Banana Cake With Strawberries and Vanilla Icing

Strawberries and bananas are such a classic pair-- and no wonder!! It's such a delicious combination. Stepping away from the standard combinations is definitely a good thing, but sometimes it is nice to have something familiar. It brings about a sense of nostalgia-- at least for me.

The vanilla icing in this recipe is not a make it or break it, but it definitely adds a little extra deliciousness. This cake is extremely moist and dense, but, if you're anything like me, you'll probably find it difficult to not eat the entire thing!

Cake Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
• 5 ripe bananas, mushed
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup soymilk
• 3 cups freshly sliced strawberries

Icing Ingredients:

• 2 cups vegan powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoon hot water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoons corn syrup

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt.
4. In a stand mixer, add bananas and vegan butter. Mix on low speed until fully incorporated.
5. While still on low speed, add both sugars. Mix until sugar dissolves. While still mixung, add in bananas, and vanilla extract. 
6. Leaving mixer on, add in 1 cup of dry mixture. Once combined, add in soy milk and remaining dry mixture.
7. Mix until all ingredients are combined, but be careful not to over mix.
8. Remove mixing bowl from mixer, and fold in strawberry slices.
9. Pour batter into greased baking pan, put in oven, and let bake for 55 minutes to an hour. (You can test with a toothpick to make sure the cake is fully baked before removing it from the oven.)
10. Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.

Icing:

1. Mix all icing ingredients together until a smooth paste forms. (You can add more sugar if it is too thin, or more water if it is too thick)
2. Pour over the top of the un-cut cake.
3. Spread with a spatula or knife until the icing covers the top (It probably won't be completely even unless your cake baked perfectly flat!)
4. Let the icing harden for about 10 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!!

Dark Chocolate Coconut Truffles with Coconut Caramel Drizzle

When I was younger, I used to be able to eat an entire box of candy in one sitting. Not a small box. Like... the big fancy boxes stuffed with a variety of chocolaty goodness. The ones that most people savor over the course of a week... or share with someone special. Not me. Luckily I was pretty active back then and it didn't catch up to me... too much.

A lot has changed since then, and I am super thankful for most of it. Occasionally I miss the richness of fancy truffles or caramels, which then just inspires me to whip up a batch of my own. Thank goodness I have gained some willpower since my childhood, and can no longer down that much sugar in one sitting-- otherwise baking all of the time would bring about a whole new problem for me.

These truffles have a super rich and silky filling and are coated in a crunchy layer of chocolate. I topped this batch with a coconut caramel drizzle because I had some extra time on my hands. Feel free to leave the caramel off, or change the coconut extract to a different flavor-- you can even just roll the filling in some powdered sugar or cocoa powder if that's what you prefer!

Center Ingredients:

• 15 ounce can coconut creme (I use trader joe's thick and rich coconut creme)
• 22 ounces vegan dark chocolate (either chocolate chips or a bar is fine-- but if using a bar cut into small pieces)
• 1 tablespoon coconut extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegan butter, cut into small cubes

Coating Ingredients:

• 3 cups vegan chocolate chips (or any vegan chocolate as long as it is cut into small pieces.)
• 1 tablespoon vegan shortening
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Caramel drizzle(optional):

• 8 ounces Coconut Caramel Candy melted (or you can use a chewy vegan caramel candy from the store)

Preparation:

1. In a large heat safe bowl, pour in the dark chocolate.
2. In a small sauce pan, heat the coconut milk until it begins to bubble, but remove from heat before it reaches a roiling boil.
3. Pour heated coconut milk over chocolate, and let sit for 2 minutes.
4. After the 2 minutes is up, stir the coconut and chocolate until the mixture is smooth, and thoroughly combined.
5. Add the butter and extracts to the chocolate mixture. Stir until all butter is melted and fully incorporated. Cover bowl with foil. 
6. Refrigerate mixture for a minimum of 6 hours, preferably overnight, so that it can set.
7. After the refrigeration time is up scoop the mixture into balls. (You can use a regular spoon if that is all you have-- your truffle balls just may not end up perfectly round... then again mine never end up perfectly round anyway! I promise they'll still taste the same though) 
8. Place truffle balls on parchment lined baking sheet(s)
9. Freeze for at least 20 minutes.
10. In a double boiler- heat the chocolate and sea salt until chocolate is melted.
11. Remove balls from freezer and dip into melted chocolate. (If this process ends up taking a while-- you may want to refreeze the balls or remelt the chocolate. Use your discretion.)
12. Freeze for 5 minutes before applying caramel drizzle.
13. Melt caramel candy in a double boiler until smooth.
14. Drizzle caramel over truffles.
15. Refrigerate the truffles until the caramel drizzle and chocolate coating sets. 
16. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you want to serve/eat them!
17. Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before eating. (Sometimes the caramel gets a tad hard in the cold, so it is better to let it get soft again.)

