Fun fact: the reddish color of red velvet cake originally came from a chemical reaction between the cocoa powder and the buttermilk. Now most recipes just use food coloring. We’re skipping the buttermilk here, so we’ll have to get our red color from cherry juice.
MAKES 1 DOZEN WHOOPIE PIES
Baking spray
2¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cocoa powder
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
1 cup margarine, softened
1½ cups sugar
2 tablespoons applesauce
¾ cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cherry juice from a bag of frozen cherries or red food coloring
1 batch Cream Cheese Frosting (here)
¼ cup crushed walnuts
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray your whoopie pie pan with baking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together your flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
In another bowl, blend your margarine and sugar together with an electric handheld mixer until fluffy and smooth. Mix in the applesauce until it’s creamy.
In a small bowl, whisk together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Let sit for 30 seconds.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the margarine mixture and blend thoroughly. Then pour in the soy milk mixture, baking soda, vanilla, and cherry juice or food coloring and blend until your batter is creamy.
Fill a cookie press or frosting gun with the batter, and then fill the cups of your whoopie pie pan three-quarters of the way full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
While your cookies are baking, make your Cream Cheese Frosting.
Once your cookies are done, move them immediately to a wire rack to cool with the less adorable side down.
Pour your walnuts into a shallow bowl.
Pipe frosting onto the less cute side of one cookie. Top with another cookie to make a sandwich. Then roll the edge of your cookie sandwich in the walnuts so that the frosting gets coated. Repeat with all your cookies until you have a bunch of little red velvet cookie monsters—I mean sandwiches.
The mystery behind the “whoopie pie” is not whether or not they were really invented by the Amish, or why they’re the official baked treat of Maine, but this: why is it that you never see a photo of one that looks as delicious as the actual “pie”? I think it might be one of those things you just have to live through to really understand, because unlike old-school caramel apples, it can be hard to see all the stuff inside the whoopie pie that makes it special. This recipe is particularly elusive. See, in this one golden-brown baked treat, you have sweet and slightly spiced apples, “buttery” and salted caramel frosting, and roasted peanuts.
MAKES 1 DOZEN WHOOPIE PIES
SPICED APPLE COOKIES
Baking spray
¼ cup margarine, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1¼ cups applesauce
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup vegetable shortening
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
SALTED CARAMEL FROSTING
½ cup margarine, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
¼ cup vanilla soy milk
1 cup powdered sugar (you may want to add more if you want a thicker frosting)
½ cup dry-roasted peanuts, crushed
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray your whoopie pie pan with a light coating of baking spray.
In a large bowl, blend the margarine, brown sugar, applesauce, vanilla, and shortening with a handheld electric mixer until smooth.
In another large bowl, whisk together the flours, cinnamon, allspice, and ginger until blended. Add the margarine mixture to the flour mixture and blend with an electric mixer until smooth. Watch out for any clumps of margarine. Add the baking soda and blend on medium speed for a little more than 1 minute.
Fill your frosting gun or pastry bag with your apple dough and fill the cups in your whoopie pie pan three-quarters of the way. Make sure your cups are evenly filled.
If you are using a cookie sheet, still use the frosting gun or pastry bag because it will give you nice smooth edges. Make even “coins” or cookies evenly spaced on your sheet. Don’t go too big, like monster-cookie size, because the cookies get bigger when you bake them. It’s really important to try to keep all your cookies the same size and to have an even number.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Make sure you pull them out while they are still soft. Let them cool on a wire rack with the bottom side down so you don’t mess up the pretty side.
While your cookies are baking, make your Salted Caramel Frosting.
In a 2-quart saucepan, melt your margarine over medium heat. Stir in your brown sugar and salt. Heat the mixture to a very light boil, stirring constantly. Once the sugar and salt have dissolved, stir in your soy milk. Let it boil for about 1 minute while stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and let your caramel sauce cool until it’s lukewarm, which should take about ½ hour.
After your caramel sauce has cooled to room temperature, gradually whisk in your powdered sugar. It’s important to mix in a little at a time and repeat, until it’s all in there in a smooth mixture. If the frosting is too stiff, you can add in a little extra soy milk a few drops at a time. Add more powdered sugar if you want it thicker.
Crush your peanuts with a potato masher and spread them out on your cutting board.
Once your cookies reach room temperature, put your frosting in your frosting gun or pastry bag. Cover one cookie’s underside with frosting and then put another cookie on top. Gently press the cookies to make the frosting peek out. Then roll the cookies in the crushed peanuts to cover the frosting. You can brush off the salt and peanut dust if you like your treats more polished… but I liked the ones with it on the most.
In our society, I think we have been conditioned to crave the combination of chocolate and peanut butter daily. Put those things in a whoopie pie and you’ve just figured out a secret to an amazing treat.
MAKES 1 DOZEN WHOOPIE PIES
Baking spray
2¼ cups whole wheat flour
1½ cups sugar
cup creamy peanut butter (sorry, we can’t recommend using natural peanut butter—too oily)
1¼ cups vanilla soy milk
3½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
3 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer, just the powder, not made using the instructions on the package
1 batch Chocolate Basically Buttercream Frosting (here)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray your whoopie pie pan with a light coating of baking spray.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, peanut butter, soy milk, baking powder, salt, and egg replacer with an electric handheld mixer until smooth and creamy. You’re going to want to do this for about 5 minutes. Make sure you get all the ingredients off the sides of the bowl and that the dough is thoroughly mixed.
Fill your frosting gun or pastry bag with your peanut butter dough, and if you’re using a whoopie pie pan, gently fill the cups three-quarters of the way. Make sure your cups are evenly filled.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. They are soft cookies, so you don’t want them to bake so long that they get crunchy. Let them cool on a wire rack with the bottom side down so you don’t mess up the pretty side.
While your cookies are baking or cooling, make your Chocolate Basically Buttercream Frosting.
Once your cookies reach room temperature, put your frosting in your frosting gun or pastry bag. Cover one cookie’s underside with frosting and then put another cookie on top. Gently press the cookies to make the frosting peek out. Done!
When it comes to the epic “cake versus cupcakes” debate, we live in a house divided. Dan is a traditional cake guy; Annie is a straight-up cupcake gal. Although since one of us does the vast majority of the baking (hint: it’s not Dan), it’s a bit of a moot point. Of course, since one of us does the vast majority of the dishes (hint: it’s not Annie), only one of us gets stuck washing out all of those tiny little holes in the mini cupcake pans. But that’s not the point. The point is that these recipes can be made either way, to suit your mood, your personal preference, or the amount of dishes you feel up to doing on any particular evening.
There are a lot of flavors going on in a traditional banana split—banana, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and cherry. We tried to cram as many of them as possible into this cake recipe. And you can have a slice regardless of whether or not you won your Little League game.
MAKES 1 BUNDT CAKE
Vegetable shortening for greasing your cake pan
3½ cups all-purpose flour (you’ll need a little more to dust your cake pan)
½ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
1 cup margarine, softened
2½ cups sugar
3 tablespoons applesauce
3 ripe bananas, 1 whole and 2 sliced
2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer, just the powder, not prepared per the instructions on the package
1 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon red food coloring or cherry juice from frozen cherries
½ cup strawberry preserves
¾ cup vegan chocolate sauce
1 batch Apple Vanilla Glaze (here)
1 batch Chocolate Agave Glaze (here)
½ cup fresh cherries, pitted
cup crushed peanuts
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease and flour a 12-cup fluted tube cake pan.
Start by making your cake batter. Blend your flour, salt, margarine, sugar, applesauce, 1 banana, egg replacer, coconut milk, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
Pour about 1 cup of your batter into your greased pan. In small bowl, mix 1 cup of the batter with the cherry juice/food coloring and strawberry preserves. Carefully pour pink batter over the white batter in the pan, and then very gently spread it out with a spatula so that you can’t see any white batter. This will create your pink color ribbon. In another bowl, blend your remaining cup of batter with the vegan chocolate sauce. Carefully pour your chocolate batter over your pink batter. With a clean spatula, spread the chocolate batter over the pink batter. It might start to blend a little, but try to avoid this. It will bake into a marbled effect if you don’t blend the two batters too much.
Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. Different cake pans have different patterns and depths, so some will take longer than others. You’ll know your cake is ready when the top has browned and you can stick a bamboo skewer in the cake and remove it cleanly. Using the bamboo skewer, make a dozen or so little stabs into the top of the cake. You’re releasing moisture from the cake to help it cool and also to help release it from the pan. Let your cake cool for 10 minutes and then turn your cake pan upside down on a large serving dish.
While your cake is baking, make your glazes. Once your cake has cooled completely, drizzle your Apple Vanilla Glaze and then your Chocolate Agave Glaze over the top. Top the cake with sliced bananas and cherries and crushed peanuts.
Every Italian-American woman I know (who is, ya know, into being an Italian-American) has a special-occasion lemon cake recipe. They can make them in less than an hour and always have the ingredients stocked in their kitchen just in case one of those special occasions sneaks up on them. You can find these cakes at baby showers, and they’re given to neighbors who have just lost a loved one. They’re at PTA meetings, church potlucks, and office parties. I would bet cash money that there is at least one sitting in a Knights of Columbus hall right now. But I think you’ve figured out by now that these cakes aren’t the headliners like those four-story wedding monuments to buttercream. They’re like the universal cake soldiers. They’re around to feed nervous bridesmaids before the wedding. They’re something to pick at while you’re staying up to go to Midnight Mass at Christmas, and they are always around for those folks who gave up chocolate for Lent or just to be enjoyed with coffee after church. I have always loved these simple lemon cakes. I’ve been playing around with them for years… This one combines the rich texture of pudding cakes with the signature flavor of southern Italy’s second favorite alcoholic beverage.
MAKES 1 BUNDT CAKE
CAKE
Baking spray
1½ cups sugar
½ cup margarine, softened
1 tablespoon applesauce
1 tablespoon Ener-G egg replacer, just the powder, not made per the instructions on the package
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
2 tablespoons lemon zest
3 tablespoons limoncello
GLAZE
¼ cup margarine, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest
¼ cup limoncello
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray a fluted tube cake pan with baking spray.
In a large bowl, blend your sugar and margarine with a handheld electric mixer on a high setting until it is smooth and fluffy. Blend in the applesauce and egg replacer.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt until completely blended. Add the flour mixture to the margarine mixture a little at a time, alternating with the coconut milk. Each time you add flour or coconut milk, use your mixer to blend it in completely. Once your flour and coconut milk are completely blended in, add your lemon zest and limoncello and blend on a medium setting for 2 to 3 minutes. You want your batter to be fluffy and smooth.
Pour your batter into the pan evenly. Use a spatula to spread it out to make a nice even layer. It’s important to make sure the batter is even because the cake will be sitting with the rimmed ring on top. If you see any ridges or clumps, be sure to smooth them out now.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Now, not every fluted cake pan is the same, and some are deeper than others. So start checking on your cake at around 30 minutes. Use a bamboo skewer to test if your cake is done. If you can poke the bamboo skewer in a few times and remove it cleanly, you’re done. Once you’ve pulled the cake out of the oven, immediately poke it several more times—like 15 times—with the bamboo skewer. You only want to go in about as deep as a fork would go. You’re releasing moisture from the cake to help it cool and also to help release it from the pan. Let your cake cool for 20 minutes and then turn your cake pan upside down on a large serving dish to cool to room temperature.
While your cake is baking, make your glaze. In a saucepan, melt your margarine over low heat. Once your margarine is melted, use a whisk to blend in your powdered sugar. Then blend in the lemon zest and limoncello. The glaze is pretty sweet. If you taste it and are, like, “This is too sweet,” just add a little more melted margarine and lemon zest until you get the flavor you like. You’re going to want to keep your glaze warm till you drizzle it over the top of the cake.
Once your cake is cool, drizzle your glaze over the top. In the springtime, it’s really nice to decorate these lemon cakes with edible flowers and completely worth hunting them down.
