Strawberry Swirl Brownies

Ingredients:

1.5 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp salt
0.75 cup sugar
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1 tbsp arrowroot starch
2 tbsp soymilk
0.5 cup soymilk
3 tbsp liquid sweetener (maple, agave, brown rice syrup)
0.5 cup canola oil
1.5 tsp vanilla

0.5 cups strawberry jam – or any other fruit topping you like.

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray. Sift together the flour through chocolate chips in a large bowl. Make a slurry of the arrowroot starch and 2 tbsp soymilk, combine that with all the remaining wet ingredients, except the jam, and stir the wet into the dry until combined.

Spread evenly into the pan and then dollop the jam across the top. using a fork swirl the jam around the brownies. Bake 20-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

These brownies are a bit more cake like than fudgy – just an FYI!

Blueberry Oat Bars

Ingredients:

Blueberry Sauce:
2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries
0.25 cup sugar
1 tbsp arrowroot starch
3 tbsp water

Dough:
1.5 cups flour
1.5 cup oats – measured, then ground
0.5 cup oats
1.5 tsp baking soda
0.5 tsp salt
0.25 tsp cinnamon
1 cup sugar
0.5 cup canola oil
0.25 to 0.5 cup almond milk
1 tbsp vanilla

Method:
For the sauce mix berries and sugar and set aside until they start to burst or release liquid. Then simmer on medium low heat until there is more liquid than berries. Make a slurry with the arrowroot starch and water (mix until foamy) stir into the blueberry sauce and once it thickens slightly remove from heat.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 2qt oblong pan. For the dough sift together all dry ingredients, except the sugar, in a large bowl. Then in another bowl mix together all the wet ingredients and the sugar until well combined. Add the wet to the dry and form a stiff dough. Spread all the dough into the pan, then spread the blueberry sauce over top. Sprinkle with some oats for garnish and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the edges brown.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
0.75 tsp baking soda
0.25 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
0.5 cup sugar
0.25 cup canola oil
0.25 cup water
2 very well mashed and very ripe banana’s
0.5 tsp vanilla

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8×8 pan with nonstick spray. Sift together the dry ingredients (except sugar) in a large bowl, stir in the chocolate chips. Combine the wet ingreidnts until mixed well, add them to the dry until the batter is just combined. Pour into the prepared pan and bake 20 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is lightly browned.

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

I’m still working on perfecting my spice cake recipe and this one was pretty darn good, but still not quite there. I’m improving though! This recipe makes a 9×13 sheet cake:

For the cake:

Ingredients:

1 can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

3 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray. Cream together the pumpkin, oil and sugar. Then sift in the remaining ingredients until combined. Spread into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven to cool.

While the cake is in the oven you can start your glaze.

Ingredients:

8oz vegan cream cheese

2 tbsp earth balance butter

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Cream the above together until smooth and thick. Place in the refrigerator to chill until ready to use.

Once the cake is cooled, spread the glaze on top. Eat and enjoy!

Chocolate Crispy Bars

For a Christmas party Chris and I went to this week I made some Chocolate Crispy Bars.

2 cups chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

5 cups corn flakes

Melt together the chocolate chips and peanut butter. In a large bowl toss to coat the corn flakes in the melted chocolate and peanut butter mixture. Press into a 9×13 inch pan. Press down with wax paper or parchment paper. Chill and slice.

Blueberry Crumble

Filling:

4 Cups Blueberries (I used frozen, fresh work too)

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp flour

Stir the above together and put into an 8×8 square pan

Crumble Topping:

1 cup oats (you can use quick oats or old fashion)

1 cup toasted chopped walnuts

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Mix the above together until crumbly and spread evenly over the blueberries. Cooking at 350F for 30-45 minutes, until blueberries are bubbly and the topping is lightly browned.

Apple Pear Pie

Using the Flaky Pie Crust recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking I made an Apple Pear Pie.

The filling was:

5 apples, pealed, cored, diced

4 pears, pealed, cored, diced

2 tbsp flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger to taste

Stir above together to coat. Let sit while you roll out the pie crust and get the pan ready. Heat oven to 350F, fill pie crust, cover with second crust, seal the edges with a bit of water and pressing it together, and cut some slits in the crust to vent. Bake for about 30-45 minutes, until golden brown.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies

That’s right…Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies. Ever since my birthday cake I’ve been craving more Mexican Hot Chocolate goodness. So I pondered what the best type of cookie to turn into a Mexican Hot Chocolate cookie…and I though, snickerdoodles. I was right, the cinnamon in the snickerdoodle plays well with the cayenne pepper. Here’s the recipe:cookies (makes 24):
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup agave maple flavor (or just regular maple syrup)
3 tbsp rice milk (or any other non-dairy milk)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup carbo powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

sugar coating, mix below together and set aside:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combined the oil, sugar, agave, vanilla, and milk in a large bowl. Sift in the dry ingredients until combined well. Roll the dough into walnut size balls.
Flatten the dough into about 2 inch discs and pat one side in the sugar/cinnamon mixture
Set on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes , remove from oven and set parchment paper on cooling rack, let cool 5 minutes and then put the cookies on the cooling rack without the parchment paper.
Enjoy!

Bread (Banana) Pudding

Recipe:

1 ripe banana

2 cups rice milk

1 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp vanilla extra

–mix above in food processor or blender until smooth

6 slices french bread, torn and placed in a baking dish

Blackberry Crisp

Super fast and easy…fill a small bowl (it’s about 1/2 cup) with berries (frozen, from my grandpa’s garden…I thawed them out first), mixed up a little oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, sprinkled on top, popped into the toaster oven on 350 for a few minutes…it was so good!!