Tag Archives: chocolate

Chocolate Silken Tofu Thin Mint Pie

16 May

Are you like me and have held on to your last few boxes of Mori-Nu Silken Tofu and Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies in case of emergency? Well, I think we’ve hit that emergency threshold with the current state of events. 

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been craving lots of sweets, carbs, and creamy, comfort foods. I usually make this recipe for summer cookouts or potlucks, but with none of those on the horizon, I’m unfortunately going to have to polish off this whole pie plate by myself.


I’d like to think I’m up to that challenge.
If you’d like to join me, you can find the recipe by clicking more below. 


DSC_0393tofu

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Vegan Caramel Turtles

22 Dec Vegan Caramel Turtles

 
I made these turtles as a present for my family last year on Christmas and they requested I make them again this year. And by requested, I mean demanded. But I was happy to oblige because these are delicious and I get to opportunity to taste test them before the big day.
I’m a huge fan of rich, chewy caramel, but it’s hard to find a vegan version that compares to the non-vegan kind. Cocomels are the only ones I’m aware of, although there could be more. I used this same caramel recipe in my birthday dacquoise, but it’s originally from Fork and Beans. If you’ve never made homemade caramel before, here’s a disclaimer: it’s easy to screw up. Trust me, I’ve screwed it up multiple times and I have made this recipe a LOT.

Vegan Caramel Turtles

A few tips for your success include:

  • low and slow is the way to go. Don’t try to heat it too fast, because it will burn to the bottom of your pan and ruin it forever. Not like I’ve had experience with that.
  • use parchment paper in the pan. Aluminum foil and wax paper will not work. You’ll end up peeling them off the caramel while trying to salvage any bits of caramel and it’s just really messy. Seriously, I haven’t done this a few times either.
  • don’t try to use an immersion blender if the emulsion breaks. Caramel is hot. Like over boiling temperature hot. If you stick a blender in it, it’s going to splash onto your arm and burn you. Definitely don’t try this. See the first tip on how to avoid the emulsion breaking.
  • don’t expect it to be as firm as non-vegan caramel. Unless you have a candy thermometer, it might get firmer. I haven’t been able to successfully get it that firm. Let me know if you do.

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Perfect, Fudgey, Crispy Vegan Brownies

8 Dec Perfect, Fudgey, Crispy Vegan Brownies

When I first discovered aquafaba, I made several attempts at creating a perfect brownie. 5 to be exact, within the span of a week.  Unfortunately, aquafaba doesn’t set like eggs do in baking, so it wasn’t a perfect replacer.  I did find adding a little tofu to set worked pretty well and ended up with dense gooey brownies, but I knew I could improve.

Perfect, Fudgey, Crispy Vegan Brownies

And then came the VeganEgg. That’s right, this recipe is going to require a hard to find ingredient. In fact, you may have to order it online (Amazon and Vegan Essentials carry it.) Sorry about that, but I promise you it’s worth finding! The VeganEgg will perform that crucial task of ‘setting’ during baking, while aquafaba helps create that desirable shiny, crispy crust. You can read my review of VeganEgg here.

One of the keys to brownie perfection is cooling time before cutting. You can even speed this up by tossing them in the freezer. If you cut them too early, that nice crackly crust will tear, leaving you with jagged edges and crumbles. If that doesn’t matter to you, feel free to eat them up while they’re still hot.

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

12 Oct Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Today is my husband’s birthday and one of his usual requests is something with chocolate. I knew I needed to use up these bananas from my freezer, so chocolate chip banana muffins were a great way to satisfy both his sweet tooth and my desire to declutter.

Aquafaba makes a great egg replacer in these muffins and no one would even be able to tell they’re egg and dairy free. I actually brought them in to share with his coworkers and they gobbled them up.

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Chocolate Mousse

8 Oct

I’m going to be completely honest in writing the post.  I actually screwed up this recipe in my own impatience, resulting in seized chocolate in my mousse. However, the recipe itself should work if you have more patience than I.

My advice to you is to stir slowly and add your chocolate to your meringue a little bit at a time. Also, definitely wait for it to be at room temperature. If you happen to screw it up like I did, just pour some more chocolate on top. Your husband won’t notice unless he’s a French chef.

And in that case, why isn’t he making you dinner?

Chocolate Mousse

P.S. Check our the Vegan Meringue Facebook group for more great aquafaba recipes!