A traditional pound cake is made from a pound each of four things: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. Which clearly is ridiculous. Our recipe is a little more complex, a lot less gigantic, and infinitely more delicious.
MAKES 1 CAKE
1½ cups margarine (you’ll need more to grease your pan)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1½ cups sugar
1 tablespoon silken tofu
2 tablespoons applesauce
¼ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon ginger paste
½ teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon orange zest
5 tablespoons orange juice
¼ cup coconut milk, from a carton, not a can
1 batch Whipped Coconut Cream (here)
Fresh berries and fruit to serve over the top of your cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease your glass 9 x 3-inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, blend the margarine, olive oil, and sugar until creamy. Blend in the tofu, applesauce, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Mix in the flours, ½ cup at a time, until completely blended. Then add your ginger paste, cardamom, lemon zest, orange zest, orange juice, and coconut milk and blend until creamy.
Pour your batter into your pan and use a spatula to smooth out the top to makes sure it’s even. Bake for an hour, or until you can poke a bamboo skewer into your cake and remove it cleanly.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then use a metal spatula around the edges to loosen the cake from your pan. Using an oven mitt, flip your cake out of the pan into your hand, and then let it cool on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature.
While your cake cools, make your Whipped Coconut Cream.
Serve your cake with some Whipped Coconut Cream on top and some fresh berries and fruit.
The third Sunday of every month, around 1 p.m., Dan and I have a huge lunch at Foodswings in Williamsburg with anybody who wants to come and eat some good old-fashioned vegan diner food and hang out with the Shannons. If you ever find yourself in Brooklyn, you need to stop by and check out their very impressive menu; it will make you believe that really anything can be vegan. We recommend the Butterfinger milkshake.
MAKES 2½ DOZEN CUPCAKES
Baking spray
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups sugar
½ cup margarine, softened
1¼ cups soy milk
3½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons applesauce
½ teaspoon Ener-G egg replacer, just the powder, not prepared per the instructions on the package
7 Chick-O-Sticks, crushed
1 batch Chocolate Ganache (here)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the cups in your favorite mini cupcake pan with baking spray.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, margarine, soy milk, baking powder, salt, vanilla, applesauce, and egg replacer with an electric mixer on low speed for about 3 minutes, until the batter is smooth. If you tilt your bowl a little, you can get a creamier batter. Fold in half of your crushed Chick-O-Sticks with a large spoon.
Fill the cups in your mini cupcake pan halfway with your batter. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the tops start to turn a nice light sunny cream color. Immediately move to a wire rack to cool.
Make your Chocolate Ganache while your cupcakes bake. Once your cupcakes have cooled, dip the tops into the ganache and put them back on the wire rack. Let the extra ganache run down the sides. Once they are all coated, sprinkle the remaining crushed Chick-O-Sticks evenly over the top. Let your cupcakes sit for about 5 minutes to let the ganache set before serving. The ganache will never really get hard, but you’ll see that it gets kinda waxy looking.
Aggie, our bittiest Shannon, likes to bring me presents. She does it all day, every day. She brings me plastic bags, toy mice, dirty socks from the hamper… once she even brought me a shoe. And, if you’ve ever seen how small she is, you know that took real willpower—and, like, five minutes to drag it from the living room closet. I appreciate Agatha’s determination, creativity, and of course her thoughtfulness. The morning after I made these, I woke up to Aggie sitting next to me in bed with one of these cupcakes on my pillow. What a nice way to start a day.
MAKES 2½ DOZEN MINI CUPCAKES
Baking spray
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cups sugar
cup vegetable shortening
1¼ cup soy milk
¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons Ener-G egg replacer, just the powder, not prepared using the instructions on the package
½ cup vegan chocolate chips, crushed
1 Batch Chocolate Ganache (here)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray your mini cupcake pan with a light coating of baking spray.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, shortening, soy milk, vinegar, baking powder, salt, and vanilla. Blend with a handheld mixer for about 3 minutes. Add the egg replacer and blend for another minute. Fold the vegan chocolate chips into the batter.
With a soup ladle, fill the mini cupcake pan cups halfway. Keep an eye on those vegan chocolate chips to make sure every cupcake gets some. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cupcakes are golden on top and you can insert a bamboo skewer in the top and remove it cleanly from the largest cupcake. While your cupcakes bake, make your Chocolate Ganache.
Let your cupcakes cool on a rack until they reach room temperature. Dip the tops of the cupcakes in your ganache. Put them back on the wire rack, glazed side up, to let the ganache set.
A certain portion of my life has been dedicated to searching out and locating ways to eat chocolate with chili pepper. They’re uninteresting stories about mixing soy chocolate ice cream with Tabasco, or baking dozens of chocolate cookies till I figured out how much chili powder to add to get that kick at the end. Some flavors just really speak to certain palates, and mine loves dark chocolate with a dash of cayenne. If someone ever made a master list or database of Annie’s favorite foods, Mexican hot chocolate would have its own category/folder/color code, depending on how they chose to record this data. Because really, there’s so much you can do with Mexican hot chocolate: beverages, frozen treats, baked goods, candy. I love them all.
MAKES 1 DOZEN CUPCAKES
1 cup cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
Pinch of crushed pink Himalayan salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
Pinch of grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1¼ cups soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup sugar
12 Vegan marshmallows (1 for each cupcake)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Fill your cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
Sift the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, chili powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon into a large bowl.
In another bowl, mix the soy milk and vinegar. Let sit for around a minute.
With an electric hand mixer, blend the maple syrup, orange juice, vanilla, and sugar into the flour mixture until smooth. Blend in the soy milk and vinegar. Mix your batter on medium speed for around 2 minutes, turning the bowl gently to get some air into the mix and getting any ingredients that are stuck to the sides.
With a ladle, fill each cupcake liner about three- quarters of the way. Press a vegan marshmallow into the top of each cupcake. Now, this is important: the marshmallows will melt. So make sure the marshmallows are in the cupcakes deep enough that only one side is exposed. That way, when they melt, they’ll make a little pool of marshmallow that will cool and harden again rather than melt down the sides of the cupcake.
Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 25 minutes. Check on them often. Remove from the oven when you can remove a toothpick without any chocolate batter on it. Set the oven to broil or turn on your broiler. Move your cupcake pan to the broiler for 20 to 30 seconds to “roast” your marshmallows. Once they have a nice golden coating, they’re ready to cool and enjoy.
The tin roof is a somewhat suburban sundae concoction, consisting of vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate syrup and Spanish peanuts, that is often overlooked because it’s awesomly simple. It would be a shame to skip over these cupcakes simply because they’re a classic cupcake version of a classic sundae.
MAKES 1 DOZEN CUPCAKES
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups sugar
½ cup margarine, softened
1¼ cups soy milk
3½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons applesauce
½ teaspoon Ener-G egg replacer, just the powder, not prepared per the instructions on the package
1 batch Chocolate Ganache (here)
¼ cup Spanish peanuts
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Fill your cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
In large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, margarine, soy milk, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, applesauce, and egg replacer with an electric mixer on low speed for about 3 minutes, until the batter is smooth and creamy. If you tilt your bowl a little, you can get your batter even creamier.
Fill your cupcake liners halfway with your batter. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the tops start to turn a nice light sunny cream color.
While your cupcakes bake, make your ganache and pour it into a shallow bowl.
Let your cupcakes cool on a wire rack until they reach room temperature. Dip the tops of your cupcakes in the ganache to get a nice light coating. Sprinkle a few peanuts on top of each coated cupcake. You may have to gently press your peanuts into the ganache to make sure they stick.
Those of you who read our blog and are big Trekkies (most of you, I hope) will know that Captain Picard and I share a love of Earl Grey tea. I hope he’d also enjoy these Earl Grey cupcakes with an orange frosting—and I hope you do to. Make it so!
MAKES 1 DOZEN CUPCAKES
½ cup almond milk
6 bags Earl Grey tea
½ cup margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons applesauce
1 teaspoon ground flaxseeds
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract or orange extract
¼ teaspoon grated orange peel
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
1 batch Ginger Orange Frosting (here)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place liners in your cupcake pan.
In a saucepan, simmer your almond milk over medium heat. Once it begins to bubble, add your bags of Earl Grey tea, remove your saucepan from the stove top, and let steep.
In a large bowl, blend the margarine and sugar until creamy and fluffy. Mix in the applesauce, flaxseeds, vanilla, and orange peel.
In another bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the creamed margarine ½ cup at a time. Squeeze your tea bags to get the most flavor you can into the almond milk, and then blend the tea-infused almond milk into your batter until it’s smooth.
Fill your cupcake liners about three-quarters of the way full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until you can remove a bamboo skewer inserted into the largest cupcake cleanly.
While your cupcakes are baking, make your Orange Ginger Frosting.
Once your cupcakes have cooled, frost with your frosting and engage.
There is always something you have to watch out for when you make piña colada anything, and that’s making sure your little piece of tropical-themed sweetness doesn’t end up tasting like suntan lotion. I tried to keep the flavors subtle and natural where I could. We also kept these mini because they’re easier to give away like that and you can enjoy a little cupcake at lunchtime without risking a potential sugar coma. They also look much cuter with a little drink umbrella.
MAKES 2½ DOZEN CUPCAKES
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups sugar
½ cup margarine, softened
3½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
1¼ teaspoons rum or rum extract
3 tablespoons applesauce
1 cup crushed pineapple in juice
1 teaspoon coconut milk, from a carton, not a can
1 batch Coconut Rum Frosting (here)
4 cups shredded raw coconut
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line your cupcake pan with paper liners.
Mix the flour, sugar, margarine, baking powder, salt, rum, applesauce, pineapple, and coconut milk in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer for 5 minutes on medium speed. You want the batter to be smooth and fluffy. Turn your bowl at a slight angle to make your batter a little fluffier.
Fill your cupcake liners three-quarters of the way and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the oven when you can stick a toothpick in the center of one and remove it cleanly.
While your cupcakes are baking, make your Coconut Rum Frosting. Pour your shredded coconut into a shallow dish.
When your cupcakes are cool, frost with your Coconut Rum Frosting, roll the tops in your shredded coconut, and maybe add little paper umbrellas if you’re feeling sunny.
Now, if you’re not familiar with devil’s food cake, it is light, fluffy chocolate cake that has a hint of coffee to it. Some brands and recipes don’t add the coffee, but the fancy ones do, and who doesn’t want to be fancy? We usually use this recipe as the base for those intricate, holiday-themed cupcakes because it goes so well with so many different types of frostings. You can find several different frostings in this book that work with this recipe that keeps it simple and classic—like the blue jeans of cupcake recipes.
MAKES 3 DOZEN CUPCAKES
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cups granulated sugar
¾ cup margarine, softened
cup baking cocoa
1¼ cups brewed coffee, at room temperature
1¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon applesauce
2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer, just the powder, not prepared as instructed on the package
¼ cup powdered sugar, optional
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Put your cupcake liners in your mini cupcake pan.
In a large bowl, blend all ingredients except the powdered sugar with an electric hand mixer for 2 to 3 minutes. You want your batter to be light and airy. I find it helpful to tilt the bowl slightly to help the batter get more fluffy.
Fill each cupcake liner two-thirds of the way, and bake for 5 to 8 minutes. You’ll know they are ready when you can remove a bamboo skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the largest cupcake cleanly.
Let the cupcakes cool on a wire rack before decorating with either powdered sugar dusted over the top or your favorite frosting.
We made them mini because they’re easier to share that way—even if they’re a little sticky… but that’s kinda part of their charm. These little guys are the perfect breakfast cupcakes! They aren’t your mama’s cupcakes.
