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| Cinnamon Buns For the dough: 4 cups of whole wheat pastry flour 2 tbsp of vital wheat gluten 1/2 tsp of salt 2 1/2 tsp of active dry yeast (1 package) 2 tbsp of sugar 2 cups to 2 1/2 cups of water, at 110 degrees F 1. In a small bowl, combine the water, sugar, and yeast and let it sit for a few minutes until the yeast becomes foamy. 2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, wheat gluten, and salt. Stir in the yeast mixture and mix until a soft dough forms. 3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes until smooth. Cover and let it rise for about 45 minutes. You can help the dough rise by letting it rise somewhere warm - but not hot or it will kill the yeast! 4. After the dough rises, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a one inch thick rectangle (about 10 x 14 inches, roughly). Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Make the gooey cinnamon filling: 1/2 cup of brown sugar 2 tbsp of melted Earth Balance (or another vegan buttery spread) 1 tbsp of cinnamon 5. Brush the melted Earth Balance on the surface of the dough. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and the cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the dough. Leave an inch of dough free of sugar all around the rectangle. 6. Carefully roll up the dough and use a sharp serrated knife to cut the roll into 1 inch thick slices. 7. Place the buns on the prepared baking sheet leaving about one inch of space between each bun. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F about halfway through the rising time. 8. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush some soy milk on the top of each bun to keep them nice and soft. Optional: Melt 1 tbsp of Earth Balance and stir in powder sugar and soy milk until a soft, creamy frosting forms. Drizzle over the hot buns. |
Coconut-Walnut Buns |
| Happy Vegan (Peanut Butter) Ghosts 1/4 cup of coarsely ground chocolate chips 1 cup of creamy peanut butter (cold) 1/4 cup of maple syrup 1/2 tsp of vanilla (optional) For the coating: coconut milk finely shredded dried coconut For the happy faces: chocolate chips 1. In a food processor grind up the chocolate chips until they break up into little pieces, but not so much that they turn into a powder. Set aside. 2. In a medium size mixing bowl, beat the peanut butter, syrup, and vanilla with an electric mixer for about 30 seconds. Stir in the chopped chocolate chips. 3. Form little balls with the peanut butter mix and pinch the top of each ball to shape them like "ghost tops". They are shaped like pears, aren't they? 4. Pour some coconut milk in a small bowl and dip each ghost into the milk. Roll the wet ghosts on the finely shredded coconut and place them on a plate. If your ghosts are nice and coated in white coconut, you're done, if they're patchy and brown you're going to have to dip them in coconut milk and roll them in shredded coconut again. 5. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave (I don't have the patience for a double boiler). My microwave does this in 30 second intervals. Nuke the chips for 30 seconds, stir, nuke 30 seconds, stir, nuke, stir... until they're melted. Use a piping bag with a round decorating tip to draw the eyes and mouths on. If you don't feel like melting chocolate and dealing with messy piping bags, the lazy way to give them faces is to stick two mini chocolate chips in each ghost as the eyes, and a little row of mini chips as the mouths. This recipe makes about 20 happy little vegan ghosts. Keep them refrigerated! |
| Pankin Pumpcakes (Inspired by Dierberg's Everybody Cooks magazine) 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour 1 tbsp of sugar 2 tsp of baking powder 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice 1/4 tsp of salt 1 cup of soy milk 1/4 cup of pureed pumpkin 2 tbsp of oil 1 tbsp of apple sauce 1/2 tsp of vanilla (optional) 1. In a medium size bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. 2. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin puree, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. 3. Without overmixing, fold the liquid ingredient mix into the dry ingredient mix. 4. Lightly coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and preheat over medium heat. 5. Scop about 1/4 cup of the batter onto the skillet and cook until the bottom is golden brown. Flip the pancake over and cook until the other side turns golden brown. Repeat with the rest of the batter. This recipe makes 8 to 10 little 4 inch pancakes, depending on how much batter you scoop per pancake. |
at first, but when I saw there was no heartburn I unleashed the chocolate monster and made a triple chocolate cake! My humble offering to the Chocolate Gods...
| Triple Chocolate Cake Ingredients for the cake: 1 1/4 cup of whole wheat pastry flour (white will work) 1/2 cup of sugar 1/4 cup of cocoa powder, sifted 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder 1/4 tsp of baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1/3 cup of soy milk or other milk 1/3 cup of water 3 tbsp of oil 3 tbsp of applesauce 1 tsp of vanilla extract 1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 8 inch round cake pan with cooking spray. A square pan will work too. 2- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 3- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, water, oil, applesauce, and vanilla extract. 4- Pour the liquids over the dry ingredients and gently fold until just incorporated. Overmixing will make the cake tough and chewy! 5- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool down to room temperature before making the buttercream filling. Ingredients for the chocolate buttercream filling: 1 cup Earth Balance buttery spread, softened 1 cup confectioners sugar (I don't like it super sweet) 1/4 cup cocoa powder 2 to 4 tablespoons coconut milk 1- In a medium size bowl, cream the Earth Balance with an electric mixer on high until light an fluffy, it will go from yellow to off-white. 2- Sift the sugar and cocoa powder into the bowl and keep mixing, this time on the lowest setting until the powdery ingredients are incorporated. Then mix on high until creamy, adding coconut milk as needed until light and fluffy. Taste and add more sifted sugar if it's not sweet enough for your taste. If it's too sweet, add more sifted cocoa powder until you're happy with it. 3- When the cake has cooled down to room temperature, slice it in half and spread the chocolate buttercream evenly all over the bottom half. Place the top half of the cake on top of the chocolate buttercream and make the chocolate ganache. Ingredients for the chocolate ganache: 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 1/4 cup coconut milk 1/4 cup milk (I used oat milk) 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1- Place the chocolate chips in a medium sized mixing bowl. 2- In a glass measuring jar or mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and the oat milk. Feel free to replace the oat milk with more coconut milk. 3- Microwave the milk mix for about one minute or just until it starts to boil. 4- Quickly stir in the vanilla. 4- Immediately pour the milk over the chocolate chips and whisk vigorously until the chocolate melts and becomes a smooth cream. Let the ganache sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. 5- Pour the ganache evenly over the cake. You're done! You can sprinkle some chopped nuts or mini chocolate chips on top if you want. |
| Mini Clementine-Blackberry Cupcakes 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour 1/4 cup of sugar 1 tsp of baking powder 1/4 tsp of baking soda 1/4 tsp of salt 1/2 cup of clementine juice 1/4 cup of soy milk (or other milk) 2 1/2 tbsp of oil 2 tbsp of applesauce 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a (24 cavity) mini cupcake pans with cooking spray.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
3. Mix the liquid ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the dry ingredients. Gently fold until everything is barely incorporated.
4. Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake pans and press a blackberry into the center of each cupcake, leaving about half of each blackberry sticking out. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean (mine took 15 minutes).
Try these... "you'll thank me later!" :P
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