Vanilla Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Frosting and a Chocolate Twist:

Yumyumyum. These are super delicious. I came across Chef Chloe's recipe for Salted Caramel Vegan Cupcakes the other day, and I just had to make them. I knew that my roommate had a long day at work, so I figured that I'd surprise her with cupcakes when she got home. They turned out perfect, and for those of you who have also encountered one too many baking disasters, you know how glad I was when I took the first bite and realized that they were just right. I was worried that I would dry them out!

I pretty much followed Chef Chloe's recipe to a tee, except I added a little chocolate syrup in the middle of the cupcakes, and I garnished them with pecans. I think the chocolate syrup also helped keep them moist. To add the chocolate: I filled each cupcake tin up halfway with batter, added about a teaspoon of chocolate syrup to each tin, and then I filled each tin up another 1/4 of the way. You should definitely try these if you're craving cupcakes or know someone in need of something sweet.

See the recipe here.

Quick Vegan Peanut Butter & Banana Sorbet

No sugar added! This is such a perfect snack. If you love bananas and peanut butter as much as I do, I know that you will be in love with this easy ice cream/sorbet. Add a little melted chocolate or Hershey's Chocolate Syrup (it's vegan) for added richness.

Ingredients:

2 cups bananas, sliced and frozen
1/4 cup melted peanut butter
1/4 cup almond milk

Instructions:

Let the bananas thaw for a few minutes after you take them out of the freezer. Next, add the bananas and almond milk to your food processor, and process until it reaches a smooth and creamy texture. Scoop the mixture into whatever you're serving it in, and then drizzle it with the melted peanut butter.

Not-So-Vegan Guinness Brownies (and Quick Fix: Sub Southern Tier Choklat Stout for the Guinness)

Hello everyone. Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope all of you are getting your fair shares of Irish fun today. For me, St. Patty's Day isn't just about all of the festive stuff going on. It also gives me the opportunity to sit down and think about something that has always been important to me, my roots.

I come from a long line of strong, hard-working, and amazing people. You know that stereotypical "Irish Catholic" family? The ones that have 11 kids, are always in each others' business, and love to make snarky comments about one another? Yeah...I come from one of those, and it's perfect in every way.

I've been fortunate enough to have all four of my grandparents with me my entire  life, and they have taught me the values of love and hard work. They have always been there for me and are the best people I know. So, even though I have roots in other parts of the world, I always use St. Patrick's Day to take a moment to thank my parents and grandparents  (and great/ great-great grandparents) for everything that they've done so that I could have the opportunities that I have today.

So...these brownies are an ode to all of my ancestors, who have instilled in me the values of love, family, cooking, and curiosity. For that, I am forever grateful. ❤

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup Guinness (sub Southern Tier Choklat Stout for vegans)

3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil (+ a little more for greasing)

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tbsp. ground flax + 3 tbsp. water

1 tbsp. vegan buttery spread

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 baker's chocolate squares

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Makes about 16 brownies.

Total Cook Time: 35 minutes.

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, add the flour, white sugar. brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Sift together.

3. Next, add the vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and Guinness. Stir together for a few seconds. Mix together the 2 tbsp. ground flax with the 3 tbsp of water, and pour it into the bowl. Add the butterry spread, and stir until well-combined. Do not over stir.

4. The mixture should be very thick. Line a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with  parchment paper or aluminum foil. Grease with about a teaspoon of vegetable oil.

5. Pour the brownie batter into the pan and spread it out evenly. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

6. A few minutes before the brownies are done, melt the baker's chocolate in a saucepan. Once the brownies have cooled for a few minutes, add the melted chocolate and nuts to the top of the brownies.

NOTE***: I guess Guinness isn't vegan, but you can substitute Southern Tier Choklat Stout for the Guinness, it's vegan friendly, chocolatey, and super delicious. It's also preapproved by me. :)

Valentine's Day Vegan Dessert Round-Up:

Because I know that all of you love baking for Valentine's Day, here's a list of some of my favorite dessert recipes:

 Two-Minute Vegan "Funfetti" Cakes

Vegan Chocolate Espresso Souffles 

Butternut Squash & Apricot Tarts With Popcorn & Pecan Crust 

Vegan Cheesecake

Vegan and Gluten Free Mini Cheesecakes

Head-Over-Heels Vegan Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake

Quick Banana & Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Vegan Sorbet

Vegan Chocolate-Covered Strawberries with Valentine's Day Sprinkles  

Vegan Reeses Cups (Sorta)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Head-Over-Heels Vegan Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake:

I know this post is a little late. My deadline for posting it was yesterday, but I still had to post it for V-Day because you’re gonna be over the moon for it, and everyone should feel over the moon on V-Day in one way or the other. Your Valentine will love it too (be it your significant other, best friend, little sister, neighbor, or puppy dog).

