Yum!

Ingredients: 
3/4 cup sugar 
3/4 cup packed brown sugar 
1 cup Earth Balance (2 sticks), softened 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1/4 cup applesauce
2 cups whole wheat flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 pkg (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. Heat oven to 375.  
2. Mix sugars, butter, vanilla, and egg in large bowl.  
3. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt.  
4. Stir in chocolate chip cookies.  
5. Form 1-2" balls of dough and drop about 2” apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.  
6. Bake approximately 10 min or until light brown. 
7. Cool slightly until you can remove from sheet without disturbing cookie shape; remove from cookie sheet.  
8. Cool on wire rack.            

Notes:

• Makes ~3 dozen. 
• Prep: 10 min           
• Total: 20 min 
• You may want to use less than the entire package of chocolate chips.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Looking for very peanut buttery peanut butter cookies? Look no farther. I modified these from a recipe we've been making since we were married. It's a very easy recipe. 

Ingredients:
½ cup softened Earth Balance butter
½ cup peanut butter (only nuts, no other ingredients)
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 Ener-G egg or flax egg (1 Tbsp flax meal)
water
1 ¼ cup flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Soften butter as long as necessary.
2. Make the Ener-G egg or flax egg.
3. Preheat oven to 350º.
4. Cream butter, sugars, peanut butter, and Ener-G egg together.
5. Stir in dry ingredients. 
6. Roll into balls and distribute on cookie sheet. 
7. Dip fork in four and crisscross over each cookie ball. 
8. Bake at 350º for 10 to 12 minutes. 
9. Watch! These go from not-quite-done to overdone in less than 1 minute!

Note:

• Both the Ener-G egg and flax egg work. However, the Ener-G egg lets the peanut butter flavor shine through more.

Vegan Double Chocolate Cheesecake

I made this as a treat. It is super rich, which may only hit you after you've eaten too much. The original recipe from VegNews says it serves 8, but I think it is closer to 12, 16 if you are trying to be reasonable. This is a no-bake cashew-based cheesecake. Everybody loved this recipe. It isn't the easiest recipe to make. You'll need both your food processor and your high-speed blender. I also had a teenage son to make chocolate cookies into crumbs with a rolling pin. I've written the recipe here exactly as I made it.

Ingredients:

1¾ cups Newman's Chocolate Alphabet cookies, smashed into crumbs

¼ cup coconut oil, melted
cooking spray
7 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1½ cups raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, then drained
1 (14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
¼ cup agave nectar
¼ cup coconut oil, melted

Directions:

1. Soak the raw cashews in hot water for 30 minutes, then drain.
2. This is a good time to smash the cookies into crumbs.
3. Spray an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
4. Transfer cookie crumbs and melted coconut oil in a food processor and pulse to combine. The mixture needs to press into the springform pan and hold, so be sure that it sticks well together. If it is too dry, add more melted coconut oil. If it is too wet, add more crumbs. 
5. Transfer the crumb mixture to the prepared pan and spread evenly. Press the mixture into the springform pan using your fingers to make a firm, even crust. Refrigerate or freeze while you make the filling.
6.  Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. Be sure the melted chocolate stays fluid and does not harden.
7. In the blender, combine the drained cashews, coconut milk, agave, and coconut oil.
8. Blend until smooth. 
9. Add the melted chocolate and blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed.
10. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. 
11. Release air bubbles by tapping the pan on the counter. This may be an art because every time I tapped and released air bubbles, more seemed to form. 
12. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours. It may be left overnight.
13. Once set, run a sharp, thin knife along the edge and gently remove the sides of the pan.

Notes:

• Serves 12
• Top with your choice of berries, whipped cream, or chocolate curls. 
• Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to a week

Corn Bread Muffins

Please ignore the Halloween wraps; I thought we had a bunch of pan liners and these were the only ones I could find. Super tasty, it's very hard to eat just one. Based upon this recipe, I found appropriate mixes to make these.

Ingredients:
1 pkg Corn Muffin Mix
1 pkg yellow cake mix
2 Tbsp Ener-G Egg Replacer 
1/2 cup warm water
1/3 cup almond milk
1 1/3 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375^o.
2. Mix 2 Tbsp Ener-G Egg Replaces with 1/2 cup warm water.
3. Blend all ingredients together.  Beat for 2 minutes.
4. Pour into lined muffin/cupcake pans.  
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean.

