best ever oatmeal raisin cookies, vegan MoFo.

It is Day 4 of Vegan MoFo III, the third year running of the Vegan Month of Food.

These are Jae Steele’s Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Rejoice friends, for Jae has kindly posted the recipe on her blog, here. These will also be in the upcoming Ripe From Around Here. You should make them. Trust me.

I think these are the best cookies I have ever had – they’re certainly the best oatmeal cookies I’ve ever had. No contest.

And, they’re filled with exceedingly good things. No refined sugar, for example – instead, these little tasties (or big tasties, depending on what you’re into) are sweetened with pure organic maple syrup. I had to stop myself from eating the batter raw, it was that good (that would be a no-no, since I am endeavoring to be a good recipe tester and must fight such carnal urges in favour of measuring yields accurately, etc). But it tasted like praline which makes it kind of irresistible.

Oh, and they’re exceedingly good baked, too. It’s troublesome really.

There is more out there for your to see – just search for Vegan MoFo and it shall all be laid out before you.

sunflower nutmeg bread, vegan MoFo.

It is day 3 of Vegan MoFo, the Vegan Month of Food, Third edition.

Today I present you with Sunflower Nutmeg Bread. Yes, this is another test recipe from Jae Steele’s upcoming book, Ripe From Around Here. But guess what, recipe seekers? Jae has posted the recipe on her blog, here – so whip up a loaf or three for yourself and see!

This bread is seriously good – and it’s versatile. You can do it up sweet. You can do it up savoury. Either way, it’s damn good. We had it with hummus. We had it with jam. And we were equally gleeful.

This could easily become a breakfast, brunch and snack staple. It’s a crowd pleaser.

almond butter chocolate chip cookies.

I love Twitter. You meet all sorts of interesting, like-minded, creative people who point you in a million different fantastic directions – and you get cookies.

Let me explain.

Someone, clearly cool, found me on Twitter. This prompted me to check out their blog. On their blog I saw a post about cookies. One hour later I was eating them – these Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies from Hello Veggie to be exact.

Pretty cool.

These cookies are very easy to make and you probably have everything you need all set to go – unless you’re like me and you think you have almond butter in the fridge but it turns out to be hazelnut butter.

No worries. I had a big bag of almonds on hand – so I threw a cup of those in the food processor and processed until they were paste. It kind of made a paste, after about 15 minutes of processing (it stuck together when pressed so I figured it was close enough). The most important thing is that the cookies worked and they worked brilliantly.

On top of tasting out of this world amazing, another reason I totally dig these cookies is that they’re not loaded up with margarine – there is some, but much less than a lot of other chocolate chip cookies out there. The almond butter emulsifies and moistens better than margarine any day. Hey, we need our healthy fats. Very important.

Do I really have to advise you to make them? I had to share because they really are delish. Really delish. Consider this fair warning however: you will need will-power of steel to not eat them all.

Trust me on this.

candied clementines, and cake.

I’ve been trying out a lot of my talented fellow bloggers’ recipes lately – there is so much talent out there it’s humbling, and inspiring. Like a lot of you out there, one of my favourite blogs is VeganYumYum.

When I read a recent post about candied clementines and a bundt cake that uses them I knew I had to try it, and fast.

Firstly, candied clementines are incredibly easy to make – now that I know how to make them, I’ll be making candied everything from now on. The scent that wafted out of that simmering pot of citrus was out of this world amazing. Though you can eat the candied clementines straight up as a dessert, I saved mine to make the candied clementine bundt cake. I was low on clementines so there were no extras to enjoy on their own this time around unfortunately – next time.

A great bonus of making candied clementines is the gorgeous sweet amber syrup left behind in the pot. Think of all the endless possibilities – you can use the syrup on ice cream, drizzled over cakes, etc. I put a spoonful in a hot mug of ginger tea and it was awesome.

As amazing as the candied clementine experience is on its own, the cake is even better. Moist, sweet, tangy, full-bodied – you will not be disappointed by this old-fashioned delight. It reminded me so strongly of an orange bundt my mum used to make when I was a kid. As soon as I put the sweet batter to my lips I was instantly transported back to our old kitchen in the country, waiting impatiently for the cake to come out of the oven.

This cake is beautiful. It scarcely lasted 24 hours in my house before being eaten up entirely. I made sure to save a slice for my mum.

The instructions are very clear and easy to follow. The only part I messed up slightly was due to my impatience with pouring the icing. I should have let it cool a bit more before pouring.

It was still delicious – it just wasn’t as thick and pretty as it would have been had I waited a small bit longer. I’ll know better for next time.

Now go candy some clementines and make this cake. In case you missed it, here are the recipes for candied clementines and that special bundt cake.

chocolate chip cookies, take 2.

Time to feed my inner cookie monster. Remember when I made Isa’s awesome chocolate chip cookies a while back – the ones with no margarine? Well at the time I knew there was a strong possibility that I had inadvertently messed up the oil amount that the recipe called for – I suspected I erroneously halved it and it would seem I was right.