In this recipe, strawberries and (vegan) cream combine with a homemade Vegan Oreo crust to transport you to Heaven. If you’re running low on time, you can also use a premade graham cracker crust. It will have a different flavor, but it will be Heavenly in its own graham-crackery way. And if you only have 5 minutes, skip the crust: make the filling and mix it into a simple but decadent strawberry mousse (recipe below). But if you opt to make the pie, use the extra filling to whip up some strawberry whipped cream. XOXO. ❤

Ingredients:

Homemade Vegan Oreo Cookie Dough (from Chocolate-Covered Katie (link))

14oz. firm tofu

2/3 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least an hour

4 to 5 strawberries, cut in half

1/3 cup + 1 tsp.  plain unsweetened almond milk

¼ cup white sugar

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. ground flax + 2 tbsp. water

1 tbsp. coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. agave nectar

1 tsp. lemon juice

½ tsp. salt

2 tbsp. melted chocolate or chocolate syrup (non-dairy)

Instructions:

1. Make the crust, and refrigerate for at least an hour before baking. 

2. To make the filling, add the cashews and almond milk to your food processor. Process until smooth and creamy. Make sure there are no clumps. Add the tofu, strawberries, white sugar, and brown sugar. Pulse a few times, and then add the flax/water mixture, the coconut oil, vanilla, agave nectar, lemon juice, and salt. Pulse until the mixture is creamy and blended well. Taste to make sure the flavor is right. You may want to add a little salt or sugar to taste.

3. Once you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a pie pan, roll out your dough into a circle that’s about 10 to 11 inches in diameter, so it will fit in the pie pan.

4. Lay the dough out in the pan, and then fill it with ½ to ¾ of the filling. Drizzle with chocolate syrup, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

5. Let the cheesecake rest and set on the counter for a half an hour, and then refrigerate overnight. Top with strawberries, and use the remaining filling as whipped cream or mousse (see below).

Simple But Decadent Vegan Strawberry Mousse: 

(Same ingredients as above, minus the Vegan Oreo Crust)

1. Add the cashews and almond milk to your food processor. Process until smooth and creamy. Make sure there are no clumps. Add the tofu, strawberries, white sugar, and brown sugar. Pulse a few times, and then add the flax/water mixture, the coconut oil, vanilla, agave nectar, lemon juice, and salt. Pulse until the mixture is creamy and blended well. Taste to make sure the flavor is right. You may want to add a little salt or sugar to taste.

2. Next, if you have a mixer, mix the filling in your mixer until peaks form and a lovely mousse/ whipped cream texture has formed. Otherwise, continue pulsing in your food processor until you have achieved a fluffy, airy texture.

3. Top with graham cracker crumbs and strawberries. Drizzle with chocolate or vegan caramel if desired. 

 PS: I'm also going to post a V-Day dessert recipe round-up tomorrow. ❤❤❤

Two-Minute Vegan "Funfetti" Cakes:

Have a reason to celebrate? Or do you just need a little pick-me-up? In two minutes, you can have your own, personal party....a party in your mouth, that is. Funfetti is one of my favorite cakes, and after trying this one out, I'm sure that you'll feel the same. This recipe also easily doubles if you're ever feeling particularly generous.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. all purpose flour

1 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tbsp. plain unsweetened almond milk

3/4 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 tsp. baking powder

Dash of salt

1 tsp. sprinkles + a little more, for sprinkling

1 tbsp. vanilla icing. 

Total Cook Time: 2 minutes.

Serves 1. 

Instructions:

1. Mix the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt together.

2. Stir in the almond milk and olive oil. Mix until no clumps remain. Stir in the sprinkles.

3. Pour the batter into a mug and microwave it for 1 minute. (You may need to cook it for 1 minute and 15 seconds).

4. Let the cake cool for about a minute, and then ice it with the vanilla icing. Sprinkle some sprinkles over it and enjoy.