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Galaxy Cake

24 Sep

On a similar theme as my galaxy macarons, I wanted to create a galaxy cake. The cake portion is simply a no egg, no dairy chocolate cake. The recipe is available in the Vegan Meringue Facebook group recipe files: it’s the chocolate midnight cake by Rebecca August.

The frosting is a vegan buttercream. I originally made about 2.5 cups, but realized with the petal technique I was going to need quite a bit more. I made another 1.5 cups of icing and it ended up being just enough. I highly recommend using Earth Balance butter for frosting recipes. We normally wouldn’t eat a lot of artificial color like this; I usually pawn most of my baking off on coworkers and friends!

 

Galaxy Cake

 

I topped the cake with these galaxy meringues, which were made with 1/3 cup reduced aquafaba and 1/2 cup sugar. I dripped gel color down the inside of the piping bag to achieve the galaxy effect. I also crumbled one of the meringues, sprinkled on a little powdered sugar, and used pearl sprinkles for the stars and moons.Galaxy Cake

The petal technique is extremely easy. Pipe a blob of frosting with a piping bag fitted with a round tip, and spread it to the right with a spoon or spatula. Continue piping and spreading all the way around.

Galaxy Cake

 

Galaxy Cake

The cake itself is moist and delicious and we’ve been slowly enjoying it over the past few days.

Hope you enjoyed the photos!

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Hazelnut Almond Dacquoise with Espresso Buttercream and Chocolate Ganache

5 Aug

I’ve been planning this in my head for almost a full month now. This is my 100th post on my blog, and I’m so thrilled to share it!
I finally got the hazelnuts last night and I was excited I could barely sleep. This is definitely something you should plan ahead for, or have a whole day devoted to cooking. I blanched my nuts and ground them the night before and prepped my buttercream the day before that. I use homemade aquafaba which may be a bit stronger than the canned kind – be sure it’s thick before attempting this. The ganache should be made close to when you start putting it together, but try not to pour it on warm as it will melt the buttercream. This recipe for vegan Italian Meringue Buttercream would be an excellent choice on this if you have the time to make it!

This recipe is highly adapted (read:made easier) from here, which I believe was originally published by America’s Test Kitchen here. Lisa Masaar originally posted her veganized version of the recipe in the Vegan Meringue Facebook group here. I adapted it from there, partially to imitate Sweet Maresa’s beautiful creationsHazelnut Almond Dacquoise with Espresso Buttercream and Chocolate GanacheHazelnut Almond Dacquoise with Espresso Buttercream and Chocolate Ganache

Hazelnut Almond Dacquoise with Espresso Buttercream and Chocolate Ganache

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Lazy Samoas

27 Jul

A few Christmases ago I received Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar and it sat on my shelf for months before I finally opened it up. Once I did, I baked as many of the recipes as I could and sent them off to work with my husband. The consensus thus far is that the caramel pecan bars are the best, but these are a close second. Here’s where to buy it!!

I decided to try using aquafaba instead of flax egg in these and I wasn’t quite sure it would work. To my surprise, it worked perfectly and resulted in a fluffy and chewy cookie, as opposed to the dense flax – egg cookie. If you loved the covered shortbread girl scout cookies by the same name, you will love these, plus they’re way easier to make!

image

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Coconut Macaroons

24 Jun

Weeks before I started attempting macarons, I made this beautiful batch of macaroons. There’s major differences between the two – one is a drop cookie, the other is piped, one has coconut, the other has almond. However, they are both delicious! My little one couldn’t keep her hands out of my macaroons (but she loves macarons now!)

Vegan Coconut Macaroons

Yet again, this recipe uses the legendary aquafaba, which is now becoming mainstream. If you aren’t already a member, you should definitely join the vegan meringue group on Facebook. I found that these really needed a little more body to hold the cookie together and I already liked the coconut macaroon recipe from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, so I added aquafaba to the recipe. The aquafaba adds a nice sheen to the cookie and a little more moisture, but the recipe is also great without it. They are best enjoyed with cute babies and a glass of milk!

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Forgotten Angel Kisses

18 Jun

When I was little, my mom made these chocolate chip meringue cookies for holidays and my birthday treat at school. I love mint and chocolate combined and the light, airy texture of meringue is the perfect vessel for it!

I posted these a few months ago in the Vegan Meringue Facebook group, but finally decided to post the recipe!

image

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries