Lurking in the depths of the darkest shadows imaginable, just beyond the tips of our very noses, lay a beast, hiding, waiting, biding its time. For nearly a hundred years it remained patiently and quietly stalking victims, becoming all the more incensed at having been forgotten in the first place. When at last the monster could hold its silence no more, back into the daylight it burst with teeth bared and mouth stretched into a wicked smile, ready to destroy any unfortunate onlooker that stood in its way.

Look out, run for you lives! It’s…. It’s…

A really, terribly old picture. That Godzilla look-alike up there? He’s a gentle giant, take it from me, and wouldn’t hurt a fly! The monster is the photo itself, having somehow slipped between the cracks of my hard drive for nearly 2 years. And seriously, that’s got to be close to 100 in photo-years.

Renewed efforts at cleaning up my mess of a computer opened up a whole treasure trove of forgotten projects, this lovable brute included. It would just be a shame not to share him, so please, forgive me for posting such fiendishly bad photos, and just be mindful not to make any loud noises and spook the old devils.

Made for a friend who loves Godzilla, I started with Knitty’s Norberta, and modified it accordingly as I went along… The details, I can’t remember the foggiest bit.

But ahh, it feels so much better to get that demon out in the open. Now, about the rest of this junk I found… I can’t say for sure it will fare so well!

Sloth is a sin that seems hardest for me to shake as the days grow darker and shorter. With the warm weather goes my motivation to get out of bed at a reasonable hour, and putting off tasks for another day, or another week, is all the more appealing. It’s easy to see how these bad habits can snowball quickly into a very bad situation, but it turned out that this laziness actually produced something rather delicious. The only problem is… I’m not exactly sure what it is.

Sweet, lightly spiced, crisp on the outside but cakey on the inside, both easy to eat and hearty at the same time, this isn’t a snack that fits easily into any preexisting category. Not wanting to go through the trouble of preheating the oven and pulling out the big baking sheets, but craving cookies, it all began with a quick drop cookie batter, filled with oats, nuts, and that fall baking staple, pumpkin puree. As luck would have it, the waffle iron was still on after a leisurely brunch of “buttermilk” waffles and syrup, so putting two and two together, the batter hit the iron.

Trying to bridge the gap between breakfast treat and dessert a bit further, a light drizzle of chocolate ganache sure complimented these flavors nicely, but didn’t exactly clear up this thing’s identity crisis.

What would you call this? Whatever it might be, it’s worth making and trying for yourself!

Pumpkin Waffle Cookie Treats

1/2 Cup Canola Oil
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, Packed
1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
Pinch Ground Nutmeg
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Cups Rolled Oats

Ganache:

1 Cup (6 Ounces) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
2 Tablespoons Soy Creamer

Begin heating up your waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, pumpkin, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Sift the spices, flour, baking powder, and salt into the bowl, and stir well, but be careful not to overbeat the batter. A few lumps are just fine. Finally, add in the oats, and mix just enough to distribute them equally through the batter.

Lightly grease your waffle iron before beginning to cook each round. Portion out as much batter in each waffle indent as you would for standard waffles, and spread it out lightly just to make sure it fills the space evenly. Shut the iron and cook for 2 – 5 minutes, depending on your waffle iron, until golden brown all over.

Transfer the hot waffle cookies to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining batter. Once completely cool, prepare the ganache by microwaving the chocolate and soy creamer together in a microwave-safe bowl, in blasts of 30 seconds, stirring thoroughly until smooth. Use a spoon or piping bag to drizzle as desired.

Yield varies depending on the size of your waffle iron, but I got about 9 waffle cookies.

Printable Recipe

These days, everybody wants to have their sweets and eat less sugar, too. Demonized as pure granulated nutritional evil, and even pinned as a leading cause for America’s obesity explosion, it’s no wonder that many people are avoiding the white stuff like the plague, treating it more like poison than edible ingredient. For the record, I have no problem with sugar, as evidenced by many of my recipes. Treated with respect and consumed in moderation, just like anything else, I see nothing inherently wrong with it, and its unique crystalline structure gives so many desserts their stellar texture and flavor.

That said, what works for me may very well sound like madness for others, and of course my perspective isn’t appropriate for the estimated 24 million diabetics in the US alone. For so many of them, agave has been like manna from heaven, clocking in much lower on the glycemic index than any other traditional sweetener, in addition to being more potent in small quantities than white sugar. Although not necessarily suitable for all, it’s been quickly adopted as the poster child of natural, low-impact sweeteners.