Enjoy!!

Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Cinnamon

One thing I could never get sick of is chocolate. In fact, I find any excuse possible to use it/eat it whenever I can. When I first met my husband, he insisted that he hated chocolate and refused to eat it... or so he claimed. I couldn't believe it! Well... I believed him... that was until I caught him sneaking some chocolates I made out of the fridge one day. Now I don't feel so bad for putting chocolate into most of my baked goods.

These cookies are packed with gooey chocolaty perfection, and a hint of cinnamon make them a little different than a typical chocolate chip cookie. Feel free to leave out the cinnamon if you're not a huge fan, or heck-- throw in a little extra if you want! I find the best ways to use other people's recipes is to spice it up a little to your own liking.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup vegan butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup raw sugar
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 2 cups dark chocolate, chopped into chunks

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
2. In a stand mixer, add softened butter and whip on high speed for 2 minutes. Turn off mixer.
3. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, add both sugars, and turn mixer onto medium speed. 
4. Once sugars are fully incorporated, return mixer to high speed and beat for another 2 minutes. Turn off mixer and scrape down the side with rubber spatula.
5. Turn mixer to low speed and add in the applesauce and vanilla extract.
6. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and sea salt.
7. While mixer is still on low speed, add the flour mixture to the wet mixture 1/4 cup at a time until all of the mixture has been added. 
8. Add in all of the chocolate and mix until chocolate is evenly distributed into dough.
9. Scoop about 1/4 cup of mixture, roll into a ball, press slightly flat, and put onto prepared baking sheet.
10. Repeat until you have a full sheets, with dough spaced apart to allow for slight spreading.
11. Bake cookies, 1 tray at a time, for 9-12 minutes.
12. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from tray. 
13. Repeat process until all cookies are baked.

Enjoy!!

Peppermint Patties

Candy is one of my favorite things to make-- mostly because I love to eat it afterwards. I saw a shirt once that said "I run because I love dessert" and I really wish I had gotten it... or several of them, so I could wear them everyday. I feel like people would understand me better if they knew that information upfront. That way they understand why I don't run because I have a love of running. Not that I am some big time runner-- because... well I am not. But I swear if I wasn't such of fan of chocolate and other treats my treadmill and running shoes would collect a lot more dust. 

Peppermint patties are a simple treat to make, and are very refreshing to eat. And let's not forget delicious... because they are exactly that. DELICIOUS. That's probably why I tripled this recipe when I made it... 

I added a bit of green food coloring just to make them a little more interesting, but feel free to leave it out if you don't feel like eating Incredible Hulk peppermint patties.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons earth balance buttery sticks, softened
• 2 teaspoons mint extract
• 2 tablespoons soy milk
• 2 1/2 cups vegan powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon green food coloring (more, or less, or none!)
• 2 1/2 cups vegan chocolate
• 1 tablespoon vegan shortening

Preparation:

1. In a stand mixer, add the softened earth balance, mint extract, soy milk, food coloring, and powdered sugar.
2. Start mixing on a low speed until a crumbly mixture starts to form.
3. Once it is mostly combined, turn the mixer on a high speed and beat until creamy. (If your mixture is too dry feel free to add a little extra soy milk, or if it is too sticky, add a little more sugar. You want to end up with a pie dough-like mixture.)
4. Roll mixture into a log in the diameter you like, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze for 1 hour.
5. Remove from the freezer, take candy out of the plastic wrap, and cut into disks of the thickness you like.
6. Lay the disks flat on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
7. Once all of the candy is cut, return to the freezer for another hour. 
8. At the end of the hour, melt the chocolate and shortening in a double boiler- mixing so it combines well.
9. Remove candy from freezer, and take the chocolate mixture off of the heat.
10. Lay the candy flat on a fork, submerge into the chocolate, raise fork and let excess chocolate drip off. (You can use a second fork to scrape the underside of the first fork to remove the excess chocolate more quickly.)
11. Lay the coated candy back onto the parchment sheet. (I flip the fork and let the candy fall off so I don't touch it with my finger. That way more chocolate stays on the candy.)
12. Repeat until all of the candy has been coated in chocolate.
13. If you have extra chocolate, feel free to drizzle the remainder over the coated candy.
14. Return to freezer for another 30 minutes so the chocolate can harden completely before packaging or eating!