MAKES 2 TO 2½ DOZEN MINI CUPCAKES
1 batch Peanut Brittle Sauce (here)
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups sugar
½ cup margarine, softened
1¼ cups soy milk
3½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons applesauce
½ teaspoon Ener-G egg replacer, the powder, not prepared as instructed on the package
Make your Peanut Brittle Sauce first. While your Peanut Brittle Sauce cools, make your cupcakes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Fill your cupcake pan with liners.
In a large bowl, mix the remaining ingredients with an electric mixer on low speed for about 3 minutes, until the batter is smooth. If you tilt your bowl a little, you can get a creamier batter.
Fill your cupcake liners halfway with your batter. Use a small spoon to create a small bowl in the batter. Put 1 to 1½ teaspoons Peanut Brittle Sauce in the center of each small bowl. You’ll want to make sure you get some peanuts in there. Try to keep the sauce in the center and keep it from spilling over the sides because it is pretty sticky.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the tops start to turn a nice light sunny cream color. Put the cupcakes on a rack to cool.
Fabulous. Cupcakes. Period.
MAKES 1 TO 1½ DOZEN CUPCAKES
Baking spray
1¼ cups granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons applesauce
1 teaspoon Ener-G egg replacer, just the powder, not prepared per the instructions on the package
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
3 cups shredded carrots
½ cup raw walnuts, chopped (you may want a little more to sprinkle over your frosting)
1 batch Cream Cheese Frosting (here)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a cupcake pan with baking spray.
In a large bowl, mix the sugars, oil, applesauce, and egg replacer with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, vanilla, and salt and blend until smooth.
If you bought preshredded carrots, you’re going to want to crush them a little more with a pastry hand blender, or chop them up a bit more using a food processor. You don’t want paste, just fine shavings or chips.
Stir your carrots and nuts into your cake batter.
Using a soupspoon, make small balls about the size of your cupcake pan cup. Place one batter ball in each cup in the pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Once you can insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake and pull it out clean, remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack out of the pan.
While your cupcakes are baking, make your Cream Cheese Frosting.
Make sure the cupcakes are cool before you start frosting them. One of the best things about frosting is how it melts in your mouth, but it melts on hot cake too—especially vegan Cream Cheese Frosting. After you frost your cupcakes, sprinkle some crushed walnuts over the top.
Ever want to ruin a perfectly good afternoon? Do a Google image search of “cheesecake in space.” The idea was that I wanted to see if astronauts were given dehydrated cheesecake on their missions. I mean, it’s creamy and sweet—much like ice cream, though definitely thicker. I never did find an answer to this question. Perhaps someone at NASA will buy this book and write me with the answer. Hint, hint.
Nevertheless, cheesecake was one of the first desserts vegans successfully conquered. We looked cheesecake in the eyes and said, “You better get vegan if you know what’s good for you,” and cheesecake obliged. The downside to there being remarkable vegan cheesecakes all over the world now is that it can be easy to take an exceptional vegan cheesecake for granted.
Being ever the ambitious dreamers, we decided that meant that we needed to make sure this section included the vegan cheesecakes that were more than just good… they were extraordinarily enjoyable while still being easy to make.
Now, I’ve heard it said that using vegan cream cheese is the “cheater’s method,” but if you weren’t vegan and were making a cheesecake, you wouldn’t make your cream cheese from scratch using milk, so why do you have to make your own vegan cream cheese? It doesn’t have to be harder to be vegan if you don’t want it to be. If you were the kind of not-yet-vegan who made your own cheese before you became vegan, that’s cool, I guess, but most of us just got our cheese already made from the grocery store, and dramatic lifestyle changes can be hard to maintain. Working a healthy and compassionate lifestyle into your life doesn’t mean you have to become a whole other person.
Having said all that, we have included a cashew cheesecake for those who want to really make a cheesecake from scratch. It’s creamy and lovely too.
Vegan fudge sauce, pecans, chocolate cookie crust, and cheesecake, and wait for it… caramel!
MAKES 1 CHEESECAKE
2 (8-ounce) packages vegan cream cheese (we recommend Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese)
2 cups vegan sour cream
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
1 vegan chocolate cookie piecrust (we recommend Keebler Ready Crust chocolate piecrust)
¼ cup toasted pecans
1 batch Hot Fudge Sauce (here)
1 batch Caramel Sauce (here)
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
In your largest mixing bowl, blend the vegan cream cheese, vegan sour cream, and sugar using an electric handheld mixer until smooth. Add the vanilla, flour, and flaxseeds and mix for about a minute. It’s important to make sure there aren’t any lumps. Pour your creamy filling into the chocolate crust.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Check the center with a toothpick to make sure it’s solid. Pull the cheesecake out of the oven when it is solid to the touch and passes the toothpick test or when the top starts to crack a little and begins pulling from the sides.
Cool on a wire rack for around an hour and then top with pecans, Hot Fudge Sauce, and Caramel Sauce.
Refrigerate overnight and then enjoy this wonderful treat!
I grew up with New York cheesecake. Big, thick, virtually crustless slices of dreamy, creamy cheesecake. I could never finish a slice alone and suspect they were always secretly intended to share. I’ve always had these romantic ideas of this dream date: two people splitting a huge slice of New York cheesecake in a place like the Carnegie Deli at 3 a.m., after seeing a show or after a night of wandering the city. I’ve never done that, but I have walked through New York City at 3 a.m. and seen this scene a dozen times at numerous shops. By the time I was wandering the city with the love of my life, I was vegan. This isn’t Carnegie cheesecake, but to be honest, it’s been so long since I’ve had it that I don’t think even the Carnegie Deli cheesecake is really what I remember it to be. But this “cheesecake” is better. It’s vegan, and I can share it with the love of my life anywhere I want. I didn’t even realize how much I missed this cheesecake until I tackled this recipe. Funny, I finally had my childhood dream date at thirty-five after I married the most amazing man I’d ever met.
MAKES 1 CHEESECAKE
CRUST
Vegetable shortening to grease your springform pan
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup margarine
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon applesauce
CHEESECAKE
5 (8-ounce) packages vegan cream cheese (we recommend Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese)
1¾ cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
¼ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
4 tablespoons applesauce
2 tablespoons Ener-G egg replacer, just the powder, not made per the instructions on the package
½ cup vegan sour cream
½ to ¾ cup of your favorite berries for a topping
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan with vegetable shortening.
In a bowl, mix the flour, margarine, sugar, and applesauce with a fork until a dough forms; gather into a ball. Press your dough into your springform pan in an even layer with some of the dough going up the sides to create a shallow bowl. Bake for 5 minutes and then set your crust aside to cool while you make your cheesecake filling.
Preheat the oven to 475°F.
In a bowl, blend the vegan cream cheese, sugar, flour, orange peel, lemon peel, and salt with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the applesauce, egg replacer, and vegan sour cream on a low speed until well blended. Pour your cheesecake filling over your crust and use a spatula to make sure the top is smooth and level.
Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 200°F. Bake for an additional hour—no longer. The cheesecake may not appear done, but if a small area in the center seems soft, it will become solid when it cools. Don’t do the toothpick test. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in there 30 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let it cool in the springform pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
Without releasing or removing the sides of the pan, run a metal spatula or a butter knife carefully along the sides of the cheesecake to loosen it. Refrigerate uncovered overnight for at least 9 hours but no longer than 48 hours.
Run a metal spatula or butter knife carefully around the sides of the cheesecake to loosen it again before unclasping the side of the pan. Leave your cheesecake on the bottom to serve, and don’t forget your berries.
Yet another one of Dan’s eating idiosyncrasies is that he hates the mint/chocolate flavor combination. He inherited this from his father—along with a number of other, more positive qualities. The Shannon clan still repeats the story of a late-night trip to the local ice cream shop for a hand-packed pint of chocolate chip ice cream, only to discover too late that it was in fact the dreaded mint chocolate chip! The horror! Anyway, I hope you like mint and chocolate paired together more than he does—because this is one delicious cheesecake. I adore it.
MAKES 1 CHEESECAKE
CRUST
Vegetable shortening to grease the springform pan
2 cups crushed vegan chocolate cookies (we recommend Oreo cookie wafers)
cup sugar
½ cup margarine, melted
CHEESECAKE
5 (8-ounce) packages vegan cream cheese (we recommend Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese)
1¾ cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon pureed fresh mint leaves, or 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
¼ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
4 tablespoons applesauce
2 tablespoons Ener-G egg replacer, just the powder, not made per the instructions on the package
½ cup vegan sour cream
2 to 3 drops green food coloring, optional
2 tablespoons vegan chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan with vegetable shortening.
In a bowl, mix the vegan chocolate cookies, sugar, and margarine with a fork until a dough forms; gather into a ball. Press the dough into the springform pan in a very shallow bowl, with some dough going up the sides. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes, or until your crust is slightly browned. Set it aside to cool while you make your filling.
Preheat the oven to 475°F.
In a bowl, beat the vegan cream cheese, sugar, flour, mint, and salt with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 1 minute, or until smooth. Mix in the applesauce, egg replacer, vegan sour cream, and food coloring, if you want, on low speed until well blended. Then, with a large spoon, fold in your vegan chocolate chips. Pour your cheesecake filling over your crust in a nice even layer and bake for 15 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 200°F. Bake for an additional hour. The cheesecake may not appear done. The small area in the center might seem soft, but it will become solid when it cools. Turn the oven off but leave your cheesecake in the oven for another 30 minutes. Then remove your cheesecake from the oven and let it cool in the springform pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
Without releasing the sides of your pan, run a metal spatula or a butter knife carefully along the sides of the cheesecake to loosen. Refrigerate uncovered overnight at least 9 hours but no longer than 48 hours.
Run a metal spatula or butter knife carefully around the sides of your cheesecake to loosen it again before unclasping the side of the pan. Leave the cheesecake on the bottom to serve.
I’m a big fan of fancy sugary coffees. Dan’s more of a “regular” coffee guy. This cheesecake takes one of my favorite latte flavors and rolls it into a cheesecake that even a gas-station-coffee aficionado will enjoy.
MAKES 1 CHEESECAKE
CRUST
Vegetable shortening to grease the springform pan
2 cups crushed vegan chocolate cookies (we recommend Oreo wafers)
cup sugar
½ cup margarine, melted
CHEESECAKE
1 tablespoon very strongly brewed espresso
5 (8-ounce) packages vegan cream cheese (we recommend Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 tablespoon ground almond meal
½ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
4 tablespoons applesauce
2 tablespoons Ener-G egg replacer, just the powder, not made per the instructions on the package
1 tablespoon vegan sour cream
TOPPING
1 batch Caramel Sauce (here)
1½ teaspoons flaked sea salt
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan with vegetable shortening.
In a bowl, mix the vegan chocolate cookies, sugar, and margarine with a fork until a sandy dough forms. Press your dough into your springform pan in an even layer, with some going up the sides lightly—making a shallow bowl. Bake your crust for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Set it aside to cool while you make your cheesecake filling.
Preheat the oven to 475°F.
In a bowl, beat your espresso, vegan cream cheese, sugar, brown sugar, flour, orange peel, almond meal, and salt with an electric handheld mixer on medium speed for about 1 minute, or until smooth. Blend in the applesauce, egg replacer, and vegan sour cream on low speed until well blended. Pour your cheesecake filling over the crust and smooth out the top with a spatula. Bake for 15 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 200°F. Bake for an additional hour. The cheesecake may not appear done, but it will become solid after your cheesecake cools. Turn off the oven and leave your cheesecake in the oven 30 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack away from drafts for 30 minutes.
Without releasing the side of the springform pan, run a metal spatula or a butter knife carefully along the sides of your cheesecake to loosen. Refrigerate uncovered overnight at least 9 hours but no longer than 48 hours.
While your cheesecake is cooling, make your Caramel Sauce.
Run a metal spatula or butter knife carefully around the side of the cheesecake to loosen again before removing the side of the pan. Leave the cheesecake on the bottom of the pan to serve. Drizzle Caramel Sauce and sprinkle some sea salt over each piece of cheesecake before serving.
