Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple "Buttercream" Frosting and Toasted Walnuts

I'm going to a Halloween party tonight and wanted to bring something festive for autumn. These are very pumpkin-y, which I love, and they were quick since I used bisquick as the base for the cupcakes. Hopefully everyone will enjoy them as much as I have!

Ingredients:

Cake (makes about 24 cupcakes):
3 cups original Bisquick
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup soymilk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla
egg replacer for two eggs

Frosting:
1 package (16 ounces) vegan confectioners sugar (such as Hain Organic Powdered Sugar)
3-4 tablespoons vegan margarine
1/4 cup maple syrup

Topping:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
brown sugar
cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour 24 medium muffin cups or line with foil or paper baking cups.

2. Beat all cake ingredients together with an electric mixer or stand mixer on low speed until combined, then on medium speed for about four minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Fill muffin cups about halfway.

3. Bake for about 15-20 minutes (it may take a bit longer, but start checking for done-ness at around the 15 minute mark. Cooking time varies by oven and altitude). They are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean/when the cake is starting to pull away from the edges of the pan/when you can press the top of the cakes lightly with your finger and they feel springy. Immediately remove from pan and place on a wire rack to cool.

4. To make the frosting, put the confectioners sugar in your mixing bowl and add the margarine (which should be room temperature or slightly softened). Begin beating the sugar and margarine together on low speed at first so the sugar doesn't make a huge mess. Once its crumbly, increase the beater speed. Gradually add the maple syrup until you reach a fairly stiff and creamy consistency. You may need to adjust the measurements--making frosting isn't always an exact science, and you need to adjust it to meet your own taste and consistency requirements. Add more confectioners sugar if it's too thin. Add more margarine (or shortening) if you want it fluffier. Add more syrup if it's too thick. If the frosting isn't "maple-y" enough, you can add maple flavoring too. I don't like an overpowering maple flavor, so the syrup alone worked for me.

5. Frost the cupcakes, generously. Sprinkle a little sugar and cinnamon on top.

6. Preheat the oven to about 450 degrees. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake about 5 minutes, then turn, sprinkle on more cinnamon and sugar and bake another 5 minutes, until toasted. Keep a close watch on these, they burn very easily. Like everything else, cooking time varies by oven and altitude. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

7. Once the walnuts have cooled, sprinkle a few pieces (5-7 or so) on top of the cupcake for garnish. Enjoy!

Decadant Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Whoa, I made these a few weeks ago for a party and they are the most decadent, soft, chewy cookies I think I've ever made. I found the recipe in a Martha Stewart magazine, and just substituted as necessary to make it vegan. The addition of a nice ripe banana makes all the difference in the world. I don't bake cookies that often, but I plan to make these for every holiday party I'm attending this year.

Ingredients:
1 cup regular flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) vegan margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
egg substitute for 1 egg
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large, mashed ripe banana
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 package of vegan chocolate chips (or 1 chopped up vegan chocolate bar)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the flours, salt, and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. With an electric mixer, beat the margarine and sugars together until they're fluffy, then add the egg replacer and vanilla and keep beating. Then add in the banana and mix everything together well. It might take a little while to get the banana to fully blend with everything. Add in the flour mixture and mix until combined. Fold in the rest of the ingredients.

Once the cookie dough is all mixed up, drop 1.5" spoonfuls of the dough onto a cookie sheet (I lined mine with tinfoil because I like to avoid doing dishes when possible; you could also use parchment paper). Space them about 2 inches apart so you don't end up with one big cookie. Bake for about 12-13 minutes, until golden brown, and rotate halfway through. They will be a bit soft when you take them out, so let them cool a bit on the cookie sheets before scooping them off onto wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight containers for up to 2 days, or freeze them if you can't eat all 3 dozen in a day or so (they keep well in the freezer...even though I made these for a party, I made sure to save myself a few [ok more than a few] and kept them in the freezer to enjoy through the week. they are good frozen or thawed out). These are sooo good.

Strawberry Shortcake

My market had a sale on strawberries today and I just could not resist--they looked so perfect and sweet and summery! I briefly considered making a strawberry rhubarb pie, but then remembered I had some of that soyatoo soy whip and decided on strawberry shortcake instead. This is one the easiest desserts ever given the Bisquick and pretty much embodies summer BBQs and outdoor eating for me.