Enjoy!!

Sweet and Salty S'mores Bars.

I am in love with s'mores. It might sound like an exaggeration... but I assure you, it is not. If you could meet my husband and ask him how often I make s'mores, he would probably roll his eyes. Mostly because I always try to make him eat one, too. (To feel less guilty obviously) He, however, is not as much of a s'mores fan as I am. I probably should have considered that crucial fact before saying yes to marriage...

Okay, so s'mores bars. Delicious. They are soft, gooey, chocolaty, with a hint of sea salt. I wish you the best of luck trying not to eat the whole batch.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups softened vegan butter
• 1 1/4 cups raw sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup applesauce 
• 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 4 cups vegan chocolate chips
• 10 ounces vegan marshmallow fluff
• 12 vegan marshmallow (each cut into 4 pieces. I used kitchen shears since they were super sticky and hard to cut with a knife.)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper; butter the parchment.
3. In stand mixer, add butter and sugar.
4. Mix on low speed until the sugar is fully dissolved into the butter. 
5. Turn mixer on high speed and beat mixture for 3 minutes. Turn mixer back on low speed. Add vanilla and applesauce. Once incorporated, turn mixer off.
6. In a medium bow, whisk together graham cracker crumbs, flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon.
7. Turn stand mixer back onto low speed. Add dry mixture to wet mixture 1/4 cup at a time until it is all added. Turn mixer off.
8. Spread 1/2 of the mixture on the bottom of your prepared pan. 
9. Sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips onto batter.
10. Spread marshmallow fluff onto the top. 
11. Sprinkle 2 cups of chocolate chips onto the top of the fluff.
12. Place marshmallow pieces on top of the chocolate chips as evenly as possible.
13. Put blobs of remaining batter on top. Place parchment paper over batter and flatten the blobs out by pushing lightly down and rubbing flat. Slowly pull parchment off. 
14. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top.
15. Bake for 25-28 minutes until top starts to brown.
16. If you want a little extra salty to your sweet, sprinkle another 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt on the top.
17. Remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Swirl "Cheesecake"

Are you in need of a creamy, sweet, and satisfying dessert? Always?? Me too!My husband doesn't quite understand my need for dessert. No matter how full I am, I cannot go to sleep happy without having a sweet treat for sweet dreams. 

This vegan cheesecake is my interpretation of a few different recipes I have tried. I attempted to find the perfect balance of all the ingredients, and this is what I've come up with! I used homemade strawberry syrup for the swirls on the top of this one, but I am sure any fruit syrup would taste great!

Crust Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups finely ground vegan graham crackers
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1/4 cup raw sugar
• 6 tablespoons melted vegan butter

Filling Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups soaked cashews (soak them for at least 4 hours, and drain them completely before using)
• 1 1/2 cups coconut cream (I used Trader Joe's thick and rich coconut cream)
• 3/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup agave
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Strawberry Swirl Ingredients:

• 2 cups sliced strawberries
• 1/3 cup raw sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Crust Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Mix sugar, cinnamon, and graham cracker crumbs in a medium bowl.
3. Add melted butter and mix thoroughly with your hand until all of the dry ingredients become wet from the butter. 
4. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 7 minutes.
6. Remove and let cool completely before filling

Filling Preparation:

1. Add all of the ingredients to a high power blender (if you don't have a high power blender, the mixture won't come out as smoothly)
2. Blend on high speed for 3 minutes.
3. Scrape down the sides of the blender with a rubber spatula.
4. Blend on high speed for another 3 minutes.
5. Scrape the sides one more time!!
6. Blend for another 3 minutes.