Even beyond the light and amber variants, it turns out that not all agave is the same, as I had originally thought. When I was contacted by a representative from Xagave, I wondered what could possibly be so special about this common ingredient, but it turns out that this particular nectar really does have a leg up on the competition. 100% raw and organic, it has a remarkably clean, uncloying taste, especially perfect for mixing into drinks. Plus, unlike any other brand I’ve found so far, Xagave had a bit of fiber- A nice little bonus for such a simple syrup!

When it came time to make my Nana’s birthday dessert, I didn’t hesitate to reach for this bottle, knowing that it would be the only appropriate option, as she must watch her sugar intake. Although not quite a traditional birthday cake, she claimed to thoroughly enjoy it, and that’s what really counted at the end of the day.

Swimming in a pool of lightly spiced cinnamon caramel, each individual round of cake is redolent with almond flavor, snaking in the periodic toothsome pop of roasted chestnuts, Lightened with a creamy swirl of unsweetened whipped coconut creme, and finished off with one whole candied chestnut, the whole plate is an elegant celebration of honest, simple ingredients, with not a speck of white sugar in sight.

Now, it does call for a whole lot of agave… But really, you must try this recipe, and I’d love to help you out. So generously provided by Xagave, I will be giving away one big 18-ounce bottle of the sticky stuff! To enter to win, just leave me a comment telling me about your favorite use for agave- Recipes, though they won’t improve your chances of winning, are highly encouraged! Make sure you leave your name and a valid email address, and get your comment in by midnight, November 9th. The winner will be announced shortly after.

Almond Chestnut Cake

2 Cups Plain, Unsweetened Soymilk
1 Cup Light Agave Nectar
1/2 Cup Canola Oil
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon Almond Extract
2 Cups Almond Meal
3 Cups White Whole Wheat Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 Cup Chopped Cooked Chestnuts

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and lightly grease a 10 x 15-inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soymilk, agave, oil, vinegar, and both extracts so that everything is thoroughly combined. Set aside.

In a separate, large bowl, sift together the almond meal and flour, and stir in the baking powder and soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add the chestnuts, and toss to coat with the dry goods so that they don’t all sink to the bottom of your cake. Pour the wet mixture into the dry, and stir just enough to bring the batter together, without any big lumps (aside from the chestnuts, of course.) Pour the batter into your prepared pan and spread it out evenly into the corners, smoothing down the top with a spatula. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool completely before cutting into approximately 1 1/2 – 2-inch wide rounds (you can use a cookie cutter or even a drinking glass as a template to cut around.) Have yourself a little snack with the scraps, because there’s still plenty of work to be done before the whole plate is finished! Alternately, you could just cut it into squares if you don’t want it to be so fussy.

Cinnamon Agave Caramel Sauce

1 1/2 Cup Light Agave Nectar
1/2 Cup Coconut Milk
2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil, Melted
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
Pinch Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Combine everything but the vanilla in a medium sauce pan with high sides, and set over moderate heat. Cook for approximately 20 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally to mix, until the mixture turns a deep amber brown and thickens significantly. Turn off the heat once you’ve caramelized the agave sufficiently, and stir in the vanilla. Either serve immediately, or pour into an air-tight jar for storage. If you plan on holding it for a while or refrigerating it, you will need to heat the sauce before serving, as it will solidify when chilled.

Candied Chestnuts

8 Ounces Whole Chestnuts
1/2 Cup Agave

Place both the agave and chestnuts in a medium sauce plan and place over moderate heat. Stir every few minutes, and cook until there’s no longer a pool of agave on the bottom of the pan (it should caramelize and adhere to the chestnuts for the most part.) It may threaten to burn, so keep a close eye on the mixture and don’t leave it unattended. Pour the chestnuts onto a baking sheet, silpat, or piece of parchment paper to let cool. They will probably remain soft and sticky on the outside, so handle with care.

Coconut Creme

1 25-Ounce Can Coconut Milk

Chill the can of coconut milk thoroughly before begin. When you’re ready to serve the cakes, pull it out of the fridge, but do not shake. Carefully remove the top so that you don’t disturb the contents of the can, and skim off all the thick white creme on top. Place it in the bowl of your stand mixer, and whip on high for 3 – 6 minutes, until fluffy liked whipped creme. Transfer to a piping bag.