Notes:

• Makes 20.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yum! These cookies are so easy to make. Throw in the wet stuff, mix, throw in the dry stuff, mix, put on cookie sheet, bake for 10 minutes, cookies! Also, I made two different types. I made the original recipe and these. The omnivore family went by and couldn't tell the difference between the two. 

Ingredients: 
3/4 cup sugar 
3/4 cup packed brown sugar 
1 cup Earth Balance (2 sticks), softened 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 Ener-G egg 
2 cups whole wheat flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 pkg (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. Heat oven to 375.  
2. Mix sugars, butter, vanilla, and egg in large bowl.  
3. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt.  
4. Stir in chocolate chip cookies.  
5. Form 1-2" balls of dough and drop about 2” apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.  
6. Bake approximately 10 min or until light brown. 
7. Cool slightly until you can remove from sheet without disturbing cookie shape; remove from cookie sheet.  
8. Cool on wire rack.            

Notes:

• Makes ~3 dozen. 
• Prep: 10 min           
• Total: 20 min 
• You may want to use less than the entire package of chocolate chips.

WW Chocolate Chip Cookies

These were in the digital but offline codex, so I made them again for my omnivore family. The only complaint I got was that there were too many chocolate chips. You can use the entire bag, or add them slowly, stopping when you get to a point you prefer.

Ingredients: 
3/4 cup sugar 
3/4 cup packed brown sugar 
1 cup butter, softened 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 egg 
2 cups whole wheat flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pkg (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:  

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.  
2. Mix sugars, butter, vanilla, and egg in large bowl.  
3. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff).  
4. Stir in chocolate chip cookies.  
5. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2” apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.  
6. Bake 8-10 min or until light brown (centers will be soft.) 
7. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet.  
8. Cool on wire rack.            

Notes:

• Prep: 10 min           
• Total: 20 min
• Makes 3 dozen.  
• 150 Cal. 

Scotch Oat Cake with Broiled Brown Sugar Topping (vegan)

Where to put this? It's cake, so that implies dessert. But, it's like a coffee cake in that you would serve this crumbly confection with coffee. Does that mean it's breakfast or bread? I'll keep it as a dessert. 

I based this off a cake I made several years ago. I made the recipe vegan, and I altered some of the ratios. Very tasty. I brought it to work so that I would not eat the entire thing myself. Nearly every person I gave a piece to said how good it is. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup apple juice
2/3 cup Scotch oats or steel-cut oats or bulgur wheat
1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup brown sugar or raw sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping:
3 tablespoons vegan stick butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring the apple juice to a boil, then add the oats or bulgur. Return to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let cool, uncovered. 
2. In a medium bowl, mix lemon juice with almond milk. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Oil a 9-inch square baking dish.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, brown sugar, and salt. 
5. In the medium bowl add oil, vanilla, and oat mixture to the milk mixture. 
6. Mix into the dry ingredients, stirring until well mixed. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. 
7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. While the cake bakes, make the topping. In a small bowl, mix the melted butter, vanilla, brown sugar, salt, and walnuts. When the cake is done, place it on a cooling rack. 
9. Turn the oven to broil, and put a rack 4 to 5 inches from the heat. Drop spoonfuls of the brown sugar topping over the cake, spreading it gently and leaving 1/2 inch bare around the edges. 
10. Broil with the door open, watching closely, just a minute. When the topping is bubbling and melted, take it out to cool. 
11. Serve warm, after the topping has set.

Other details:

• Serves 8 

Chocolate Chunk Buckwheat Cookies (Vegan)

I made a version of these before. These are a vegan adaptation of them. I think these turned out better. The top photo is of the dough on the pan, and the bottom is of finished cookies cooling on the rack. They are yummy warm or cooled. They are yummy two days later. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegan stick butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp ground flax seed
3 tbsp water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buckwheat groats
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into 1/2 inch chucks

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 375°F.
2. Make flax egg by mixing 1 tbsp ground flax seed with 3 tbsp water in a small bowl. Put into fridge for 15 minutes. It should then have an egg consistency.
3. In a stand mixer or bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract until well mixed.
4. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt and buckwheat, and add to the butter mixture, beating to incorporate. When the flour is mixed in, add the chocolate and stir until combined.
5. Drop 2-tablespoon-size balls of dough onto ungreased sheet pans, leaving 3 inches of space between the balls. The cookies will spread while baking.
6. Bake for 6 minutes, reverse the position of the pans in the oven, then bake for 4 to 6 minutes more. A pale, soft center surrounded by golden brown cookie is the desired result.
7. Let the cookie cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks with a spatula. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to a week.