Vegan Mini Cupcakes with Vanilla Peppermint Frosting:

This recipe is essentially an adaptation of my Chocolate Peanut Butter Sponge Cupcakes. I had hopes of making really good icing for these cupcakes, but unfortunately, the Smart Balance that I used must have been hydrogenated and broke down after I mixed the ingredients together. The icing turned out to be pretty sweet, but it complimented the rich, dark chocolate cupcakes perfectly. Add some crushed candy canes, and you will have some really cute and irresistible Christmas cupcakes.  I used this recipe for the icing: Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting. Just make sure to use non-hydrogenated vegan margarine!

Here's the recipe for the cupcakes. Hope you like them!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup plain unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup special dark cocoa powder
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup olive or canola oil
1/4 cup  apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. agave syrup (optional)
Dash of salt

1 to 1 1/2 cups Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting

1 cup candy canes or peppermints, crushed

Makes about 48 mini cupcakes.

Total Cook Time: about 25 minutes.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the almond milk and apple cider vinegar together in a small bowl. Set aside. Mix the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, white sugar, olive oil, vanilla and almond extracts, baking soda, baking powder, agave, and salt together in large mixing bowl.

2. Stir in the milk and vinegar mixture. Mix well, until no clumps remain. Once the batter has reached a smooth consistency, add it to the mini cupcake pans.

3. After you've added the batter to the cupcake pans, bake for 7 to 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook them. They should be moist.

4. Let the cupcakes cool, and then ice them with the frosting. Sprinkle with the crushed candy canes.

NOTE: the flavor gets better after letting the cupcakes sit for a few hours.

Death By Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pie: Vegan!

Chocolate and peanut butter pie that's vegan and healthy for me? YES PLEASE.

I can't believe how easy this was to make...not to mention the fact that I came up with this off the top of my head. (What can I say? I'm amazing). Just kidding...anyways, if you're a peanut butter addict like me, you're going to love this cheesecake, and if you're not, you're still going to love it. PS: this pie has more than a serving of vegetables in it.

The avocado gives this a smooth texture, though you can add some silken tofu to the mix in order to bulk this pie up a little (and make it more like cheesecake. Given the fact that I'm a poor law student, I didn't use the tofu that I have because I wanted to save it for something else. I also ran out of almond milk today, so I decided to just use water instead. It worked out well.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup avocado

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp. peanut butter

1/3 cup water or plain unsweetened almond milk

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. cocoa powder

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Dash of salt

1 premade pie crust 

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Blend all of the ingredients in your food processor until smooth and creamy, and then spoon the mixture evenly into your premade pie crust.

2. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Let the mixture cool, and then let it set in the fridge for a few hours, and then savor it. :)

Test Kitchen: Vegan Chocolate Espresso Souffles:

I really didn't use espresso in these, just a little bit of coffee, but "espresso" just sounded better. Haha...of course you could always use espresso if you have it, though. Anyways, I was surprised with how well these came out for my first try. I kind of just threw a bunch of ingredients together and didn't really have a clue how they'd turn out, but they turned out almost perfect! I made a few changes/improvements to the recipe, but this is pretty close to how I made them. I didn't know how far to fill these up, so I filled them all up differently, and clearly I filled the one pictured above too high. I'm sure I will improve upon this recipe later, but this was worth posting. I hope you like it!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup coffee

2 "eggs" (I used egg replacer, but you can use flax eggs too) 

2 tbsp. Earth Balance

2 tbsp. almond milk

2 tsp. agave nectar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. olive oil, plus more to grease the ramekins

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Dash of salt 

Makes 4 souffles.

Total Cook Time: 25 to 30 minutes. 

Instructions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients together until a nice, smooth batter has formed.

2. Generously grease 4 ramekins with olive oil, and then fill each ramekin about 3/4 of the way up with the batter (to allow room for the souffles to rise).

3. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, and try not to open the oven while they're baking! Let cool and enjoy.