Ingredients:
1 pound strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/3 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup soymilk
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons melted vegan margarine
soyatoo soy whip

Instructions:
Mix the sliced strawberries with about 1/4 cup of sugar. You can use more or less sugar depending on your personal preference; I don't like my strawberries too sweet so I actually used a little less. Set these aside so they get nice and juicy. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Mix the Bisquick, soymilk, sugar and margarine into a dough. Divide the dough into six parts and then drop onto a cookie sheet or into a baking pan. Bake until golden brown on top (about 10 minutes or so). Allow to cool slightly, then split each shortcake and fill and top each generously with strawberries. Squirt on some of that delightful soy whip and serve! Seriously, so good.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

One of my friends invited the whole gang over on Saturday night, so I decided to throw together a quick coffee cake to enjoy with coffee/tea and conversation. I love how easy this recipe is and how totally decadent it comes out. It is easiest to use an 8" square or round pan, but you can also make this in a bundt pan or make coffee cake cupcakes. This recipe is super moist because of the soy sour cream and comes out so beautifully.

Ingredients:

Cake
1.5 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons softened vegan margarine
Egg replacer for 1 egg (1.5 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer and tablespoons warm water)
3/4 cup Tofutti sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Struesel topping
1/2 cup cup Bisquick
6 tablespoons sugar (I like to use a mix of dark and light brown)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3-4 tablespoons firm margarine

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the pan. Mix cake ingredients well and then spread in the pan or spoon into muffin tins. Mix the dry streusel ingredients, then cut in the margarine until crumbly. Spoon this mixture on top of the cake batter. Bake for about 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean, then allow to cool. I sometimes like to drizzle the cake with frosting (either store bought if I'm feeling lazy or confectioners sugar + margarine + a bit of soy milk + vanilla + lemon flavoring mixed in the kitchenaid until a drizzle-able consistency). This is amazing served warm or room temperature. I actually had the small piece that was leftover for breakfast this morning haha!

Tofutti Cheesecake

Oh man do I love this recipe. I usually double it so its nice and thick, but depending on the size pan you use this may not be necessary (with a regular pie pan, this recipe is plenty, but I sometimes use a deep cake pan to get a really thick slice going). For anyone who misses cheesecake, this is the closest thing I can possibly imagine to it that you can make vegan at home. so good!

Ingredients:
16 oz. vegan tofutti plain cream cheese
½ cup sugar
½ lemon’s worth of juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
24 vegan oreos -OR- about 12 vegan graham crackers
½ stick vegan margarine

Instructions:
Mix the tofutti, sugar, lemon, vanilla and salt until well blended. Crush the cookies or graham crackers, and mix with ½ stick of melted margarine. Press this cookie mixture into the bottom of a deep cake or sprinform pan (8" round) to make an even crust. Pour the tofutti mixture on top. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes, then chill in refrigerator until solid (When you take it out of the oven it will not be set, but do not fear and do not overcook. Once it has sat in the fridge for a while it will set very nicely and you will be enjoying some creamy guilt- and cruelty-free cheesecakey goodness). I highly recommend adding some nice fresh fruit. A raspberry sauce sounds good right now (1/4 cup boiling water or so + 1/4 sugar or so + container of raspberries on high heat until they become syrupy=deliciousness!), but any fresh fruit would be nice. or chocolate. or brownies! i do like the vegan brownie cheesecake at red bamboo (well, technically from vegantreats.com i think). I'm rambling now. and getting hungry. oh dear...I'll probably dream about this dessert now.

Veganbury Cream Eggs

So I probably should not have been so lazy and posted these in time for Easter, but I figure there is never a bad time to eat this delightful and vegan version of a confectionery classic!

Ingredients:
½ cup light corn syrup
¼ cup margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
4 drops yellow food coloring
2 drops red food coloring
1 12oz bag chocolate chips
2 teaspoons vegetable shortening

Instructions:
Combine the corn syrup, butter, vanilla and salt in a large bowl, and beat well with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar, a little bit at a time, until creamy, then remove about 1/3 of the sugar mixture and place in a small bowl. Mix food coloring into this smaller portion of mixture. Chill the two mixtures for at least 2 hours until firm, then remove from the fridge and roll the orange filling into small, marble size balls. Wrap a small amount of the white filling around the orange balls and form into the shape of eggs. Place the formed filling on a lightly greased cookie sheet an chill for 4 hours. Combine the chocolate chips and shortening, melt and mix well. Dip each filling ball into the melted chocolate mixture and return to baking sheet. Chill again for 2 hours.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

My wonderful and accommodating mother whipped up some of these for me for my birthday a few years ago, and they were so amazing that I tucked the recipe away for a later date. I think I might make a few batches of these in a couple weeks to give out to my vegan pals for valentine's day. The chocolate and peanut butter combination is basically my favorite thing ever and I used to love reese's pb cups...plus the recipe is pretty easy.