To assemble, set one round of cake on a plate (ideally with a rim or lip around the edge to contain the caramel) and spoon about 1 – 2 tablespoons of caramel on the bottom of the plate around it; a little goes a long way. Pipe the coconut creme to cover the top of the cake, but don’t mound it up like a cupcake, because you’ll run out too quickly. Finally, place one perfect chestnuts on top, in the very center.

Makes 15 – 16 Servings

Printable Recipe

Drawing dangerously close to those both loved and loathed major winter holidays, just about every food brand and eatery are now whipping out their seasonal specials and limited edition goodies, emblazoned with cheerful winter graphics and packed with warming spices. From gingerbread lattes to pumpkin muffins, these little treats make the most average eats just a little bit more exciting; spirited, even. Scouring shelves for the early arrival of any vegan nogs, one of my absolutely favorite seasonal specialties, I’ve been on high alert during every recent grocery shopping expedition, encouraged by the first reports of a few sightings far out west. Sadly, so far it’s been for naught, just the same old choices of soy, rice, and almond milk sitting on those lonely store shelves. To tide over my thirst, however, I did find an entirely new beverage addiction… Odwalla Pumpkin Super Protein.

Buy the bottles of sweetly spiced orange drinks by the dozen, they’ve already begun to play hard to get, restocking in unreliable intervals and in unsatisfying small quantity. For fear of losing yet another beloved treat, and even before the seasonal window closes, it quickly became clear that I would be on my own on in satisfying this craving.

Wouldn’t you know, it’s really easier than all get up to recreate this instant classic at home. Taking a hint from the ingredients list, and putting my own personal preferences into the mix, it was a matter of minutes before I had a giant pitcher of liquid pumpkin pie, still nutritionally sound and full of protein, too. Even better, my version kicks up the spices a bit, and uses a touch of agave instead of cane sugar to sweeten the deal.

Thank goodness, now I’ll have at least one “limited edition” treat that I won’t need to worry about hunting down or losing, despite the changing seasons!

Pumpkin Pie Shake

1 15-Ounce Can Pumpkin Puree
6 Ounces Extra-Firm Silken Tofu (1/2 Package)
1 Ripe, Medium-Sized Banana
3 – 4 Cups Vanilla Soymilk
1 Cup Apple Cider or Juice
1/4 Cup Agave Nectar
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/4 Teaspoon All Spice
Pinch Nutmeg
Pinch Salt

As with any smoothie or shake, just toss all of the ingredients into your trusty blender or food processor, and crank it up! Add more or less soymilk depending on how thick you’d like it. This makes a giant batch, so feel free to cut it in half. It will keep in the fridge in an air-tight pitcher for 7 – 10 days, just make sure you shake well before pouring, as settling may occur.

Makes About 7 1/2 – 8 1/2 Cups

Printable Recipe

Here we are, in the thick of it: Fall at it’s climax, nary a green leaf remains, and the trees growing barer by the day. With Halloween behind us, there’s nothing in the way of the Holiday seasons, and it’s full speed ahead in this busy kitchen. For my latest article in VegNews, you’ll find two candy recipes that would make both fantastic nibbles after a Thanksgiving meal, or perfect gifts for the winter holidays ahead. Of course, many of the candies in my latest ebook could also make excellent gifts… So there’s certainly no shortage of sweet treats to choose from.

Now on newsstands, this issue features my Chai-Spiced Pistachio Brittle (pictured above), and Peppermint Latte Patties (below), plus the much-anticipated Veggie Awards 2009.

While I didn’t win this year, I want to extend my warmest congratulations to the Fat-Free Vegan, which picked up the coveted “best blog” award. Way to go, Susan, keep up the awesome blogging!

In honor of the new month, I though I would try something new as well- A little bonus for those who want it.

This purple kale was begging to be photographed, and who was I to refuse? Click for full size, and save as a desktop wallpaper if you’d like! Just have the display set to “stretch” and it should fit properly on just about any monitor size.

No need to be scared of things that go bump in the night, because around these parts, in all likelihood it’s nothing more than the midnight baker, bumbling about in the kitchen.  When the witching hour struck last night, however, the midnight baker was up to some devious plot, whipping up more spooky sweets that usual…

Topped with a monstrous green swirl of frosting and those ever-popular chocolate spiders, these cupcakes are by no means horrific Halloween eats, but still perfectly fun and festive. Who really wants to eat something so faux-gory that it makes your stomach turn in the first place?

