It’s Vegan MoFo II folks, the third annual Vegan Month of Food.

Let’s bring it back to dessert today, shall we. It wasn’t so long ago that I made my own phyllo pastry from scratch, for the Daring Bakers Strudel challenge. It was somewhat time consuming but, ultimately, it was a lot easier than it looked. Traditional phyllo pastry also happens to be naturally vegan – no eggs, dairy or any other animal fats, go figure.  If you’d like to learn how to make your own phyllo, take a look at my Daring Bakers post – otherwise do what I do most of the time and use store bought phyllo.

You’ll find store-bought phyllo pastry in the freezer section of your grocery. I’ve never seen one yet that wasn’t naturally vegan but double check the ingredient list of yours to be safe. This is what is contained in the ingredient list of my phyllo package: enriched wheat flour, water, corn starch, canola oil, dextrose (a type of sugar derived from wheat or corn), salt, wheat gluten, inactive yeast.

The phyllo is stored in your freezer at home until you’re ready to use it. When you want to use your phyllo, you will need to let it thaw out – mine says either on the counter for five hours or overnight in the fridge. Follow the directions on the package. Ditto for baking times – everything will be explained clearly on the box.

My husband came up with dessert idea. He made an out of this world delicious savoury version first (I’m working on him to write down the recipe) and then came up with this sweet dessert version – and dessert doesn’t get much simpler than this.

Simple Chocolate Phyllo:

• 1 package phyllo dough
• good quality dairy-free chocolate chips or bar chocolate, finely chopped (amount variable, up to 2 cups)
• banana, finely sliced (optional, 1 or 2, to taste – adds delicious creaminess)
• canola oil (or other light-flavoured oil like vegetable or sunflower)
• cinnamon and/or nutmeg (optional, to taste)
• confectioners’ sugar

Thaw phyllo pastry as directed on package – also preheat oven according to package directions.

Lay two or three sheets of phyllo over top of one another on a large, lightly greased baking sheet (depending on how much dough you like). Brush a small amount of oil over your pastry. Sprinkle chocolate liberally over pastry – this part is not rocket science, just use as much or as little as you’d like – the amount will change depending on how big your phyllo sheet is. I like my chocolate density to amount to approximately 3 or 4 chips per square inch of phyllo. The more chocolate you use the more rich and decadent the dessert will be. Distribute banana slices if using. Sprinkle with spices if using.

Carefully roll up your phyllo until everything is contained in one neat cylinder. Rest the roll on its seam – you can either tuck the ends underneath or leave them open. Brush the exterior of the phyllo roll with a small amount of oil.

Slide baking sheet into preheated oven and bake according to package directions, usually about 8-10 minutes – it doesn’t take long at all. In fact, be careful not to let it burn.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar – not completely necessary but confectioners’ sugar always makes everything instantly gorgeous. The added sweetness is a nice addition to the tangier Berry Variation below. Slice as desired.

You could also make smaller individual serving rolls and then you don’t need to slice it.

That’s it. Told you it was simple. You now have a dessert that will have everyone thinking you spent all day working on it.

Berry Phyllo:

Skip the chocolate and use fresh or frozen fruit instead. This dessert works particularly great with blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Sprinkle some cinnamon or cardamom on top of the fruit and enjoy the tastiness.

Behold, a slice of blueberry heaven:

Enjoy!

Click here to be transported to a whole list of Vegan MoFoers.