Cashew-based vegan cheeses, while sounding kinda granola-y, are actually often quite delicious and decadent. This cheesecake takes the idea of cashew cheese to a whole other level. Throw in a classic orange-chocolate flavor combination, and you’ve got yourself a winner.
MAKES 1 CHEESECAKE
CRUST
1 cup crushed raw walnuts
1 cup dried apricots
¼ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
FILLING
cup coconut oil
cup agave nectar
¼ teaspoon cornstarch
2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
1 tablespoon orange juice with pulp
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup vegan chocolate sauce
In your favorite food processor, blend the walnuts, apricots, and salt until they are completely mixed and sticking together to form a dough.
Gently press your dough into a 9-inch glass pie pan in an even layer. Make sure that the edges are well packed and that the base is relatively even throughout. Be sure to scrape the sides of your food processor so you get all the dough.
In a saucepan, heat the coconut oil and agave nectar over low heat until the oil becomes liquid and begins to bubble. Use a whisk to blend the oil and agave nectar. Once the mixture is smooth, whisk in the cornstarch. In your food processor, blend the agave nectar mixture with the cashews, orange juice, and vanilla until the filling is very smooth and creamy.
Pour your filling onto the crust and smooth it out with a spatula. Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of chocolate sauce over the top in either a decorative pattern or randomly. Try to keep the sauce from getting within ½ inch of the edge. Cover your cheesecake and place in the freezer overnight.
To serve, remove from the freezer about 30 minutes before serving and have the remaining chocolate sauce slightly warmed to drizzle over each piece as you serve.
Everyone loves pumpkin pie. And its creamy texture lends itself extremely well to being reinvented as a soufflé. You can enjoy this recipe as a fancy dessert with a fall-flavors meal, or just any old time you’re craving something cinnamony and sweet.
MAKES 2 SOUFFLÉS
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon agave nectar
½ cup sugar (you’ll need more to coat your ramekins)
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Ener-G egg replacer, just the powder, not made per the instructions on the package
1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of crushed pink Himalayan salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
Olive oil cooking spray
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a large mixing bowl, blend the pumpkin puree, agave nectar, sugar, flour, vanilla, egg replacer, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and cream of tartar until smooth. Spray 2 small ramekins with olive oil cooking spray and then coat with sugar. I find the 6-ounce tall ramekins work best.
Fill each ramekin three-quarters of the way with batter and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
This crème brûlée recipe replaces the massive amounts of eggs in a traditional recipe with bananas—which not only make it vegan but give it a unique flavor as well.
MAKES 4 CRÉMES BRÛLÉES
3 large ripe bananas
cup sugar
1 package silken tofu
¼ teaspoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon Ener-G egg replacer, just the powder, not prepared the way the package instructs
¼ teaspoon nutritional yeast
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 300°°F.
Cut one of the bananas into thin slices and toss it into a bowl with 2 tablespoons of the sugar.
In your favorite food processor, blend the remaining 2 bananas, the remaining 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar, the silken tofu, cornstarch, egg replacer, nutritional yeast, and vanilla until they’re smooth and creamy. Pour the custard into 4 (4-ounce) ramekins and then top with a layer of sliced sugared bananas. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
Then, if you have a crème brûlée torch, you can go over the top of the bananas again to make sure they get a crispy crust, but most of us don’t have one of those, so we can quickly broil them for 30 seconds with the ramekins close to the flames.
Some foodies think you need a few eggs to make a nice vanilla pudding and ironically never learn that you can make this classic treat healthier and easier by thickening it with cornstarch and skipping the dairy. This recipe is not only better for you than those rich custardy things… it’s supereasy.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons Ener-G egg replacer, just the powder, not prepared the way you’re instructed to on the package
teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
2 cups vanilla soy milk (you may need a little more if your pudding reduces too much)
Seeds scraped from ½ vanilla bean
2 tablespoons margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, egg replacer, and salt. Stir the mixture while pouring in the soy milk and heating the saucepan over medium heat. Add the vanilla seeds to your pot. Stir constantly. The pudding will start to thicken as it boils. Boil and stir for about a minute.
Remove from the heat and pour your pudding-thus-far into a large mixing bowl with high sides. Add the margarine and vanilla. Blend with a hand mixer at the highest setting with the whisk attachments. One thing I like to do is turn the bowl slightly to the side; I think it makes the mixer whip a little more air in there and the pudding comes out a little lighter. Do that for about a minute; then cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for about an hour, or until chilled.
Chocolate has become the ultimate decadent treat. All over the world people have found ways to bake, liquefy, and soufflé what was once a simple treat into a guilty pleasure. When we were in Belgium in 2012, we enjoyed several different types of vegan dark chocolate and hands down found the toasted hazelnut dark chocolate bark at Elisabeth the best. It inspired us to level up our simple chocolate pudding into something really special.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons Ener-G egg replacer, just the powder, not prepared per the instructions on the package
teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon ground hazelnuts
½ cup baking chocolate
2 cups vanilla soy milk (you may need a little more if your pudding reduces too much)
2 tablespoons margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, egg replacer, and salt. Add the hazelnuts and chocolate and stir the mixture while pouring in the soy milk and heating the saucepan over medium heat. The mix will start to thicken as it boils. Boil and stir for about a minute.
Remove from heat and pour your pudding-thus-far into a large mixing bowl with high sides and add margarine and vanilla. Blend with a hand mixer at the highest setting with the flat beater attachments. Make sure all the chocolate gets blended in. Turn your bowl slightly to the side while you whip the pudding to get a little more air in there and make it a little lighter. Blend for about a minute; then cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for about an hour, or until chilled.
This is my very favorite of the puddings.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
cup plus 4 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons Ener-G egg replacer, just the powder, not prepared per the instructions on the package
teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
2 cups vanilla soy milk (you may need a little more if your pudding reduces too much)
4 tablespoons margarine, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 to 4 drops yellow food coloring, optional
In a saucepan, mix the brown sugar, cornstarch, egg replacer, and salt. Stir the mixture while pouring in the soy milk and heating the saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly. The mixture will start to thicken as it boils. Boil and stir for about a minute.
Remove from the heat and pour your pudding-thus-far into a large mixing bowl with high sides. Add the margarine and vanilla. This pudding will not naturally have that golden brown color of old-school butterscotch Jell-O pudding. If you want that kind of mythical beast, you can add a little yellow food coloring at this point. Then blend with a hand mixer at the highest setting with the whisk attachments. Try turning your bowl slightly to the side. I think it makes the mixer whip a little more air in there and your pudding comes out a little lighter. Do that for about a minute; then cover the bowl and put it in the fridge about an hour, or until chilled.
For years I avoided tapioca pudding because no one could tell me what tapioca really was. I figured if no one knew, it had to be really bad. But I was wrong. Tapioca pearls are just a starch from cassava roots that’s been made into itty bitty balls. They’re actually really lovely—especially in this coconut and vanilla pudding. This recipe requires you to start the night before you want to serve it.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
2 cups coconut milk, from a carton, not a can
½ cup small-pearl tapioca
cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons Ener-G egg replacer, just use the powder, not prepared per the instructions on the package
teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
2 tablespoons margarine, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
In a large bowl, pour 1 cup of the coconut milk over your tapioca pearls and cover with foil. Put in the fridge and let chill overnight.
The next day, in a saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, egg replacer, and salt. Stir while pouring in the remaining 1 cup coconut milk. Heat your saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. The mix will start to thicken as it boils. Boil and stir for about a minute.
Remove from the heat and mix in the margarine, vanilla, and coconut milk–tapioca pearls mixture. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl with high sides and gently blend with a whisk until smooth. Turn your bowl slightly to the side to get a little more air in there. It will help your pudding come out a little lighter. Whisk for about 3 minutes; then cover the bowl with foil and put in the fridge for about an hour, or until chilled.
This is a combination of a few different recipes to make a creamy, summery treat. You’ll need to start this recipe the night before you want to serve it.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
KEY LIME PUDDING
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
cup water
1 tablespoon margarine, softened
1 teaspoon lime juice
2 teaspoons lime zest
2 drops green food coloring, optional
COCONUT CREAM
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon agave nectar
¼ to cup powdered sugar
GRAHAM CRACKER TOPPING
1 sheet graham cracker
1 teaspoon agave nectar
Put your can of coconut milk in the fridge to chill overnight.
To make the pudding, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large saucepan. Gradually stir in the water and heat over medium heat. You want to whisk it constantly, until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Boil and stir for around a minute and then remove from the heat.
Whisk in the margarine, lime juice, and lime zest until the margarine melts and the pudding is smooth. Now, here’s where you can decide if you want to add the food coloring. If you do add it, add 1 drop at a time and whisk it in thoroughly before adding the second drop.
Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 2 hours, or until your pudding has set.
While your Key Lime Pudding is chilling, make the Coconut Cream. Combine the coconut milk, tapioca flour, vanilla, cornstarch, and agave nectar in a large mixing bowl, and blend with your hand mixer on medium for 30 seconds. Gradually add the powdered sugar and blend on the highest setting for at least 3 minutes. You want to stop adding the powdered sugar when the mix begins to get fluffy and smooth, almost like whipped cream. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for ½ hour to thicken.
In your busy little food processor or blender, mix the graham crackers and agave nectar until they form little pebbles and crumbs.
To serve, spoon equal amounts of Key Lime Pudding and Coconut Cream into a dish, and top with the Graham Cracker Topping. Don’t forget to invite a few friends over to enjoy this with you! Dessert loves company.
Campfire fun in your kitchen.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
1 batch Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding (here)
cup vegan marshmallows
1 batch Graham Cracker Topping (here)
While your Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding is cooling, lightly roast your marshmallows on bamboo skewers over one of the burners on your stovetop.
Once your Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding is firm and ready to serve, spoon it into a dish and top with roasted marshmallows and Graham Cracker Topping.
Many people don’t know this about me, but my uncle Wendall used to work for Baskin-Robbins. I’m not sure exactly what his job title was, but basically he worked in marketing and invented ice cream flavors. All I really remember about him was that he was very kind, that he died when I was young (long before his wife), and that he wore ties with ice cream cones and sundaes on them. He also played some role in the original marketing of Tofutti, though I’m not really sure what. I’d like to think if he were still around today, he would read our blog and at least enjoy the creativity. I’d also like to think he would approve of what we did with the maiden run of our new ice cream maker. This recipe has all the warm flavor and spice of our almond chai drink recipe, and complements the flavor of the cashews rather than trying to hide it, sort of like a good friendship. It brings out the best in everyone.
You’re going to need to soak your cashews and prep your ice cream maker (see below) the night before you make your ice cream.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
2 cups raw cashews
1¼ cups water
3 bags organic Darjeeling tea
¼ cup agave nectar
teaspoon ground cinnamon
teaspoon ground cardamom
teaspoon ground cloves
2 pinches of crushed black peppercorns
1 ripe banana
4 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon coconut milk
Follow the instructions for your ice cream maker. You might need ice and salt or you might need to freeze a gel core overnight, so it’s important to know what you need to get or do before you start.
Soak your raw cashews for 10 to 12 hours in a deep bowl.
In your food processor, blend your cashews for 5 to 8 minutes, until they become a smooth paste. Stop the machine a few times to scrape the sides. I know it’s hard to be patient, and it will seem like it takes forever, but it’s worth it to get the right texture.
In a saucepan, heat the water to a rapid boil over medium heat. Add the tea bags and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags. Stir in the agave nectar, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and pepper and heat to a boil. Once the tea starts to boil, remove the saucepan from the heat.
Pour your tea into the blended cashews. Add the banana, pumpkin puree, vanilla, and coconut milk to the food processor and blend for another 2 minutes, until the mixture is completely combined.
Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and turn it on. Ours took 30 minutes to make, but I know some others take longer. You’re going to have to check your ice cream maker instructions.