Of course, there is still one hidden surprise that’s just a touch bloody…

Strawberry “blood” filling! No, you’re definitely not going to fool anyone, but for a last-minute Halloween dessert, this assemblage can’t be beat. Just bake your favorite vanilla (or any other light-colored) cupcakes, carve a little cone out of the center with a paring knife, and trim the bottom of the cone off. Fill the hollow with a teaspoon or two of strawberry jam, and replace the top. Save the scraps for cake truffles, or have yourself a little snack.

As for that green frosting, you won’t find any nasty food coloring here- That hue is all thanks to one little avocado, and you can’t taste it one bit. Feel free to take advantage of that color and flavor it with mint, or keep it more kid-friendly with a solid dose of vanilla.  Should you need a last-minute Halloween party treat, look no further- These are simple enough to please all palates, and easy enough to whip up in no time at all.

Monster (Green) Frosting

1 Ripe, Medium-Sized Avocado
1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
1/2 Cup Margarine
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon Peppermint Extract (or more vanilla)
Pinch Salt
2 – 3 Cups Confectioner’s Sugar

Place your avocado and lemon juice in a food processor or blender, and thoroughly puree, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary to ensure that there are no chunks of avocado remaining. Transfer the puree into your stand mixer, and add in the margarine. Cream the two fats together until smooth and homogeneous, and add in your extracts of choice and salt. Stop the machine before adding in the sugar, and begin it again on a low speed so as not to fling powder everywhere. Once the sugar is mostly incorporated, turn up the speed to high, and whip for 2 – 3 minutes, until light and fluff. Apply to cupcakes as desired

Makes Enough to Frost about 1 Dozen Cupcakes

Printable Recipe

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

Daunted, excited, and intimidated, I responded in my typical fashion of completely ignoring the call to arms until the absolute last minute. Yes, it was a foolish act, but with so many side projects and deadlines to meet, it was easy to prioritize everything else above it, and effectively forget about the challenge until last night. Luckily, this wasn’t the first time I had contemplated the construction of that oh-so trendy sandwich cookie. Having previously done some serious legwork on recipe formulation, I had the framework all set, and all was left were a few tweaks, and more than a few prayers to the baking gods to be made.

Midnight came, and my stand mixer roared to life, while the oven coils slowly grew warmer. I whipped. I folded. I piped. I waited.

I slid the sheets into the oven.

I held my breath.

…And did a little dance when those smooth cocoa shells emerged from the oven. They had FEET! Deliriously happy, I didn’t stop smiling for a solid hour afterward. I still can’t believe that it worked, and worked so perfectly!

Sandwiching a generous dollop of matcha “buttercream” between two delicate, crisp cookies, they were everything I could have dreamed of. My only regret was that I hadn’t made a double batch.

Now, before the deluge of emails comes, I’m not ready to share the recipe yet. I will say that it’s related to my meringue method, but I’m hoping to release it in a future book or ebook. Besides, I want to play around with more flavors and colors before signing off on this beauty!

Despite the prevalence of arachnophobia, and my own squeamishness about insects in general, I have absolutely no qualms with serving spiders for dessert.  Yes, you heard me right, spiders!

…Of the purely chocolate-variety, perched on top of a chocolate web embedded in a vegan cheesecake, that is.

Striking that delicate balance between creepy and cute, this Halloween delight is sure to impress even your most finicky and easily frightened guests. Plus, it couldn’t be easier to make; If you can assemble a cheesecake, this version takes only a little bit of extra effort.

Starting with my Mini Ice Box Cheesecake (sans fruit topping, of course) from My Sweet Vegan, I merely scooped some chocolate ganache into a piping bag with a tiny round tip, and piped it in a spiral over the top. Then, a toothpick is used to drag out the points of the web, starting at the center, and radiating out in equal spacing to the outer edges. For really clean lines, make sure you wipe off the tooth pick between each stroke!

While the cake is setting up in the freezer, take some plain melted chocolate, and pipe it out with that same tiny tip onto a silpat, drawing out simple spider shapes. As you can see, I’m no artist here, but all you need is to start with a medium blob, and then draw out eight lines along the sides for legs. Make many more than you think you’ll need, as the legs can be a bit delicate and prone to breakage.

Let the chocolate rest until set, and then place them on the frozen cheesecake as desired. Hide any mistakes or imperfections with a plethora of little creepy crawlies, and make sure that each slice gets at least one spider when served.

Still don’t have a copy of my book?  Well, you’re in luck, because you have another chance to win it over at Dinner at Christina’s.  Hurry, the drawing ends soon!

