You know, it’s really hard to attractively photograph homemade muffins. Without that perfect little muffin-top overhang, it’s just a sort of shapeless blob. My apologies for the pictures here. I’m a big ‘ol fan of muffins though, so I’ll work on it, I promise!

Now, you may think I’m crazy for baking in August, but I believe muffins are a perfect summer breakfast. Unlike oatmeal they’re great served room temp, but unlike fruit they’ll keep you going strong right up until lunch. Totally hearty, and – when they’re my recipes – very healthy.

I like to bake a tray on Sunday nights, for worry-free breakfasts to last all week. These are delicious all on their own, but you can also dress them up! They’re great with a smear of jam or peanut butter, or even a drizzle of agave. They’re also nice when heated up with a pat of ‘butter’, although that’s more ‘autumn’ and less healthy. I like my banana with walnuts, but feel free to leave those out, or play around with other dried fruits and nuts. You know what I say – have fun with it!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup bran (for this recipe oat is best)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons flax seed

6 tablespoons water

2 medium bananas, mashed

1 tablespoon molasses

1/4 cup alternative milk

1/4 cup agave syrup

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/4-1/2 cup walnut pieces (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400º F.

In a small bowl, cover the cup raisins with plenty of water. Set aside to soak (this will keep them from burning while cooking).

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and bran.

In another bowl, mash the bananas and then add the molasses, milk, agave syrup, and canola oil.

In a separate small bowl, place the 2 tablespoons of flax meal. In the bowl the raisins are soaking in, give a good stir. Then take 6 tablespoons of the raisin water and mix it in with the flax meal. Add this to the wet mixture and combine.

Add the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring until it just comes together (don’t overmix!). Fold in the raisins and optional walnuts. Spoon batter into a large 6-cup or standard 12-cup muffin tin.

Bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes, or until tops are golden and a knife comes out clean.

You’ll want to store these out of the fridge, but in an airtight place, like under a pastry display or in a tupperware container. They’ll be good for 4-6 days, depending on location.

Enjoy!

No but really, these are the best. Like, ever.

I don’t even love almond that much, but I was out of vanilla extract at 11 o’clock at night, with sandwich cookies on the brain. Something had to be done.

And thus, I stumbled upon these babies in a fit of culinary creativity. Simple, exquisite, and still my favorite cookie almost a year after their inception.

My non-vegan neighbors just had a baby (yay!), and I whipped up a batch of these for the homecoming. A few days after dropping them off, I got this Facebook message from brand-new-Dad, “— has a baby asleep in her lap, otherwise she says about your cookies: nom nom nom, best cookies, nom nom nom . . . ”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Cookie Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup evaporated cane juice

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup Earthbalance™ or margarine

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 cup alternative milk

handful vegan chocolate chips

Frosting Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup Earthbalance

2 teaspoon plain alternative milk

1 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, cream the Earthbalance™ and sugars. Combine with the almond and soy milk, mixing well.

Pour the wet into the dry and add the chocolate chips, stirring until it just comes together.  Spoon the dough onto a lined sheet, and bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on how big you’re making them. Pull them out still a bit soft – they’ll harden up as they cool off.

Cool the cookies on a mesh rack. When they are completely cooled (at least an hour), match them up in pairs by size and shape. For each pair, frost the bottom of one and then smoosh the other on top. SMOOSH!

Enjoy!

Pâte Brisée (that’s ‘paht bree-ZAY’ ) is just a fancy phrase for pie crust, and since it’s finally summer fruit season, it seems only appropriate to share this delectable all-purpose pastry dough. The delicate, flaky crust works equally well for sweets or savories, from filled desserts to vegan quiche. Easy to master and endlessly versatile, this has become an invaluable part of my kitchen repertoire. Especially during pie season!

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons cold Earthbalance™ or margarine

3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

2 tablespoons whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon sugar

dash of salt

2 tablespoons cold alternative milk of choice

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine everything but the alt milk. Use a pastry blender or two knives to cut in the Earthbalance™. This should produce a coarse meal.

Then, add the alt milk a little at a time. Mix only until the dough forms up. Wrap this in saran wrap and form into a pancake. Chill for at least an hour before use. Makes one pie crust.

I’ve used this recipe for miniature cherry tarts, traditional cherry pies, and a pumpkin apple crostata last fall. Now peach season is cresting, and I can’t wait to get my hands on some giant, fresh farmers market beauties!

Enjoy!

Mocha Devastation Cake from My Sweet Vegan

The Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale is an intercontinental grassroots awareness campaign and participant-fueled fundraiser, all in celebration of delicious cruelty-free living! Anyone can play, by organizing your own sale, or by finding and feasting at one of the others. The fun begins on Saturday, June 20th and continues through Sunday, June 28th. For more information including how to get involved, check out the Intro and Info page. To find a sale (or a few) near you, check The Location Page, and get thee to the sweet treats!

The first vegan cupcake I ever made – lemon.  Awwwwww.

Along with citrus, one of my favorite winter fruits is the coy, almost coquettish, Anjou pear.  Demure, capricious, and ever so subtle, this fickle fruit slips from rock-hard bitter to grainy bruises in just the blink of a wandering eye.  You must be attentive with this one, coaxing even, waiting patiently for the tell-tale blush.  And if you can catch that window of edible opportunity . . . pure joy.

The foundation of this recipe comes from the William-Sonoma Bride & Groom Cookbook, which was – you guessed it – a wedding gift.  Of course, the book is heavy with white flour, eggs and dairy, but no worries – baked goods are easy enough to tidy up and veganize.  A little tinkering here and there, and a much healthier, yet equally delicious muffin is born.

Winter is wrapping up and that means the Anjous are on their way out.  If you’ve been looking for the perfect recipe to cap your kitchen’s annual affair with this sumptuous pear, I strongly suggest these delightful morning goodies.  They sure passed the husband test here at HQ!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons finely ground flax meal

6 tablespoons water

1 cup soy milk

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup bran

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup agave

1/2 cup canola oil

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4-5 firm but ripe pears, cored and coarsely chopped

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Mix together the ground flax and the water in a small bowl, and refrigerate.  Mix the soy milk with vinegar in another small bowl, and set aside to curdle. 

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a separate bowl whisk together the sugar, agave, oil, vanilla, flax mixture, and soy milk mixture.  Combine wet with dry and stir until just moistened – do not over mix.  Fold in the pears (and walnuts), taking care not to break up the fruit.

Lightly grease a large 6-cup or a regular 12-cup muffin tin and spoon in the batter, evenly distributed.  Top with brown sugar and cinnamon, if you wish.  Bake until golden, 20-25 minutes, or when a knife comes out clean.  Let cool for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. 

Serve warm with Earthbalance™ for maximum yumminess!