I finally got around to making the recipe again and, sure enough, I came up with quite a different cookie this time around. I’d actually take these cookies either way, although I’m leaning towards this latest (correct), rather decadent incarnation. With the full amount of oil they are truly decadent – crispy on the outside, extremely moist and chewy on the inside, and totally melt in your mouth awesome. With half the oil, they stand up taller and have a firmer bite – yet still more than enjoyable. It’s a beautiful example of how fine a chocolate chip cookie can be – and dairy-free and egg-free to boot.

Hey, make them and see for yourself. You can find the recipe at the awesome PPK blog here.

I wonder what would happen if I split the difference? Now this is the kind of science experiment I like – one that involves chocolate chips. Ok that’s it. Insomnia be damned – I’m making these again.

pumpkin cookies & other good things.

I don’t know why it took me so long to puree my own pumpkin but I’m glad that I finally did. Wow, what a delight. Unfortunately, by the time I came to this realization all the pumpkins out there were gone! Next October I plan to fill my freezer with pumpkin puree. In a word: yum.

Pumpkin seems to make things that might otherwise have ended up ordinary a little more special. It adds sweetness, moistness, and a certain je ne c’est quoi. Pumpkin Puree does wonders for the vegan baker too – like banana, pumpkin works as an excellent binder. And, on top of being entirely delicious, pumpkin is good for you – all the more reason to bake lots of pies, cakes, cookies and other pumpkin inspired what-have-you’s.

I followed these great directions for pureeing the pumpkin, from the fabulous site The Pioneer Woman. I couldn’t believe how simple it was to make my own pumpkin puree.

I made chocolate pumpkin pie, plain pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin butter, and pepitas. You say that I’ve become somewhat pumpkin obsessed. Can you believe that I almost threw out the pumpkin seeds? Yes, true story. I almost missed out on those crispy roasted pepitas, sprinkled with a little olive oil and sea salt, mmmm.

I used Dreena Burton’s recipe for Chocolate Pumpkin Pie, from Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan. I really like this one, despite the fact that I burned the chocolate crumb crust. The filling was awesome. Chocolate and pumpkin together is genius. Next time I’ll put the pie on a baking sheet before baking. You live, you learn.

For the pumpkin cookies I followed this recipe from Fatfree Vegan Kitchen. These cookies are not too sweet and I, of course, forgot to make the icing – so I spread a little orange marmalade over top for some added sweetness: yum.

Maybe I’ll plant a pumpkin patch next summer. There’s a thought.

persimmon blondies.

I have been given the honour of being made a test baker for Hannah Kaminsky as she works on recipes for her next cookbook.

Hannah runs the inspiring blog Bittersweet and is the author of that fabulous culinary tome, My Sweet Vegan. I have a great deal of respect for this talented baker and I jumped at the chance to help her work towards the release of what will undoubtedly be a smash hit book. First up: persimmon blondies.

I’m a pretty big fan of bars, especially brownies: I’m a true chocoholic. My only experience with blondies (other than the one I see in the mirror) is with the humdrum butterscotch type. Well these, my friends, are not your everyday blondies, no no – these blondies incorporate persimmons and a secret spicy ingredient that enhances the flavour brilliantly. I can say no more, but will tell you this much – the texture is beautiful and fudgey, the flavour is unique, and the blondies disappeared so quickly I almost didn’t get photos to share with you!

I’m so looking forward to the next test recipe – stay tuned for more tasty sneak peeks!

traditional french yule log, vegan.

It’s Daring Bakers challenge time again. Since this month’s challenge falls at the end of December, our hosts thought up an appropriately festive dessert: a traditional french yule log.

This month’s challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux.
They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand.

In France you can buy two kinds of yule log, either the familiar Genoise and Buttercream type, or what is more commonly purchased: a frozen yule log. This type of yule log, reminiscent of an ice cream cake, is often made of frozen mousse of some sort.

This traditional french yule log consists of the following elements:

1) Dacquoise Biscuit
2) Mousse
3) Ganache Insert
4) Praline (Crisp) Insert
5) Creme Brulee Insert
6) Icing

The assembly of the log involves a dacquoise biscuit layer at the bottom, with the other elements inter-layered with mousse and an icing finish. I used a simple loaf pan as my mold which worked out perfectly.

I never thought I’d say it, being the insatiable chocoholic that I am, but there is such a thing as too much chocolate. This cake is delicious, but small doses are in order. We did have some flavouring choices to make with regard to pretty much every element – but, chocoholic here remember, I chose mostly chocolate elements. Also, changes would be made to make this yule log dairy-free and egg-free. This is how my flavours for the different elements of the yule log played out:

1) Almond and coconut dacquoise biscuit
2) Chocolate mousse
3) Chocolate ganache insert
4) Chocolate coconut praline insert
5) Coconut-vanilla bean mousse (in place of creme brulee)
6) Chocolate icing

This biscuit was made as is with the addition of shredded coconut, with flax meal and water in place of eggs. I was super happy with how it turned out and was really tasty on its own.

