Peanut Butter Blondies

This is a recipe that I decided to make at the last minute when I found out I was having lunch with a vegan friend.  I chose it because I had all of the ingredients on hand, it was a bar cookie which is less work than scooping out individual portions, and it was described as appealing to people who like really peanut buttery desserts.  I had no expectations and just hoped they would turn out reasonably good.  I ended up getting such a huge reaction from my friends and actually had several people describe these as one of the best desserts they’ve ever had.

This recipe got me excited about Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar again.  When I first got the book I had really high hopes since I’m such a fan of the authors’ cupcake cookbook.  The first cookie recipe I tried from it was great, but the second really wasn’t very good.  After my success with this recipe I’m going to put the cookbook back in more regular rotation.

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Peppermint Patty Cupcakes (vegan)

Last week was Thanksgiving which in my mind marks the end of pumpkin season and the start of peppermint season.  These little cupcakes are the perfect way to kick off a month of holiday baking.  They are adorable, moist, and pack a strong peppermint punch.  Layering chocolate ganache on top of the frosting is a bit more work than a normal cupcake, but this step shouldn’t be skipped.  The chocolate provides the perfect balance to the very sweet and minty frosting.

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Vegan Maple Walnut Cupcakes – Mini Post #7

I debated whether or not I should include the word “vegan” in the title of this post, because I know that it turns some people off.  And that’s a shame because these cupcakes and every other cupcake I’ve made from “Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World” have been absolutely delicious.  They were a huge hit a vegan’s friend’s birthday party, but they were equally well received by Pat’s coworkers who were shocked to find out that they didn’t contain any butter or eggs.

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Vegan Moon Pies

The second dessert I made for the baby shower was vegan moon pies.  If you’ve never had a MoonPie they’re soft graham cracker like cookies, filled with marshmallow, and covered in chocolate.  To make these vegan I had to take some liberties with the filling and used a fluffy frosting instead of marshmallow.  It’s difficult to come by vegan marshmallows and homemade recipes called for agar powder which I didn’t have.  These were delicious- very rich and very sweet.

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Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Last week I co-hosted a baby shower for one of my closest friends.  When I was deciding which treats to make my first idea was baby (miniature) cupcakes.  Since the co-host is vegan I chose to make only vegan desserts for the shower.  I’ve had some really good luck with vegan desserts in the past and it’s a fun challenge to try and make a vegan dessert that tastes as delicious as one saturated with butter.

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Vegan Cowboy Cookies

I’m not vegan, but I occasionally like to make vegan desserts for friends who are.  In general people are very excited and thankful when you bake for them, but when you bake something for a vegan friend the thanks is tenfold.  People with dietary restrictions are so often left out of food sharing that they seem especially appreciative when they are included.

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Chocolate Cake with Coconut Pecan Frosting (by the way it’s vegan)

If anyone out there is saying eww…vegan cake, please keep reading.  This cake is really, really good.  And this post isn’t even about vegan baking, it’s about bikes.  Aside from baking my other passion is biking.  For two years I was commuting to work nearly every day.  If it was snowing I might take the train, but sometimes not even then.  I love riding my bike.  I’ve had some knee problems lately so I had to take a few months off and now I only ride three days a week, but hopefully with continued physical therapy I’ll be riding more soon.

Being a bike commuter influences what I bake.  I gravitate towards foods that are sturdy, portable, and can be served the next day.  There are a lot of beautiful desserts out there, but if I can’t share a dessert with people then I’m much less likely to make it.  Cookies and bars travel well by bike.  You just put them in a Tupperware and place them at the bottom of your backpack.  If you put your work clothes and lunch on top it will minimize how much the container moves and keep the cookies from breaking.  Cupcakes, however, are not transportable by bike.  The cupcakes will bounce up and down, the frosting will get smeared everywhere, and they might break.  This doesn’t mean that your coworkers won’t devour them, but they will not look pretty.

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