The one serving tip I will share is to stress the importance of investing in a good ice cream scoop. You’ll be happy you did.
Yes, we could have come up with some clever quippy name for this—but then you may have skipped over this recipe, not realizing it was the one that’ll make your summer as magical as those soda commercials always promise. If you’re skeptical, remember: if you use salt correctly, it can level up your desserts into a whole new stage of sweet awesomeness. The timeless combination of peanut butter and chocolate is beloved in America, but when you add the bits of pretzel… you create something that goes beyond the classic. You have a masterpiece.
Heads up: you’ll need to start this recipe the night before you make your ice cream and then let your ice cream chill out overnight.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
2 tablespoons Hot Fudge Sauce (here)
1½ cups raw cashews
1 ripe banana
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons vegan chocolate chips
5 teaspoons baking chocolate
¼ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon arrowroot
¾ cup sugar
1 cup coconut milk, from a can
2 tablespoons coconut oil
cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup broken pretzels with salt (try to avoid the dust)
Follow the instructions for your ice cream maker. You might need ice and salt or you might need to freeze a gel core overnight, so it’s important to know what you need to get or do before you start.
Make your Hot Fudge Sauce the night before so it’s at room temperature by the time you start making your ice cream.
In your favorite food processor, blend the cashews, banana, vanilla, vegan chocolate chips, baking chocolate, salt, arrowroot, sugar, coconut milk, and coconut oil until you get a smooth and creamy mix. Blend for at least 4 minutes, though, to make it as smooth as you can.
Pour your mixture into your ice cream machine and turn it on. Let it mix for around an hour. Right before it is solid and set, add your peanut butter and Hot Fudge Sauce into the ice cream while it’s still churning. Sprinkle the large pretzel bits in.
Stop your machine and transfer your ice cream to an airtight container. Put your ice cream in the freezer and freeze overnight.
Reheat your remaining Hot Fudge Sauce the next day so you can serve it drizzled over your ice cream.
Like most Americans in my generation, I can relate cookies and an innate desire to eat all the cookies ever with a lovable blue monster that spoke baby talk. I was tempted to tell you to add blue food coloring to this recipe for just that reason, but the truth is, if you really want to pay homage to our azure friend, I suggest you wear blue while you enjoy this ice cream.
You may need to prep your ice cream maker the night before you make your ice cream (see below).
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
4 cups coconut milk
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon coconut oil
¼ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
cup crushed vegan chocolate cookies (we recommend Oreo wafers)
Follow the instructions on your ice cream maker to prep your machine. We have to freeze the core of our machine overnight, but I know some machines require ice. Every machine is different, so it’s important to know what your machine needs.
Blend the coconut milk, coconut flour, cornstarch, sugar, coconut oil, salt, and vanilla with an electric handheld mixer until the sugar melts and the mixture is completely blended. Pour your coconut milk mixture into your ice cream machine and turn it on. Let it mix for around an hour. Right before your ice cream is set, sprinkle your crushed cookies into the ice cream while it’s still churning.
Once your cookie bits are blended in, stop your machine and transfer your ice cream to an airtight container. Put your ice cream in the freezer and freeze overnight.
Ever hear the term “humble pie”? Well, that’s what crisps and cobblers are all about. They aren’t as showy and complicated as those elusive diva pies with their frilly latticework, but they have all the warm spices and sweet fruit… and they come with a lot less drama.
Everyone can make a crisp or cobbler, and really they should. They’re incredibly easy and go great with a scoop of soy or coconut ice cream. If you ever find yourself wondering what to make for a party or get-together full of not-yet-vegans… well, this is a dessert that will get a ton of praise for tasting just like its nonvegan peers.
Every autumn should include an apple crisp… correction—this apple crisp. If you find it’s November and you haven’t had an apple crisp yet… you’re doing it wrong.
MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS
5 Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced
3 firm pears, cored and sliced
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup whole wheat flour
4 tablespoons crushed raw walnuts
½ cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
cup margarine, plus more to grease your baking dish
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 7 x 11-inch baking dish with margarine.
In a large mixing bowl, toss the apples, pears, lemon juice, and sugar. Spoon the apples and pears into the prepared dish and set aside.
In another bowl, mix the brown sugar, flour, walnuts, oats, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt with a large spoon until combined. Add the margarine and blend with an electric handheld mixer until there are no clumps.
Spread the oat mixture evenly over the apples and pears. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the juices are bubbling and the topping is, ya know, crisp.
This is the crisp that has saved more Christmases than Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson combined. Now, you might be wondering why it’s not in the “Holiday Favorites” chapter… and that’s because pomegranates are at their best in October (at least in my neck of the woods), so this recipe is also a nice gooey red treat for a Halloween party. It’s also a sweet way to start a day with a large hot cocoa. The point being that this crisp transcends its holiday-ness and is a wonderful recipe meant for the world to enjoy whether “Jingle Bells” is playing in the background or not.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
2 cups frozen cherries, defrosted
1 cup Can-Free Cranberry Sauce (here)
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup whole raw pomegranate seeds
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup old-fashioned oats
¼ cup margarine, softened
Vegetable shortening for greasing your baking dish
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8 x 8-inch glass baking dish with vegetable shortening.
In your saucepan, mix the cherries in their juice, Can-Free Cranberry sauce, sugar, 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the cornstarch and ginger. Cook over medium heat while stirring constantly. Once your fruit mixture begins to bubble and thicken, gently stir in the pomegranate seeds and remove from the heat. Pour the fruit mixture into the baking dish. Use a spatula to spread out your fruit in an even layer.
In a mixing bowl, blend the flour, the remaining ½ cup brown sugar, the oats, margarine, and the remaining ½ teaspoon cinnamon with an electric handheld mixer until the mixture forms large crumbs. Sprinkle over your fruit.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and your fruit is bubbling.
Sometimes you just need to be alone with some blueberries. The cinnamon and sugar can add ambiance, but really… this crisp is all about you and some blueberries.
MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS
5 cups frozen blueberries, defrosted
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon peel, grated
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup old-fashioned oats
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon grated nutmeg
Pinch of crushed pink Himalayan salt
cup margarine (you’ll need more to grease your baking dish)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 7 x 11-inch baking dish with margarine.
In a large mixing bowl, toss the blueberries in their juice, lemon juice, lemon peel, and granulated sugar. Spoon the dressed blueberries into the prepared dish and set aside.
In another bowl, mix the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt with a large spoon until combined. Add the margarine and blend with an electric handheld mixer until there are no clumps.
Spread the sugared oat mixture evenly over the blueberries. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the juices are bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
I lived in Georgia and thought I knew everything about peaches. I drove on multiple streets dedicated to peach trees, and I think they had their own mall. They definitely had local vendors on the side of the road that sold pretty rosy peaches the size of softballs.
It’s easy to get a little peach crazy when you have access to that kind of peach supply; you can build up an impressive arsenal of peachy recipes. This is one of those recipes.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
Vegetable shortening for greasing your baking dish
4½ cups fresh peaches (5 to 6 peaches, pitted and sliced)
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced
cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 pinches ground cloves
½ cup old-fashioned oats
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup margarine, softened
cup crushed walnuts
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Grease a 2-quart glass baking dish with vegetable shortening.
In a large bowl, very gently mix the peaches, apple slices, sugar, ginger, ½ teaspoon of the cinnamon, the nutmeg, and cloves with a large spoon. Pour your spiced peaches and apples into your greased baking dish and use a spatula to make the fruit level and even.
In the same bowl, mix the oats, brown sugar, flour, and remaining ½ teaspoon cinnamon with an electric handheld mixer. Blend in the margarine with a pastry blender so that you get large crumbs. If you use your electric mixer, it won’t turn out right—so don’t do that. Using a large spoon, mix in the crushed walnuts. Sprinkle your walnut crumbs over the spiced peach mix.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until your walnut topping is golden brown and your peaches are tender.
You’ll want to serve it warm, but you’ll need to let it cool. Crisps can turn into little dishes of molten lava—and that’s no fun to eat.
From pomegranate-peach Popsicles to smoothies to salads, the combo is popping up all over. This cobbler brings these powerful flavors together in a way that accentuates their strengths—like any good relationship should.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
5 to 6 fresh peaches, pitted and sliced
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
2 teaspoons pomegranate juice
¼ cup whole wheat flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
3 tablespoons margarine, softened
½ cup vanilla soy milk
2 tablespoons raw sugar
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a saucepan, mix ½ cup of the sugar and the cornstarch. Stir the peaches, pomegranate seeds, and juice into your sugar. Cook over medium heat while stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Once the sugared fruit begins to bubble, remove it from the heat and pour it into an ungreased glass casserole dish. Use your spoon to make sure the fruit is in an even layer.
In a mixing bowl, blend the flour, remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, the baking powder, and salt with a whisk. With a pastry blender, mix the margarine into the flour until it begins to look like little clumps the size of peas. Using an electric handheld mixer, blend in the soy milk until the dough is smooth and has no lumps.
Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto the fruit in little clumps. Once you have dropped in all the dough, sprinkle your raw sugar over the top.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until your dough is golden brown.
If you’ve ever spent any time in the Pacific Northwest, you’ve probably seen the hillsides overgrown with creeping blackberry bushes. These lush little berries were all over my college campus and were a great way to snack or stain your clothes after a long run or a trip to the library. Over the years, the combination of adoration and college poverty led to several recipes including these black beauties. This is one of the best ones.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
1 cup frozen blackberries, defrosted (keep the juice)
1 cup frozen raspberries, defrosted (keep the juice)
1 large ripe pear, cored and diced very small
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup sugar
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup almond flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
1 cup almond milk
½ cup margarine, melted
2 pints vanilla soy ice cream
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the blackberries, raspberries, diced pear, lemon juice, and sugar. Cover and refrigerate for 20 to 25 minutes.
In a separate large bowl, blend the flours, baking powder, salt, and almond milk. Stir in the melted butter until blended. Spread your batter evenly into an ungreased 8 x 8-inch glass baking dish. Gently pour your mixed berries over the batter.
Bake for 40 to 55 minutes, or until the dough rises and turns a golden brown. Serve warm, spooned into little dishes with some vanilla soy ice cream on top.
There’s nothing I love more than eating a nice piece of pie, and for years there was nothing I hated more than making them. Seriously, all those steps, and you had to make sure everything was just right. I’m exhausted even typing about it. Gah. It can be hard to even see the point.
But in a way, it’s a lot like those colorful Magic Eye posters that used to clutter up the malls with promises of sailboats and views of the Grand Canyon… once you just relax and stop trying so hard, it just kind of comes together. Well, maybe it’s not that easy. But it happens. Unlike that idiot you dated in college—you can make bad pies go good.
I actually love baking pies now. And you can’t have a great pie without a great crust. Here are a few tips for how to make a crust worthy of all those ripe blueberries, tangy cherries, and sweet apples.
You need the right pan. I recommend investing in a good glass pie pan, not only because it won’t give you a soggy crust like a shiny metal one, but also because you can see what’s going on with your crust while you’re baking. Beginning pie bakers can appreciate that.
Don’t grease your pie pans. There’s already enough fat in your crust. Adding more will only make a gooey mess.
To prevent your crust edges from getting too brown, you’ll need to mold 2-inch strips of foil to make a ring around the edge of the pie. Remove the foil 15 minutes before your pie is done baking so that the edges can catch up with the rest of the crust.
Rolling your dough out on plastic wrap can save you a step and lots of cracks and drama. You want your dough to be firm but still pliable when you pull it out of the fridge. If it’s crumbly, though, that’s okay. Just press the cracks with moist fingers to fix any imperfections and then let your dough warm a little till it’s more pliable.
The little black dress of piecrusts.
MAKES 2 CRUSTS—ENOUGH FOR 1 REGULAR PIE OR 2 OPEN-FACED PIES
1 cup all-purpose flour (you’re going to want more to flour surfaces)
1 cup whole wheat flour
¾ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
3 to 6 tablespoons cold water
Refrigerate your water for 2 hours before making your crust.