NOTE: Inspired by Vanilla Sugar's Chocolate Souffle Recipe.  ❤❤❤

Vegan & Gluten Free Almond and Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies:

I kind of just came up with this recipe off the top of my head. These sweet and savory "butter" cookies are really good. I'll say that they're in the shortbread category, though they're different. They're pretty healthy...I steered clear of adding a lot of sugar and oil, and they're lovely with your morning coffee! Also, if you're a sugar freak, just add a tablespoon of white sugar, and these will definitely sweeten up your day. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup almond flour

1/3 cup crushed almonds

1/3 cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup warm water + 1 tsp. ground flax

3 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp. Earth Balance or other non-dairy butter

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. agave nectar

1/4 tsp. salt

Makes about 12 cookies. 

Total Cook Time: 30 minutes.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325. Mix the almond flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a medium-sized bowl.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the warm water and ground flax seed.

3. Mix the water and flax mixture, vanilla extract, agave, and Earth Balance in with the dry ingredients. Stir until a cookie dough has formed. (You may want to add a little  more almond flour if the dough is too wet).

4. Fold in the chocolate chips and almonds.

5. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a small spoon, scoop 12 dough balls/cookies onto the baking sheet. You can flatten them out a little if you'd like.  Bake at 325 for 16 to 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Walnut Fudgy Brownies:

Yes, this was dinner tonight. I used my great grandma's brownie recipe for this. I just veganized it and added pumpkin! (I don't think she'd mind). I used almost a full can of pumpkin, but the texture ended up turning out a little weird, so only use about 2/3 cup. Because I added the pumpkin, I added a little more sugar in there as well. These still need a little perfecting, but I had to post them because they're still really delicious. Feel free to make substitutions, but only if you're some kind of pro-baker. Baking from scratch is hard!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup pumpkin (canned)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup coconut oil or vegetable  shortening (you can probably sub Earth Balance too)
1/2 cup water or almond milk
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. ground flax + 2 tbsp. water (in place of the egg)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (plus more for sprinkling on top)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 cup Walnuts

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350. Mix all of the ingredients (except the walnuts) in a large bowl until everything's well-blended.

2. Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan, and pour the brownie mixture in.

3. Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool, sprinkle with a little more pumpkin pie spice, and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes (optional, but I like them better cold).

Vegan MoFo "Chopped" Challenge: Brunch:

I got super-excited when I saw Vegan MoFo's "Chopped" Challenge and the course that we have to make: brunch! The "mystery" ingredients are: butternut squash, apricot preserves, popcorn, and rosemary. I'm thinking of sipping mimosas and cute little tarts, so this is what I came up with:

Butternut Squash, Apricot, and Raspberry Tarts With Rosemary, Popcorn, and Pecan Crust:

This turned out so delicious: savory and sweet with a little bit of a tangy flavor. I could totally eat both the popcorn, pecan, and rosemary crust and the butternut squash apricot filling separately on their own, but when you put both of them together, it really makes a statement. Yum!

Here's the recipe! (Sorry for going a little crazy with the pictures!)

INGREDIENTS:

For the Filling:

1 1/2 cups butternut squash, roasted (I will explain this in the instructions)
1 cup apricot preserves

For the Sauce:

1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (I used frozen mixed berries)
1 1/2 tsp. agave nectar (optional)
1/3 cup water

For the Crust:

1 1/2 cups pecan halves
2 1/2 cups "Simply Salted" (or plain) popcorn, popped
1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread, melted
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary
Dash of Kosher Salt (or Sea Salt)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Roast your butternut squash in the oven on 400 for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Add the pecans, popcorn, brown sugar, and rosemary to your food processor. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt. Process the mixture until it has formed into small crumbles (pictured above). Pour it into a medium bowl, and mix in the melted Earth Balance spread.

3. Add the roasted squash, apricot preserves, and brown sugar to your processor and blend until smooth.

4. In a small saucepan, add 1/3 cup water, agave nectar, and the frozen berries. Bring to a boil, let cook for a few minutes until it has thickened a little. Remove from heat.

4. Spoon the pecan mixture into a lined cupcake pan, filling each individual cupcake tin about 1/3 of the way up. After that, spoon the squash and apricot mixture on top, filling the cupcake tins. Drizzle about a teaspoon of the berry mixture on top of each tart, and top each tart with the remaining pecan mixture/crumbles.

5. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool in fridge for at least 30 minutes. Garnish with popcorn and rosemary!

I hope you like it...let me know what you think!!! ❤❤❤☺☮ PS: These are gluten free.