Ingredients:
One package vegan chocolate chips -or- 12 oz. of a fancy vegan chocolate bar
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
24 paper gem size candy liners -or- (for big pb cups) muffin/cupcake liners
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon vegan margarine, melted

Instructions:
Melt chocolate chips or candy bar and vegetable shortening over hot, though not boiling water (this is the double-boiler method, see here for more detailed instructions. You can also just melt the chocolate/shortening in the microwave, but you may need to microwave it a few times during the course of assembling the cups if you go this route). Stir until everything is melted, smooth, and well-combined.

Coat the inside of the candy or muffin liners with chocolate (for the candy liners use one teaspoon of chocolate mixture to do this, for the muffin liners, just be judicious--is should coat the bottom and edges but not just be glopped in there--leave room for the peanut butter). A rubber spatula will help you gently push the chocolate up the sides of the liners. Chill the filled liners in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes until they're hardened. If you're using muffin liners, it might be a good idea to put them in a muffin tin so they don't lose their shape.

Combine the peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, and margarine in a bowl and stir well until blended. Using slightly rounded measured tablespoonfuls or a melon baller, shape the peanut butter filling into balls. Place one pb ball in each chocolate cup and press lightly with your fingers to flatten, then spoon the melted chocolate mixture on top (about one tablespoonful for the candy liners) and smooth over. Place these in the refrigerator again to harden (about 45 minutes).

It's best to keep these refrigerated until you're ready to eat or gift them. Hopefully I won't eat them all before I can package them up nicely for valentine's day.

Donuts this morning!

I made delightful donuts this morning using the cruller/raised donut recipe I posted a while back, but instead of glazing them or shaking them with powdered sugar/cinnamon and sugar, I decided to be really decadent and go the frosting/sprinkles route. This was a grand choice. I can never get over how good these are! Plus I only used half of the dough for donuts and used the other half just as a sweet dough and made a loaf of bread. Two baked goods for the effort of one!

French Breakfast Puffs

Alright, so I meant to be good about posting through the holidays, but the month of December was a wash. No matter, these French Breakfast Puffs should make up for it. I wish I could have a warm plate of these every morning before leaving for work...they're a sweet way to start the day! These are even easier than a traditional recipe thanks to the Bisquick.

Ingredients:

2 cups Bisquick
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons vegan margarine
1/2 cup soy milk
Egg replacer for 1 egg (1.5 teaspoons egg replacer + 2 tablespoons water)

1/2 cup melted margarine
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 24 mini muffin cups. Mix the Bisquick, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons margarine, soy milk and egg replacer, and beat vigorously. Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full then bake for 10 minutes. Immediately roll them in the melted margarine and then the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Serve warm for maximum delight. They're nice with a bit of vanilla Tofutti at dessert time too!

Tiger Balls

One of the gals who I used to cook with for Food Not Bombs gave me this recipe. These are quite possibly the most decadent dessert I can imagine, and they're super easy. If I weren't trying to keep my figure, I'd eat the entire batch by myself.

Ingredients:

2 cups vegan cookie crumbs or crushed up graham crackers
3/4 cup peanut butter
3.5 cups confectioners sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) of vegan margarine
1 cup vegan chocolate chips

Instructions:

Line a cookie sheet with tin foil. In a large mixing bowl, combine crumbs/graham crackers, peanut butter, sugar and margarine. Mix well. Roll the mixture into 1" balls, place on the cookie sheet, and chill in the fridge. Melt the chocolate chips in a plastic bag in the microwave; When the chocolates cools a little, cut a small slit in the edge of the bag and drizzle the chocolate over the balls. Chill for another 30 minutes, then sit on your couch and glory in the surely sinful delight of Tiger Balls.

Vegan Raised Donuts and Crullers

This is a slightly different take on vegan donuts (I have a bit of a sweet tooth, eh?). This dough is raised, so these are a bit more like the crullers or glazed donuts you might get at a pastry shop nowadays.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup lukewarm soy milk
1/4 cup cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 packages of yeast (plus 1/4 cup lukewarm water and 1 teaspoon sugar)
Egg replacer for 1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
3 to 3.5 cups flour

Instructions:
Stir together the soy milk, sugar, and salt.

Prepare the yeast, adding the packet to lukewarm water (100 to 110 degrees F) with some sugar to get the yeast all bubbled up and excited. Once you're sure the yeast is alive and well, stir it into the above mixture until all the yeast is dissolved.

Add in the egg replacer and vegetable shortening.

Add in the flour slowly, a half cup or so at a time so your mixer doesnt kick a ton of flour up into the air and make a mess.

After the flour is all mixed in, remove the dough from your mixer and knead it. Place it into a greased bowl in a warm spot and cover with a warm, damp (clean) kitchen towel. Allow it to rise until it has doubled in size (about an hour to an hour and a half). Punch the dough down and turn completely over in the bowl. Let rise again until almost double (30 to 45 minutes this time), then remove from the bowl and roll out to about 1/3" thick.