In a medium bowl, mix the flours and salt with a whisk. Cut the shortening into your flour, and then use a pastry blender to mix your dough until it becomes little clumps that look like small peas. Sprinkle in the cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and then use a large fork to mix. You want the dough to be moist but not wet, so you have to use your judgment about how much to use.
With your hands, roll the dough into a ball inside the bowl and then separate it into 2 equal portions. On two large pieces of plastic wrap, roll your dough out with a floured roller into two round disks. Try to keep the crust’s thickness even. You don’t want some areas to be thinner than others. Gently roll the flattened dough up into plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
Now you’re ready to build your pie.
If you’re looking for a crust that’s more like the ones in those sticky, “buttery” pies you find at your local grocery store, this is the crust for you.
MAKES 2 CRUSTS—ENOUGH FOR 1 REGULAR PIE OR 2 OPEN-FACED PIES
2 cups all-purpose flour (you may need a little more)
1 teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
¾ teaspoon sugar
1 cup margarine, very cold
¼ to ½ cup cold water
Put your margarine in the freezer and your water and mixing bowl in the fridge for an hour before starting to make your piecrust.
In a very large, chilled mixing bowl, mix the flour, salt, and sugar with a whisk until blended. Cut in your margarine and blend with an electric handheld mixer until it becomes little pebbly balls. Gradually add your chilled water a few tablespoons at a time while you continue to blend your dough. As soon as your dough becomes moist, stop adding water. If you add too much, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Use your hands to gently roll the dough into a ball inside the bowl and then move it to a large piece of plastic wrap. Use your hand to gently flatten the dough on the plastic wrap and then wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours. After your dough has had time to chill out, you’re ready to build your pie.
Level up any pie in a way only chocolate can.
MAKES 1 PIECRUST
2 cups all-purpose flour (you’ll need extra to flour surfaces)
1 teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons shredded vegan dark chocolate
4 to 6 tablespoons cold water
In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Blend in your shortening using a pastry blender until the dough looks like small pebbles or peas. Sprinkle with the chocolate and the water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Between tablespoons of water, use your hands to press the dough into a ball. Stop adding water when the dough is moist but not pasty and leaves the side of the bowl easily.
With your hands, gather your dough into a ball inside the bowl and then separate the dough into 2 equal portions. Move your dough balls to two large pieces of plastic wrap and flatten them slightly. Wrap your dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Once your dough is chilled, remove it from the fridge and let it soften slightly. Roll out your dough on a floured surface using a floured roller. You’re going to have to be really careful when you move your dough—like Tom-Cruise-hanging-from-the-ceiling-spy careful—because it’s not on the plastic wrap, but it’s okay. It’ll be worth it. Now you’re ready to buid your pie!
Despite what we’ve been led to believe for years, it turns out coconut oil is actually pretty good for you. Yes, it has a lot of saturated fat, but it’s not the same kind of fat you find in animal-based products and is a significant plant source of lauric acid. This fatty acid has been known to help speed up metabolism and is good for your hair and nails. It will give you that good-looking flaky piecrust you have been striving for all along.
MAKES 2 CRUSTS—ENOUGH FOR 1 PIE OR 2 OPEN-FACED PIES
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
1 cup virgin coconut oil
½ cup cold water
In a bowl, mix your flour and salt. Add your coconut oil and blend with a pastry blender until your dough becomes tiny pea-size bits.
Slowly add the water a little at a time and mix by hand until a dough is formed. Divide into 2 equal parts, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Remove from the fridge and roll out between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Now you’re ready to build your pie!
There are few things that are fair in this world. Here’s one of them: there are several brands of vegan graham cracker crusts on the market. As of this moment, my favorite ones are made by Keebler and Wholly Wholesome, but if for some reason you find yourself in a vegan graham cracker desert… this recipe is for you and the cheesecake or cream pie you’re making.
MAKES 1 PIECRUST
2 cups crushed vegan graham crackers
cup margarine
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In your food processor, blend all your ingredients until well mixed. Gently press your crumb batter into the bottom and onto the sides of your pie pan.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly brown. Let cool completely before filling your crust so that your filling doesn’t melt. Once you can touch your pan with your bare hands, you should be ready to party.
This recipe is just as provocative and edgy as the Rolling Stones song of the same name, but not nearly as problematic.
MAKES 1 TART CRUST
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1¼ cups margarine, softened
cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 teaspoons brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a food processor, blend all the ingredients until a dough forms. Press the dough firmly and evenly into an 11-inch tart pan. You’ll want to press the dough into the sides, creating a little piecrust well in the center.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until your crust is a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Now you’re ready to fill your tart.
This is the most English recipe in this whole cookbook. Nothing says England like Earl Grey tea and fancy tarts. Put whatever kind of filling you like in this crust and drink it with a nice, steaming cup of the Earl—it’ll be a jolly good show.
MAKES 2 TO 4 MEDIUM-SIZE TARTS
1 cup all-purpose flour (you will need more to flour your surfaces)
½ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
2 to 3 tablespoons Earl Grey tea, prepared using the instructions on the package and chilled
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, and shortening with a pastry blender. Once your mixture is blended and looks like pebbles, sprinkle with the chilled Earl Grey tea, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue to blend with the pastry blender, and once your dough is moist and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, gather it into a ball in the center.
Flour your surface and rolling pin for rolling out your dough. Roll out your dough and then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 45 minutes. You want your dough to be firm but still pliable. Chilling your dough will make your crust flakier.
After your dough has chilled, roll it out again to make sure it has stayed even, and fix any cracks or splits. Divide your dough into segments to fit your tart dishes. Press your dough into your tart dishes. If there are any cracks or splits that come up, just take some extra dough and press it into the spots that need a little help. If you smooth out your edges with moist fingers, no one will ever know!
Be sure to cut off any extra dough that might hang over the edges. Now you’re ready to fill your tarts and bake.
This recipe is so American, they’ll carve it on Mount Rushmore. They’ll put it on the million-dollar bill. It’ll win the World Series and the Super Bowl and American Idol and get elected president all in the same year. Or maybe it’ll just wow all your friends and family at your next Fourth of July cookout. That’s still a pretty amazing accomplishment.
MAKES 1 PIE
1 Basic Piecrust (here)
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
¼ cup coconut flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of crushed pink Himalayan salt
6 Granny Smith apples, cored and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon margarine, softened
2 teaspoons apple juice
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Make your Basic Piecrust. Gently press one of the rolled-out piecrusts into your glass pie plate.
In a large mixing bowl, mix ½ cup of the sugar, the coconut flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and apples. Very gently pour your apple mixture into your piecrust. Your apple mixture will be taller than the edge of your pie plate. With your spoon, gently shape the apple mixture so that it makes a peak in the center of the pie.
In another bowl, use a pastry blender to break up the margarine. Sprinkle the small pieces over the apples.
Roll out the other half of your Basic Piecrust dough and cut it into strips to make a lattice top—see “Making a Lattice Top for Your Pie” here for tips on making a lattice top for your pies.
In a small bowl, blend the apple juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar with a whisk until the sugar dissolves. Brush the top of the pie with the apple juice glaze.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top of your pie is golden brown.
Cool on a rack for at least an hour before serving.
Two of summer’s favorite fruits working together make one amazing pie.
MAKES 1 PIE
1 Sweet “Buttery” Piecrust (here)
¾ cup sugar
cup coconut flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh peach slices
3 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon margarine, softened
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Make your Sweet “Buttery” Piecrust. Gently press one of the rolled out piecrusts into your glass pie plate.
In a large mixing bowl, very gently mix the sugar, coconut flour, cinnamon, blueberries, and peaches. Pour your berry and peaches mixture into your piecrust. Your fruit mix will be taller than the edge of your pie plate. With your spoon, gently shape your fruit mix so that it makes a peak in the center of the pie. Sprinkle the lemon juice and lemon peel over the top of your pie.
In another bowl, use a pastry blender to break up the margarine. Sprinkle the small pieces over the fruit.
Roll out the other half of your piecrust dough on the plastic wrap. Use a small cookie cutter to cut a small hole in the center of your dough. Then flip the dough over on top of the fruit so that the small hole is centered on the pie. Get your fingers wet and gently go around the edge of the pie, sealing the crusts together by gently pinching them into a little wave.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top of your pie is golden brown.
Cool on a rack for at least 2 hours before serving.
When Dan was growing up in suburban Boston, the next-door neighbor grew rhubarb in the backyard. Being a punk kid, Dan would always steal the little rhubarb plants and eat them—despite the fact that rhubarb is pretty much disgusting when eaten raw. But that didn’t stop the love of my life from doing it anyway, just for the thrill of the chase. Neither did the fact that the leaves actually contain a strong toxin—which his neighbors and parents both warned him about. Luckily, you’d need to eat more than 10 pounds of them to actually poison yourself, and Dan wasn’t that good a thief. You won’t need to steal anything to enjoy this delicious summer recipe—although it tastes so good it’s criminal.
MAKES 1 PIE
1 Basic Piecrust (here)
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 tablespoon orange juice with pulp
3 cups ½-inch pieces fresh rhubarb
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon margarine, softened
2 teaspoons apple juice
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Make your Basic Piecrust. Gently press one of the rolled-out piecrusts into your glass pie plate.
In a large mixing bowl, very gently mix 2 cups of the granulated sugar and the brown sugar, flour, orange peel, orange juice, rhubarb, strawberries, and cinnamon. Pour your strawberry-rhubarb mixture into your piecrust.
In another bowl, use a pastry blender to break up the margarine and then sprinkle the small pieces over your fruit.
Roll out the other half of the piecrust dough and cut it into strips to make a lattice top—see here for tips on how to make an awesome lattice top for your pie.
In a small bowl, whisk together the apple juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar until the sugar dissolves. Brush the top of the pie with the apple juice glaze.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top of your pie is golden brown.
Cool on a rack for at least an hour before serving.
It’s 798 miles to Chicago, we’ve got a full tank of gas and half a pack of chilled San Pellegrinos, it’s sunny out, and we’re wearing sunglasses. Let’s make some pie!
Hit it.
MAKES 1 PIE
1 cup shredded raw coconut
cup sugar
¾ cup coconut oil spread
1¼ teaspoons vanilla extract or coconut extract
1 tablespoon coconut milk, from a can
1 tablespoon coconut flour or cornstarch
Pinch of crushed pink Himalayan salt
¼ teaspoon agave nectar
1 package silken tofu
1 vegan chocolate cookie piecrust (we recommend Keebler Ready Crust chocolate piecrust)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread ¾ cup of the raw shredded coconut evenly over a cookie sheet. Place in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove when the coconut is lightly browned and toasted.
In your food processor, puree the remaining ¼ cup shredded raw coconut. Add the sugar, coconut oil spread, vanilla, coconut milk, coconut flour, salt, agave nectar, and silken tofu to your food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into your piecrust and evenly sprinkle toasted coconut over the top. Put in the freezer for 8 hours.
I started to make the cream filling for this pie, and it was so lovely and sweet… It felt like it needed a dark side… like how Wesley in Buffy was a pale shadow of the dreamboat Dark Wesley in Angel. So I went back to our Little Devil’s Food Cupcakes recipe for inspiration and added a little coffee. We now have a supereasy and creamy and awesome pie that will make you swoon. I hope you have someone around to fetch you those smelling salts…
MAKES 1 PIE
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
¾ cup coconut oil spread
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
3 ounces (3 squares) unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature
1½ teaspoons instant coffee
½ teaspoon agave nectar
1 package silken tofu, drained
1 vegan chocolate cookie piecrust (we recommend Keebler Ready Crust chocolate piecrust)
Shredded dark chocolate
Blend the sugar, brown sugar, coconut oil spread, vanilla, baking chocolate, instant coffee, agave nectar and silken tofu in your food processor, until blended and smooth. Pour into your piecrust and sprinkle dark chocolate over the top. Put in the freezer for 4 hours.