Strawberry Swirl Preparation:

1. Add all of the ingredients to a small saucepan
2. Cook on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally; being careful not to let the sugar burn.
3. Remove from heat and let cool completely

Assembling:

1. Pour filling into prepared crust, cover, and freeze for 2 hours.
2. Separate the syrup from the strawberry pieces. (I used a slotted spoon to take the strawberry chunks out of the mixture.
3. Save the pieces of strawberry to top the cheesecake when you serve it!
4. When the 2 hours is up, remove cheesecake from freezer.
5. Carefully drizzle the strawberry syrup over the entire top of the cheesecake.
6. Use a butter knife to gently swirl the syrup into the top.
7. Freeze for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. 
8. I would recommend cutting it while it is frozen if you want neat slices.
9. Thaw slices in refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!

Strawberry Rhubarb Streusel Bars

My absolute favorite thing about the changing of seasons is the excuse it gives me to bake an array of goodies. Strawberries and rhubarb are two of the ingredients I cherish most about this time of year. Pie, crisp, jam, muffins... you name it, and I probably want to stuff my face with it. This recipe has a wonderful balance of sweet from the strawberries and tartness from the rhubarb. 

This recipe has a wonderful balance of sweet from the strawberries and tartness from the rhubarb. Just my kind of snack.

Streusel Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vegan butter at room temperature
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling:

• 2 cups diced rhubarb
• 2 cups diced strawberries
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1/4 cup agave 

Bar Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups vegan butter
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. (Make sure the parchment comes all of the way up the sides.)

Streusel Preparation:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together softened butter and brown sugar by hand. 
2. Add flour, and mix by hand until fully incorporated.
3. Put the mixture in the refrigerator until ready to use

Filling Preparation:

1.  In a medium bowl, mix all of the filling ingredients.
2. Let sit while you prepare the bars

Bar Preparation:

1. In stand mixer add butter and sugar.
2. Beat on low speed until fully mixed.
3. Once fully mixed, turn on high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Once the time is up, turn back to low speed.
4. Add applesauce and vanilla while still mixing on low speed. 
5. In a separate bowl- mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt.
6. Add to mixer 1/4 cup at a time while still on low speed.
7. Once all of the flour mixture has been added, turn the mixer off.

Assembly:

1. In prepared baking pan, spread the bar mixture evenly.
2. Top with filling. (try to spread evenly over the top of the batter)
3. Crumble streusel topping over the top of the filling as evenly as possible.
4. Bake for 55 minutes to an hour, until toothpick comes out clean and topping is slightly browned. 
5. Cool before cutting

Enjoy!

  

Coconut Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips

Coconut. Peanut butter. Chocolate. Could you possibly ask for more?! (Well, if you said yes, you might need to find something else to bake!) These cookies are overloaded with chocolate and I find that the coconut oil brings out the taste of the peanut butter. These are more of a 'melt in your mouth' cookie than a classic chewy chocolate chip cookie, but I love variety! 

Vegan baking doesn't have to be boring and tasteless-- I swear!!

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  

Cookie Ingredients:

• 
  
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/3 cup vegan shortening
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 2 1/2 cups flour (I like to have a firmer dough, so sometimes I add a little more depending)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 cups vegan chocolate chips

Preparing the Cookies:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. You won't have to grease them. (I use two so I can let the first pan cool while the second bakes)
3. In a stand mixer, add peanut butter, coconut oil and shortening. Mix on low speed until combined. Turn mixer off.
4. Add brown sugar and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.
5. Turn mixer to low speed. Add vanilla, applesauce and mix until all of the ingredients until all are fully incorporated. 
6. In a separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, and salt. 
7. While mixer is still on low speed, add flour mixture 1/4 cup at a time until all of it is added. (This will help it mix in more evenly, and make less of a mess!)
8. Mix in chocolate chips. (I usually do this with a wooden spoon because I feel like it more evenly spreads the chocolate chips. It might be all in my head, so feel free to use the stand mixer on a low speed.)
9. Take about 1/4 cups dough (more or less, depending how large you want your cookies) and form a ball, press it slightly to flatten dough, and put on baking sheet. Keep dough about 3 inches apart.  Repeat until baking sheet is full.
10.  Bake each sheet for 11-13 minutes. (if you have adjusted the size of your dough balls, remember to adjust the bake time!)
11. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from the baking sheet.
12. Repeat until all of the dough is baked!

Enjoy!!