For the mousse element, I used the Chocolate Mousse recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, which is really awesome and incredibly rich. This one’s definitely a keeper.

I veganized the existing recipe for the ganache element, and I was super pleased with how it turned out – in fact it’s probably the best ganache I have ever made. The recipe involved caramelizing sugar by dry method which is then combined with cream and then poured over finely chopped chocolate. I used Belsoy cooking cream, a soy product, in place of the heavy cream called for. I used a gorgeous dark organic chocolate, 70% cocoa, which was just beautiful.

For the praline insert I used praline paste saved from a past DB challenge, the Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream. I opted to make this element using the rice crisp cereal option, rather than the home made crisps, due to time constraints. I added shredded coconut.

In place of creme brulee I made a vanilla-bean mousse infused with coconut – essentially a creamy pudding given extra stability with the help of agar.

The chocolate icing was another great discovery that I will be revisiting in future. I veganized the recipe provided, substituting Belsoy for heavy cream and Earth Balance for butter. This was the first time I’d tried the Belsoy cooking cream and I have to say, I’m a fan. The icing is meant to be stabilized with gelatin, for which I substituted agar quite nicely: Agar, I heart you.

I made all elements save the icing in a 6-hour stretch, assembling the log as I went along, before letting everything freeze overnight in the pan. On the second day the log was unmolded, iced, and returned to the freezer to set. I then sliced individual portions while the log was still frozen (this makes it easier to slice without wrecking the log’s shape), and allowed them to thaw on the counter for about an hour before serving the cool, ultra-rich, super decadent chocolate dessert.

Thanks for visiting people – and happy holidays to everyone. I wish you all a very happy, safe and warm new year!

I leave you with my favourite Christmas ornament:

Be sure to visit the Daring Bakers Blogroll for more baking inspiration than you could ever ask for:

weddings and pumpkins.

The main reason I blogged so little over the summer was that I became rather distracted with my little sister’s wedding. I hardly cooked or baked at all and so, quite stupidly, thought that I didn’t have anything much to blog about.

Well silly me – I should have, at the very least, posted a photo here and there. I’d previously taken a long absence from picture taking and had been wanting to get back to it for ages. I was very lucky to get a new DSLR (!) in time for the wedding and I thought I’d share a photo from the happy event in that spirit.

Note the red nail polish.

I’m off to roast a pumpkin for the first time, so wish me luck – I’m hoping for pumpkin cookies, cake, pie and, given enough puree, some pumpkin butter!

chocolate chip cookies, look mom – no margarine!

I am an unabashed cookie monster, hands down. I can’t resist all those Christmas cookie magazines that come out every year. Since I became vegan, those recipes are all about conversions and substitutions – a challenge that I genuinely enjoy. That said, it’s awesome when you come across a great recipe where the work has been done for you. Imagine my glee when I cozied up on the chaise (slowly going blind while insisting I can surf the net on an iPod Touch) and settled on the PPK blog. There I spied a new recipe posted by Isa for basic chocolate chip cookies.

Now I’ve tried several basic chocolate chip cookie recipes of the vegan variety with varing degrees of disappointment. This recipe looked simple enough. I had all the ingredients on hand. I invariably want cookies. Thus the perfect storm of cookie making was set in motion. It was a no-brainer that I’d get going on taking this recipe for a test spin. Like right that second.

Well, there is a reason that it’s easier to follow in the footsteps of giants. Isa, bless her, is one gifted woman. I have complete faith in her culinary prowess. It’s no accident that Veganomicon is the most consistently reliable tome in my kitchen. I am counting the days until her Vegan Brunch book comes out in Spring. Counting the days. But don’t get me started talking about breakfast foods or I’ll never stop.

Back to the cookies. Easy as pie to make. Why do people say ‘easy as pie’ by the way? I find pie to be quite complicated. These cookies, however, are easy peasy lemon squeezy. I had to bake mine for a minute more than suggested in order to get the edges to start to brown. I also used plain rice milk in lieu of Isa’s preferred unsweetened almond milk. I prefer almond milk in baking too, but I wanted to finish off some rice milk that I had on hand. There’s also a distinct possibility that I may have erroneously used half the oil called for (I just can’t remember if I refilled that measuring cup…?). My stupidity aside, these cookies turned out really great. Oh how I wish I wasn’t too lazy to make ice cream to go with it.

But I digress. Back to the cookies…just as Isa promised, they are crisp on the bottom, soft on the inside, and crinkly on the top. When warm, they remind me of a gourmet cookie company that used to set up shop in my neighborhood. Hey, who needs them, now I can make my own. You can too if you get the recipe here.

Now go forth and eat cookies.