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!

To my dear, dearest readers,

Did you know that we’re coming up on three whole months since this little project went live?  And did you know that I’ve blogged every single work day since launch? Every.  Single.  One.  Not that I’m complaining, because I love this, I truly do!!  But man . . . it can be exhausting.  

Tonight I’m really tired.  And so, tonight there’s no official post.  Tonight is for relaxing with my favorite microbrew.  Tonight is for snuggling my husband and catching up on junk sitcoms. (30 Rock)  Tonight is for lemon cupcakes and chocolate + raspberry cupcakes, and also a slice of cake that’s nearly the size of my head. (all vegan, oh of course)  

I think one of the most important parts of being a hard worker, is knowing when to let yourself off the hook.  So, consider me ‘let’!

Have you been pushing yourself extra hard?  How about giving yourself your own version of a cupcake interlude? I’ll bet you deserve it!

At the end of 2008, I began a massive and comprehensive overhaul that affected every aspect of my life.  It’s been really awesome.   One small prong in this multi-pronged approach was an attempt to curb my raging sweet tooth. I decided to kick off the new year by going an entire month without any refined sugar.  Proudly, I declared that in January, I would be sugar free.

A few days later, the realization of my mistake came crashing down on me.  My birthday is at the end of January!  So . . . no birthday [cup]cake?!  Initially I was horrified at the thought, but quickly I realized that this dark error had a bright side. This would be the perfect opportunity to try out a new recipe idea I’d been rattling around in my brain!

Like most veg*ns, here at HQ we rely on a lot of Greek and Middle Eastern food.  We heap on the hummus, we get freaky with falafel, and we’re passionate about pita!  But the one thing we’re missing from this Mediterranean masterpiece, is the dessert.  Baklava, the traditional regional sweet, is based around layering butter and honey – two decidedly un-vegan ingredients.

Not that I’d let something as trivial as that stop me! And so I devised this veganized version, especially for me on my sugar-free birthday.  And wow, let me just say, “Deeeeelicious!” 

So here you go: a Baklava that’s healthier, cruelty-free, and equally as palate pleasing, to compliment and complete your next Mediterranean feast.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons Earthbalance™, more for greasing the dish

8 oz. phyllo dough (Athens brand is vegan, as are most others) 

20 oz. (about 2 1/4 cups) raw chopped walnuts 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup water

1 cup agave sweetener

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 cinnamon stick

Instructions:

Remove phyllo dough from freezer and allow to defrost – about 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 325º. 

Chop the walnuts and then spread them out on a baking sheet, roasting them in the oven until they are lightly browned (about 10 minutes).

Place toasted walnuts in a mixing bowl and add the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, salt, and almond extract.  Toss to coat.

Raise oven temperature to 350º.

Put the Earthbalance™ in a bowl and melt it in the microwave (a few seconds should do it).

Carefully unfold the defrosted phyllo dough on the countertop. It will dry out really quickly, so keep it covered with a damp dish cloth.

Using a bit of cold Earthbalance™, grease a square glass baking dish. 

Place one piece of phyllo dough in the bottom of the dish – it may not fit perfectly, which is fine.  Using a pastry brush, lightly paint the phyllo with the melted Earthbalance™. Add another piece of phyllo, rotating it if you need, to evenly distribute around the dish. Brush it with Earthbalance™.  Remember to replace the damp towel each time you pull from the stack of phyllo dough – it will dry out fast!  Continue this process until you’ve got 8 sheets of phyllo and 8 layers of Earthbalance™ in the bottom of your dish.

Add a third of the spiced walnuts evenly over the phyllo. 

Repeat these steps with 8 more sheets of phyllo and Earthbalance™, and another third of the spiced walnuts. Then do it once more, finishing off the spiced walnuts. Top this off with 8 more sheets of phyllo, buttering between each one. 

***  you will not finish the package of phyllo dough, but it re-freezes just fine

You need to cut your Baklava before you bake it, because it will be too flaky once it’s done.  Use a very sharp knife and make sure that you cut all the way through the bottom layer!

Place it in the oven to bake for 30 minutes, until golden.

While the Baklava is baking, you can cook up the syrup.  In a small saucepan, combine the water, agave, lemon juice, orange zest, and cinnamon stick.  Simmer over low heat and stir to avoid burning.  The sauce will thicken up in about 10 minutes.  When it is done, fish out the zest and cinnamon stick.

When the Bakalava comes out of the oven, let it cool for about 5 minutes before adding the syrup.  Pour the syrup evenly over the  pastry, making sure it gets in all the cracks and thoroughly soaks through.  Allow the Baklava to cool completely before digging in.  Dig in!

Who said RAW had to be boring?!  Nu-uh, no way!  This decadent dessert – rich, silken chocolate inside its delicate shell - is downright delicious.  Divine Creation I say, not just because it tastes so good, but because it’s so good for you, too!  

Raw cacao powder is teeming with antioxidants – over 5 times as many as blueberries!  Cacao is also the best natural source of magnesium, which is the primary mineral deficiency in SAD eaters (Standard American Diet).  Cacao is believed to reduce cardiovascular disease, blood pressure, and inflammation.  

Coconut oil is pure fat, just like any oil.  But as we all know, ‘not all fats are created equal’.  Coconut oil contains about 50% lauric acid, a rare, healthier medium-chain lipid that’s also found in breast milk.  This oil is also an incredible antimicrobial (bacteria, fungi, viruses) and aides in combatting everything from candida to HIV.

Raw agave and dates are both low-glycemic sweeteners, so they won’t rock your system with a blood sugar spike-and-crash cycle.  Additionally, dates are rich in calcium, iron, potassium, and phosphorous, and are a great *ahem* digestive aid.

Do I even need to review the infinite health benefits associated with nuts?  A quick favorite for each: Pecans boast the ideal oleic (’good’)/linoleic (’bad’) fatty acid ratio, which contributes to lower weight and cholesterol.  A handful of cashews is essentially the biochemical equivalent of a prescription prozac.  No joke!

Still not convinced that RAW =/= boring?  Just make this.  Taste it.  I dare you!

Raw Pecan Torte with Chocolate Ganache

Originally by Chef Sprout, embellished by Laurie Lane, re-embellished by Me!

Ingredients for Crust:

2 cups pecans

1 cup pitted dates

1 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup cacao nibs

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup cacao powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Ingredients for Filling:

2 cups pre-soaked cashews

1 cup cacao powder

1 cup water

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup agave nectar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

Combine all crust ingredients in a food processor and blend until evenly moist. Grease a torte or pie pan with coconut oil and spread the crust with your fingers.

Combine all filling ingredients in the [cleaned] food processor, blending until very smooth. Pour filling into the crust and freeze or refrigerate until firm (1-3 hours). Garnish with fresh mint or berries.

^^And those?^^  I had quite a bit of excess ganache, so I poured it into two teacups, whipped up a quick ‘frosting’ of almond butter, coconut oil, and agave syrup, topped off the teacups, and threw them in the fridge to chill out.

Oh.

My.

Goodness.