Other Details:

• Makes a dozen cookies 
• Although I got a baker's dozen

Baby Churros

Breakfast or Dessert! I made these Baby Churros several times. They could stand to be crispier, since churros have a crispy fried outside with a soft inside. But, if you're craving churros, this is a pretty quick and easy recipe to put together.

Ingredients:
1¾ cups flour 
2 tsp ground cinnamon 
¼ tsp baking powder 
¼ tsp salt 
5 tbsp pure maple syrup 
3 tbsp unsweetened almond milk 
1 tbsp raw sugar 
¼ cup applesauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. 
2. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. 
3. Make a well in the middle and stir in maple, milk, and sugar into flour mixture and mix well. 
4. Add applesauce, stirring to combine. 
5. Take about 1½-tsp of dough and shape into little elongated ball. 
6. Place the ball on baking sheet and repeat until you have used up all the dough. 
7. Sprinkle churros with additional cinnamon and sugar. 
8. Bake 11-12 minutes, or until churros are golden and bounce back slightly to the touch.

Notes:

• Makes about 20 churros. 
• 5 churros/serving

Dessert: Día de Muertos Cake

A few years ago, I took this photo for a contest. It is one of my favorite cakes, and is perfect for the upcoming holiday.


Ingredients:
Cake
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups unsweeetened milk
2 tablespoons vinegar (apple cider or white)

Frosting
1/2 cup vegan butter, somewhat softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 4 tablespoons unsweetened milk


Directions:
Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Oil two 8-inch cake pans, or prepare cupcake/muffin tins with paper liners or silicon cups.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, salt, and sugar.
4. In a separate bowl, beat together the applesauce, oil, vanilla extract, milk, and vinegar. 
5. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix until everything is thoroughly combined. 
6. Pour the batter into the baking pans or cupcake/muffin tins, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes (cupcakes – 15 to 17 minutes), or until the cake comes away from the sides of the pans and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Frosting

1. Cream together all the ingredients on low speed until smooth. Increase the speed slowly until the frosting is light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add an additional 1 or 2 tablespoons of milk, if necessary.

Notes:

Yield: Enough for one layer cake or 18 cupcakes.

Sweet Potato Sundae

It was strawberry season when I made this, so I used sliced strawberries. You can really use any sliced fruit that strikes your fancy: bananas, strawberries, other whole berries, even sliced pears, peaches, and apples. I like it as a fall dish, just because I think of sweet potatoes as a fall item. I suggest trying it when the fruit is in season since you can get sweet potatoes any time of the year. This recipe has been modified from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor.

Ingredients:
1 baked sweet potato 
1 tsp ground cinnamon 
1¼ tbsp pure maple syrup 
3 oz vegan yogurt (plain or vanilla) 
½ cup sliced fruit

Directions:

1. Smash potato in a bowl or cut in half. 
2. Sprinkle with generously with cinnamon and drizzle with maple. 
3. Top with yogurt and fruit.

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

These cupcakes are too good to be true. Get yourself some fresh strawberries to top these. I got the original recipe from Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. They were enjoyed by everybody in the house.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
½-tsp baking soda
½-tsp fine salt
¼-cup applesauce
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp lemon extract
sliced strawberries

Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
red food coloring

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. 
3. In a large bowl, whisk applesauce, raw sugar, almond milk, and lemon extract until well combined. 
4. Pour dry mixture into wet mixture in 3 to 4 batches, stirring until just combined. 
5. Bake in lined muffin cups for 15-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Icing

1. Whisk powdered sugar, almond milk, vanilla extract, and a drop of red food coloring in a small bowl, adding more sugar to thicken or more milk to thin it out. 
2. Once the cupcakes have fully cooled, slather icing over top and garnish with fresh strawberry slices. 

Notes:

• Makes 12