I’ve always noticed these bright, cheerful little tarts outshining all the creamy éclairs and frosty rose-petaled cakes in bakeries, but have never actually had one. There were always eggs and cream to avoid, or a lack of events to justify making one. But that doesn’t mean I never thought about it. If you’ve ever been to Paris, you’ll know that these tarts are in every coffee shop and patisserie widow, flirting with you like only a Parisian can. Those tarts are so polished and flawless, they could grace the cover of a magazine. Even the humblest café serves supermodel-caliber tarts. These beautiful baked goods combine fresh colorful fruit and a “buttery” shortbread-ish crust into the perfect storm of desserts that will melt in your mouth in a combination of sweet vanilla cream, tangy fruit, and a slightly savory crust. A storm that you can now make in your very own home!
MAKES 1 TART
1 Brown Sugar Tart Crust (here)
1 (8-ounce) package vegan cream cheese (we recommend Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese)
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon bourbon (you can just use more vanilla extract if alcohol isn’t your thing)
½ cup sugar
Slices of your favorite fresh fruit (we recommend 2 white peaches, 2 kiwifruit, 1 apricot, blueberries, and boysenberries, but some other popular choices are strawberries, raspberries, melons, and mangos)
Make your Brown Sugar Tart Crust in an 11-inch tart pan.
In a bowl, blend the vegan cream cheese, vanilla, bourbon, and sugar with a handheld electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
Once your crust reaches room temperature, use a spatula to spread your vanilla filling evenly into the crust. Then arrange your rinsed, dried, and sliced fruit on top of the vanilla filling very slowly and deliberately to create your pattern. You’re going to want to have an idea going into your tart as to what fruit you want where because it will be messy and troublesome to move a slice of fruit once it goes into the vanilla filling. We suggest fanning and layering your fruit like a flower so you can get the most fruit possible on there. I also like the rosebud look it creates.
Once your toppings are arranged, cover your tart with plastic wrap and cool for 20 minutes to firm up your filling before serving. When you serve, be sure to remove your tart cover (the ring on the outside of the pan) first if your tart pan comes in 2 pieces. It will make it easier to serve and cut. You do this by gently lifting the tart from the ring from underneath. The plate holding the tart should separate from the ring. Again, this is only if your tart pan comes in 2 pieces. I recommend practicing a bit before you start your tart.
These tarts are just… lovely. The bright, flavorful berries kind of steal the show, but I have to mention that the crust and crumble for this tart are pretty exceptional as well. We used the Earl Grey Tea Tart Crust and then we topped the tart with an orange zest crumble to bring out the bergamot flavors in the tea.
MAKES 2 TARTS
2 Earl Grey Tea Tart Crusts (here)
1½ cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1½ cups fresh raspberries
1½ cups fresh blueberries
cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
CITRUS CRUMBLE TOPPING
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons orange zest
cup margarine
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Make your 2 Earl Grey Tea Tart Crusts.
In a large bowl, gently toss the berries with the sugar and cornstarch. Spoon into your pastry-lined tart dishes.
In another bowl, mix the crumble topping ingredients with a fork until they’re crumbly. Sprinkle an even amount over the berries in each tart. You want some berries to peak through, so don’t get too heavy-handed with the crumble topping.
Bake for around 30 minutes, or until the berries are bubbling and your crust has a light golden color. Let them cool until they aren’t too hot to touch but are still warm. Keep in mind also that the crust will continue to brown a little bit as it cools because your dishes are still hot. So be sure to pull them out before they are too brown.
It can be easy to forget how nicely the tangy sweetness of orange can mellow out even the bitterest of chocolate and create something quite wonderful and special. I mean, everyone can make an orange cake or chocolate pie… but bring out a Chocolate Orange Tea Tart at a dinner party, and there is bound to be one person who is impressed enough to post a photo on Facebook.*
MAKES 4 TARTS
CANDIED ORANGE SLICES
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 navel orange, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices with the peel on
2 cinnamon sticks
TARTS
4 Earl Grey Tea Tart Crusts (here)
1 (8-ounce) package vegan cream cheese (we recommend Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese)
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon orange liqueur
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup vegan chocolate chips
Start with the candied orange slices! Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the sugar dissolves. Add the orange slices and cinnamon sticks and reduce the heat to a simmer. Use your spoon to flip the orange slices a few times. Once the rinds become soft, you’ll notice a syrup beginning to form. Heat your orange slices for 40 minutes.
Move your soft orange slices to the cookie sheet and arrange them in a single layer so none of them are touching. Keep your syrup to drizzle over the tart later.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Make your 4 Earl Grey Tea Tart Crusts.
In a bowl, blend the vegan cream cheese, vanilla, orange liqueur, sugar, and cornstarch with a handheld mixer until your orange cream is smooth and creamy.
In a small saucepan, melt your vegan chocolate chips following the instructions on the package.
Use a spatula to spread your orange cream evenly into the crusts. With a whisk, drizzle the desired amount of chocolate over the top of your orange cream.
Bake for around 20 minutes, or until your crust has a light golden color. Don’t let your tarts bake for too long; the crust will continue to brown a little bit as it cools because your dishes are still hot. So be sure to pull them out just as they begin to brown, then let them cool until you can touch them but they are still warm.
Once they’re cool, arrange 1 to 2 of the prettiest candied orange slices on top and drizzle a little of the orange syrup over the top.
Frostings, glazes, and sauces are often thought of as the supporting cast of a dessert. I mean, we say we baked a birthday cake, not a birthday frosting. But I think this shows how much we take these dessert wonders for granted. These little extras add the color and punch to our desserts and can be the difference between a chocolate cake being German and a chocolate cake hailing from the Black Forest. Without frosting, our cupcakes couldn’t wish us a “happy birthday,” or become little snowmen, turkeys, or sunshines. They’d just be little handfuls of cake.
Although these recipes are rarely “baked,” they still have their place in the Pantheon of Baked Goods: much like Aphrodite’s little cherubs, Athena’s owl, or Poseidon’s dolphins. We kept them separate in the book so that you can mix and match them in whoopie pies and on cupcakes to create your own baked wonders.
Classic buttercream is made by creaming butter with powdered sugar, but we know you’re a little more advanced than that. This recipe has all the delicious simplicity of the traditional recipe, with 10 percent more fancy.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 1 DOZEN CUPCAKES
6 cups powdered sugar (you may need a little more)
cup margarine, softened
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 tablespoons almond milk (you may need a little more)
In a large mixing bowl, blend the powdered sugar and margarine with an electric handheld mixer until it becomes little pebbly clumps. Blend in the vanilla and almond milk. If your frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it’s not fluffy and soft enough, add a tiny bit more almond milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.
What could make buttercream frosting more delicious? Making it chocolate. Duh. And for the record, that is always the correct answer when the question is “What could make something more delicious?”
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 1 DOZEN CUPCAKES
6 cups powdered sugar (you may need a little more)
cup margarine, softened
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
5 tablespoons almond milk (you may need a little more)
In a large mixing bowl, mix the powdered sugar and margarine with an electric handheld mixer until it looks like little peas. Blend in the vanilla and chocolate. Gradually beat in the almond milk. If your frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar. If it is too dry, add a tiny bit more almond milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.
This frosting is perfect for carrot cake, or really anything that you want to become more delicious.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 1 DOZEN CUPCAKES
1 package plain vegan cream cheese (we recommend Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese)
¼ cup margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, margarine, soy milk, and vanilla with an electric mixer on low until smooth.
Gradually mix in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, on a low speed to prevent one of those messy blowbacks. Mix till smooth.
This recipe goes equally well with a chocolate- or vanilla-based cake recipe.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 1 DOZEN CUPCAKES
6 cups powdered sugar (you may need a little more)
cup margarine, softened
4 teaspoons grenadine or cherry-flavored extract
5 tablespoons almond milk (you may need a little more)
In a large mixing bowl, blend the powdered sugar and margarine with an electric handheld mixer until it becomes little pebbly clumps. Blend in the grenadine and almond milk. If your frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it’s not fluffy and soft enough, add a tiny bit more almond milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.
This is the kind of soft frosting you’ll want for filling a whoopie pie or a layer cake.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 1 DOZEN CUPCAKES
½ cup margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup soy milk (you may need a little more)
2 cups powdered sugar
In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the margarine over medium heat. Stir in your brown sugar once your margarine is melted. Heat the mixture to a boil while whisking constantly. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to low, and let it boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. After 2 minutes, stir in the soy milk. Heat the mixture back up to boiling, stirring constantly, and then remove from the heat. Let it cool until it’s lukewarm. This should take about ½ hour.
After it’s cooled, gradually stir in the powdered sugar. It’s important to add it a little at a time, stir it up, and repeat, until it’s all in there in a smooth mixture. Take the whole saucepan and submerge the base of it in a big bowl of cold water to cool down the frosting—but don’t let the water get in the pan! Remove the pan from the water and mix the frosting with an electric mixer until it becomes smooth and spreadable. If it’s too stiff, you can add in a little extra soy milk, a few drops at a time.
Yes. This is really happening. You’re welcome.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 1 DOZEN CUPCAKES
3½ cups powdered sugar (you might need a little extra)
cup margarine
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
3 tablespoons vanilla soy milk (you may need a little more)
1 to 2 drops green food coloring, optional
cup vegan chocolate chips, crushed
Blend the powdered sugar and margarine with an electric handheld mixer until creamy. Mix in the vanilla and peppermint extracts and soy milk. If your frosting is too soft, add more powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. If it is too dry, add a tiny bit more soy milk, ½ teaspoon at a time.
Once you like the consistency of your frosting, you can mix in your food coloring, if using, and then your crushed vegan chocolate chips.
This is a simple recipe that’s packed with flavor, and a great counterpart to any number of recipes in this book.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 1 DOZEN CUPCAKES
3 cups powdered sugar
cup margarine
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 teaspoons grated lemon peel
In a medium mixing bowl, mix the powdered sugar and margarine together using an electric handheld mixer on low speed. It’ll still be really powdery and look nothing like frosting. It will look more like little pebbles. Add in 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and mix again. Add a second tablespoon of the lemon juice and mix again. From here you have to use your judgment, and add as much of the remaining lemon juice as you need, a couple of drops at a time, mixing together each time, until the frosting becomes smooth and spreadable. Once you like the consistency, blend in your lemon peel.
This is pretty much the same recipe as the Lemon Frosting, but with oranges.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 1 DOZEN CUPCAKES
3 cups powdered sugar
cup margarine, softened
½ teaspoon ginger paste
2 to 3 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
In a medium mixing bowl, mix the powdered sugar, margarine, and ginger paste together using an electric handheld mixer on low speed until the mixture becomes little pebbles. Add in 1 tablespoon of the orange juice and mix again. Then add a second tablespoon of the orange juice and mix again. It should look more like frosting now. Start adding the remaining orange juice a couple of drops at a time, mixing each time, until the frosting becomes smooth and spreadable. You might not use all the orange juice. Once you have a lovely frosting, blend in the orange and lemon peel.
This is a soft frosting that is perfect as a filling for a layer cake or whoopie pie.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 1 DOZEN CUPCAKES
3 cups powdered sugar (you may need a little more)
cup creamy peanut butter (sorry, you can’t use the all-natural brands—they’re too oily)
cup margarine, softened
In a large bowl, mix the powdered sugar, peanut butter, and margarine together using a hand mixer on low speed until your frosting is completely blended and smooth. If your peanut butter is too oily, it might make your frosting too soft. You’ll have to add more powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until it has a smooth yet firm consistency.