The trouble with “recreating” classic candies that will strike a chord with both nostalgic adults and sweets-seeking kids, is that I was never really ate many of those original concoctions in the first place. After every Halloween conquest, my sister and I had a very specific ritual, painstakingly lining up our plunder on the living room floor, making what we would later call a “candy parade.” Sweets were grouped by type and content, in order of preference, of course. Once that was all done, and we both had time to admire each other’s take, the swapping would begin. Down to the end of the line we would both bound, eager to pawn off our least favorite treats in return for something a bit more palatable. Pretty much anything with nuts was out for me, as I had trouble with the concept of crunchy bits inside anything else at the time, so that severely limited the number of varieties I ever tried, to say the least.

And if there was a particular bar or patty that contained coconut? Well, you could just forget about it; Neither of us wanted anything to do with those distasteful nuggets, and would resort to trading with a less discriminating candy enthusiast, such as our mom or dad. Sure, they usually only had hard candies to barter, which fell very low on the scale of candy value, but anything was better than coconut.

Oh, how things change. The problem, it turned out, wasn’t the coconut itself, but that nauseatingly over-sweetened stuff, sticky with corn syrup and chemical perservatives. So I’ve never had a Mounds Bar, and definitely no Almond Joy’s have ever passed my lips, but they still intrigue me enough that I set out to try making something similar. The sad two or three almonds in an Almond Joy confuse me to no end, and while I still think it would be more apt to call it a Coconut Joy, I decided to go with the flow, and make my own version, with cashews instead.

Definitely no copycat recipe, but one inspired by the classic, this chocolate bar is a delicious treat in its own right.

Cashew (Coconut) Joy

3 Tablespoons Full Fat Coconut Milk
3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil, Melted
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Confectioner’s Sugar
8 Ounces (About 2 2/3 Cups) Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1/2 Cup Chopped, Toasted Cashews
1/2 Cup Whole Toasted Cashews

12 Ounces Rice Milk Chocolate, or Semi-Sweet Chocolate, Finely Chopped

In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, coconut oil, vanilla, and confectioner’s sugar. Once smooth, switch over to a spatula, and stir in the shredded coconut and chopped cashews, until fully incorporated and no dry patches in the mixture remain.

Transfer the mix into a lightly greased 8 x 8-inch square pan, and use the bottom of a measuring cup or drinking glass to press down and smooth out the top. Place the whole cashews at regular intervals in even lines down the pan, pressing them in gently. Move the pan in the freezer for at least 3 hours, until chilled and firm.

When you’re ready to enrobe your bars, melt down your chosen chocolate in the microwave, stirring thoroughly at 30 second intervals, until smooth. Set out a silpat or piece of parchment paper, and go retrieve the frozen coconut centers. Slice into bars, and then carefully dip them into the chocolate. A few flakes of coconut may come off, but just fish them out of the pool of chocolate and continue. You may wish to store the pieces in the freezer until the moment that you’re ready to dip them, if them seem particularly fragile.

Tap off the excess chocolate, and place the bars on your silpat or parchment paper, and let cool until set. Store at room temperature in an air-tight container.

Printable Recipe

Since we’ve already seen that beans can very happily take a place on the dessert platter, why does it still seem like such a strange concept?  Even I cringed a bit at the first suggestion of a “dessert hummus,” fearful of a flat out beany, semi-sweet, muddle of a spread.  True, this is nothing you’d want to serve on cut veggies or smeared in the middle of a tofu sandwich, but it turns out that the idea isn’t completely crazy.  Merely serving as a base for flavor, providing more bulk than flavor, the chickpeas happily disappear into the background when properly masked with a more powerful taste sensation, like… Chocolate, perhaps?

Before you go “Ewww!” and flick away to the next blog, hear me out: How different is this from tofu cheesecake?  Or lentil cookies?  Seriously, just give the combination of cocoa and chickpeas a chance.  This versatile legume can be dressed up as sweet as candy if you give it the benefit of the doubt!  Plus, with their oft praised protein and fiber, it’s perfectly reasonable to spread some chocolate on toast for breakfast, and call it a balanced meal.

Chocolate Chickpea Spread

1 15-Ounce Can Chickpeas
1 Tablespoon Peanut Butter
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Teaspoon Instant Coffee Powder
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 – 4 Tablespoons Water

As with all hummus, this spread couldn’t be easier; Just throw everything but the water into your food processor or blender, and thoroughly puree, scraping down the sides of the bowl to get everything incorporated as needed. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the water, until you reach your desired consistency. Spread at will!

Makes about 2 Cups

Printable Recipe