You can now either cut the donuts with a donut cutter as in the recipe below or you can make crullers.

To make crullers, roll the dough into tubes, twist, and then shape into donut shapes. With a pair of scissors, make snips ever 1/2 inch or so to get a spiky shape going.

After you've shaped your donuts, allow them to rise on your counter or a board until theyre light and have a slight crust on the dough (about 30 minutes).

While they're rising, fill deep sauce pot with several inches of canola or other vegetable oil (enough for a doughnut to drop to the bottom then rise to the top) or get your deep fryer going. Once the oil has reached 370 to 380 degrees, drop a few donuts in at a time and fry until both sides are golden brown (you will have to flip them with a slotted spoon to get both sides). Monitor the oil temperature carefully.

Once the donuts are fried, lay them out on a paper bag to drain. You can either shake these in a bag with some granulated sugar or you can prepare and easy glaze by boiling a cup of water with a cup of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla until somewhat thickened. Coat each donut in this glaze. Best thing ever.

Classic Vegan Doughnuts

When I was a wee one, there was a great classic diner in my town that hadn't changed even a bit since the 1940s. They made the most amazing donuts ever...warm, with cinnamon and sugar or dipped in chocolate--the sort of donuts that you just can't find anymore. This is a recipe from that era, adapted for an ethical lifestyle.

Ingredients:
Egg replacer for 2 eggs (I use Ener-G egg replacer)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
3/4 cup soy milk
1/2 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice
3.5 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
OR 2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions:

Beat the egg replacer, sugar, and shortening.

Combine the 1/2 tablespoon of white wine vinegar or lemon juice with the 3/4 cup soy milk to approximate sour milk and stir this into the above mixture.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon, then add this to the mixture slowly. You can use vanilla in lieu of the nutmeg and cinnamon if you prefer.

Chill the dough for two hours (its worth the wait, seriously). After two hours, begin heating a deep sauce pot filled with several inches of canola or other vegetable oil (enough for a doughnut to drop to the bottom then rise to the top) or better yet, fire up your deep fryer if you're lucky enough to have one. While the oil is heating, roll out your doughnut dough and cut with a donut cutter (if you don't have one a biscuit cutter will do...just cut the middle hole out with a knife).

Once the oil has reached 370 to 380 degrees, drop a few donuts in at a time and fry until both sides are brown (you will have to flip them with a slotted spoon to get both sides). Monitor the oil temperature carefully--if it gets too hot the donuts will burn on the outside and be uncooked on the inside. no fun.

When the donuts are a nice golden brown, remove them from the oil and place on a brown paper bag to drain off any excess oil.

Extra credit:
The coat the donuts with cinnamon and sugar, mix a generous amount of sugar with cinnamon and dump into a smallish paper bag. place a donut into the bag and shake well to cover them all over with the mixture. This can also be done with powdered sugar.

To make chocolate covered donuts, melt some vegan chocolate chips or a vegan candy bar in your microwave and dip one side of each donut in the chocolate. allow to dry.

These donuts are naturally most exciting when served warm, but theyre delightful at any time.

Vegan Pecan Pie

After much experimentation, I have finally found success in making vegan pecan pie for the holidays.

Pie Crust:
You can either use a store bought pie crust (there are some out there that are vegan) or make your own from scratch.

Mix together:
2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon salt

Cut in:
2/3 cup vegetable shortening

Sprinkle with:
4 tablespoons ice cold water

Gather the dough into a ball, cut in half, then roll out into a circle 1" larger than your pie pan. Lay pastry into pie pan, gently patting it into place (do not stretch it out though). Trim any excess, and then crimp the edges gently with your finger tips or a fork. There is probably enough dough in this dough recipe for two pies, so you can just freeze it for later.


Filling:
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup melted vegan margarine
1 cup dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons agar powder
2/3 cup boiling water
1 cup pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

First, combine the first four ingredients in your mixing bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl or measuring cup, add the boiled water to the agar powder and whisk vigorously until it thickens a bit. Add this mixture to the other ingredients and mix thoroughly with a rotary beater.

After the above ingredients are mixed, add in the cup of pecans and stir until they are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.

Pour the mixture into your pie crust. Cover the pie with tinfoil to prevent the crust from burning and bake for about 30-35 minutes. Remove the tinfoil and bake until the crust is lightly browned (about 5 more minutes).

Remove the pie from the oven. It will still be soupy at this point, but do not fear! Place the pie in your refrigerator and allow it to chill for about 2 hours or so. The agar powder will work its gelatinous magic and your pie will set up beautifully. Voila!