This is that signature frosting that makes those German Chocolate Whoopie Pies here into something to cheer about.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 1 DOZEN WHOOPIE PIES
½ cup margarine, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
1 teaspoon French vanilla extract
2 tablespoons arrowroot
2 tablespoons Ener-G egg replacer, just the powder, not prepared per the instructions on the package
2 cups shredded raw coconut
1 cups raw pecans, chopped
In a saucepan, melt the margarine. Mix in the brown sugar, coconut milk, and vanilla. Heat over low heat while stirring. Once the mixture is blended and begins to bubble, stir in the arrowroot, egg replacer, coconut, and pecans. Remove from the heat. Let the frosting cool for 1 hour to thicken up before using.
Keep in mind that this is a soft frosting intended for a whoopie pie, so it will always have that sticky-sweet wonderful you want in a cookie sandwich.
We treated ourselves to some Bushmills when we made this one and we’re happy we did. When I say “we,” I mean Dan.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 1 DOZEN CUPCAKES
3 cups powdered sugar
margarine, softened
2 to 3 tablespoons whiskey
In a medium mixing bowl, mix the powdered sugar and margarine together using a hand mixer on low speed. Add in 1 tablespoon of the whiskey and mix. Add a second tablespoon of the whiskey and mix again. Now, if the frosting is still a little thick, you might want to add a little more whiskey, a few drops at a time, until the frosting is the consistency and flavor you want.
This frosting brings a little bit of an island kick to your desserts.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 1 DOZEN CUPCAKES
2½ cups powdered sugar (you may need a little more)
½ cup margarine, softened
2 teaspoons rum or rum extract
2 teaspoons coconut milk, from a carton, not a can (you may need a little more)
4 cups shredded raw coconut
Blend the powdered sugar, margarine, rum, and coconut milk in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes using the beater attachments first. When the margarine is soft, switch to the whisk attachments and blend for another 5 minutes. You want to stop when the frosting gets fluffy.
If you want your frosting to be thicker, add more powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time. If you want your frosting softer, add more coconut milk, a teaspoon at a time.
Put your shredded coconut in a bowl. Once you have frosted your cupcakes or whoopie pies, gently dip the frosted treat into the bowl of coconut and very gently press down. You’ll want to roll your cupcake tops or whoopie pie sides in the coconut a little to make sure they get a lot. You’re pressing the coconut into the frosting, but make sure you don’t press so hard the frosting comes off into the bowl.
If you’re using this frosting on a cake, just sprinkle the coconut over the top.
Perfect for doughnuts and other decadent treats.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 2 DOZEN DOUGHNUTS
½ cup vegan chocolate chips
2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons margarine, softened
1 to 2 teaspoons hot water
Heat your vegan chocolate chips in your favorite saucepan over medium heat. Once they begin to get glossy, add the agave nectar and margarine and whisk until everything is melted and smooth. Set aside and let cool. Once the glaze is cool, whisk until it is smooth. Add 1 teaspoon water and whisk until blended. If you want your glaze thinner, just add another teaspoon of water.
Once you like the consistency, dip your baked goods in your glaze while it’s still warm.
This glaze is great for vanilla or fruit-flavored cakes and cupcakes.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 2 DOZEN DOUGHNUTS
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon almond milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 teaspoons apple juice
In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, almond milk, and vanilla until blended. Add 1 teaspoon apple juice and blend with your whisk.
Keep whisking the glaze to break up any clumps. If the glaze seems too thick, add a tiny bit more apple juice till you like the consistency. Remember: you want to be able to brush the glaze over your baked goods, but you don’t want it to be so liquefied that it won’t dry to create a nice “shell.”
Cherry glaze will go equally well with a vanilla- or chocolate-based cake. It’s fair like that.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 3 DOZEN DOUGHNUTS
2 eggs’ worth of Ener-G egg replacer, made per the instructions on the box
¼ cup maraschino cherries with juice
½ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon agave nectar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
cup vegetable shortening
3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
Prepare the egg replacer in a large bowl.
Blend your cherries with their juice in your food processor until the mixture becomes a paste.
In a saucepan, stir the sugar, agave nectar, and water until well mixed. Cover and heat to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl over the prepared egg replacer. Blend with an electric mixer using the whisk attachments until smooth. Add the vanilla, shortening, and powdered sugar gradually and beat on high speed for around 10 minutes. Once you like the consistency, stop adding powdered sugar.
Everyone knows that mint and chocolate go great together. So try this glaze on a chocolate cake or cupcake and prepare to be amazed.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 2 DOZEN DOUGHNUTS
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups almond milk
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
In a bowl, whisk all the ingredients until they are smooth and creamy.
This glaze is great for cinnamon rolls or other breakfast-y treats.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 1 DOZEN CINNAMON ROLLS
1¼ cups powdered sugar (you may need a little more)
¼ cup margarine
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange cinnamon tea, strongly brewed and cooled to room temperature
2 tablespoons orange juice with pulp (you may need a little more)
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
In a bowl, whisk all the ingredients until the glaze is smooth and you like its consistency. If you want your glaze thicker, add more powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time. If the glaze is too thick, add more orange juice, 1 teaspoon at a time.
Just like with bourbon, enjoy this glaze in moderation.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 2 DOZEN DOUGHNUTS
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons bourbon, or apple juice if you aren’t into booze
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons water
Whisk all the ingredients together until you have a nice, smooth glaze.
Traditional ganache is typically made by pouring heated cream over dark or semisweet chocolate; we’re going to make ours by heating everything up together to spare you having to clean up an extra pan. See? We care about you and want your life to be better.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 2 DOZEN CUPCAKES
1 cup vegan chocolate chips
4 tablespoons margarine, softened
4 tablespoons corn syrup
2 teaspoons water
Grab your sweetest little saucepan—you know, that little one that looks like it was meant for a dollhouse. If you don’t have a tiny one, use a regular-size saucepan; just watch out for scorching, because the glaze will be spread out thin. Toss in all the ingredients, heat over a medium heat, and stir while they melt. Once they’re melted and blended, use your whisk to thoroughly blend your ganache into a light paste.
Goes great drizzled over soft cookies and doughnuts.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 2 DOZEN COOKIES
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon water
Blend all your frosting ingredients with a whisk until completely blended. Let sit for 1 minute so the sugar has a chance to dissolve. Blend with your whisk again before drizzling over the top of your still warm but not hot baked goods.
This is a great filling for doughnuts or cupcakes alike. We do not recommend eating it plain. It’s delicious—but once you’ve gone there, there’s no turning back.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 2 DOZEN DOUGHNUTS
¾ cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
cup lemonade (the kind made with real lemons works best)
1 tablespoon margarine, softened
1¼ teaspoons grated lemon peel
¼ cup lemon juice
In a saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually stir in the lemonade. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for 1 minute, and then remove from the heat.
Stir in the margarine and lemon peel. Stir until the margarine melts. Gradually stir in the lemon juice.
Remove the filling from the heat and blend with a whisk until it’s smooth. Cover the saucepan tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
This raspberry sauce over vanilla cheesecake is pure heaven. It’s also great as a doughnut filling.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 2 DOZEN DOUGHNUTS
2 cups frozen raspberries, defrosted
3 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
cup water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
In a saucepan, heat the raspberries, sugar, cornstarch, water, and lemon juice over medium heat, mixing with a large spoon. As the mixture begins to bubble, it should start to thicken. Let it boil and thicken for more than a minute.
Set aside and let cool to room temperature for 30 minutes.
It’s hot fudge sauce. I think you know what to do with it.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 1 CHEESECAKE
½ cup vanilla coffee creamer
¾ cup vegan chocolate chips
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a saucepan, heat the creamer, vegan chocolate chips, and sugar over medium heat, stirring till the mixture starts to boil.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the margarine and vanilla until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Cool for 30 minutes.
Interesting fact: If you put it in the fridge, it gets firm—like fudge.
This is critically important: It’s “ca-ra-mel,” not “car-mel.” Three syllables. Three. That is all.*
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 1 DOZEN CINNAMON ROLLS
1 cup light corn syrup
1¼ cups brown sugar
¼ cup margarine, softened
½ cup vanilla coffee creamer
In a saucepan, heat the corn syrup, brown sugar, and margarine to a boil over low heat while stirring constantly. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the creamer. Remove from the heat and let cool.
It’s like melty peanut brittle you can put on ice cream or a cheesecake!
MAKES ENOUGH FOR SEVERAL BOWLS OF ICE CREAM
1½ cups sugar
1 cup plus 1 teaspoon water
1 cup agave nectar
3 tablespoons margarine (you’ll want extra to grease your cookie pan)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon hazelnut syrup used in beverages
3 cups roasted Spanish peanuts
1½ teaspoons baking soda
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In the oven, warm your cookie pan that has sides. Once it is warm to the touch, grease the pan with margarine.
In a saucepan, mix the sugar, water, and agave nectar. Cook over medium heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the margarine, vanilla, hazelnut syrup, and peanuts. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Make sure the sauce doesn’t burn. If it starts to burn before the 10 minutes are up, decrease the heat to low. Quickly stir in the baking soda. The sauce will get light and foamy, and that’s good!
Pour your Peanut Brittle Sauce into your greased pan and let it cool into a thick syrup before using.
A delicious and natural vegan alterative to whipped cream that’s supereasy to make. But remember to start your preparations the night before (see below).
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 1 PIE
2 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk (not low-fat or no-fat)
¾ cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoons coconut flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chill your cans of coconut milk and a mixing bowl overnight in the fridge. Open the cans and spoon the thick cream that has separated and risen to the top into the chilled mixing bowl. Try to avoid getting any of the clear liquid in the bowl.
Use your electric handheld mixer with the whisk attachments to blend in your powdered sugar, coconut flour, cornstarch, and vanilla until fluffy. It should take 2 to 3 minutes.
Use your rubber spatula to move your Whipped Coconut Cream to an airtight storage container, and chill for 2 to 3 hours, until firm. Serve cold with a side of smug, self-satisfied joy in knowing you rock.
I could candy-coat* this recipe and tell you a bunch of half-truths and bury you in rainbows, but the truth is that this recipe is kind of hard and may take a few tries to get right. Making your own vegan marshmallow fluff at home is a lot like finding your soul mate—it takes a few bad dates before you find the “one,” but when you do, it all becomes worth it!
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 1 PIE
¾ cup water
Olive oil cooking spray
4½ teaspoons agar-agar powder
2 cups sugar
¾ cup corn syrup
¼ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
Chill ½ cup of the water in the refrigerator for 2 hours. You want to make sure it’s good and cold.
Line your baking pan with plastic wrap and lightly spray a coating of olive oil cooking spray over your plastic wrap.
In your largest mixing bowl, mix the agar-agar with your ½ cup cold water with an electric handheld mixer until completely blended.
In your sauciest saucepan, mix the sugar, corn syrup, and the remaining ¼ cup water with a whisk, and heat over a high heat. Once the mixture begins to boil, stop stirring and let it boil for 1 minute. Make sure you don’t burn your syrup, though. If it begins to scald turn down the heat, but keep it bubbling.
Pour your bubbling syrup into your agar-agar and blend it with your electric handheld mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the salt, vanilla, and baking soda and blend for 10 minutes on high. You’ll have to stop a few times to scrape the sides of your bowl to make sure you get everything. If your filling is supersticky, you’ll want to spray your rubber-tipped spatula with olive oil cooking spray before using it.
Once your filling is fluffy but still soft like a cream, use your rubber-tipped spatula to pour it into the plastic-lined pan and spread it out evenly. You’ll want to scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure you get all of the filling.
Spray another piece of plastic wrap with olive oil cooking spray and gently lay it on top of the filling. Seal the plastic wrap around the edges of the pan. Let your mix sit for 3 to 5 hours, or until it becomes a firm but creamy fluff.
Use a spoon or butter knife to spread your filling. You can put it into a frosting gun or pastry bag too, but expect it to be a little gummy and like the original Marshmallow Fluff.