S'mores Cake

My friend swears that this is spice cake, but I don't question the identities of my baked goods. Perfect example: this started out as an attempt at brownies, but from the beginning, my cake knew that it was cake, not brownies. Lesson: don't let others define you, no matter how much chocolate and egg replacer they pump into you. Also I know this looks complicated, but it works; I'll try figuring out what pieces are essential and which aren't later.

VGF S'mores Cake (Made 48 little cakes like above)
1 1/2 c vegan butter
1 1/2 c sugar
1 container coconut yogurt (maybe 3/4c - you could use soy)
3/4 c nondairy milk (I used soy)
2 tbsp molasses
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp potato starch
2 tsp tapioca starch (aka flour)
8 tbsp warm water
1 1/2 tsp xanthum gum
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1 c sorghum flour
1 c oat flour
1/4 c coconut flour
1/2 c brown rice flour

Coconut "Marshmallow" Frosting (this makes too much frosting for all the cake)
1/2 c vegetable shortening
1 can coconut milk that has been sitting in the fridge for at least a few hours (you want 1/2 c of the solid that separates out on top)
Vanilla
LOTS of powdered sugar.

Also, 1/2 bar or 1/2 c chocolate for decorating.

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 350.
2) Melt the butter in a big microwave-safe bowl.
3) Mix in the sugar, yogurt, milk, molasses, and cinnamon.
4) In a small bowl (or a dirty cup measure, because washing dishes is lame) mix the potato and tapioca starch, then add the water and mix vigorously with a fork until everything is well combined. This is your egg replacer; add it to the butter mixture.
5) Add the xanthum gum, baking soda and salt to the butter mixture and combine well.
6) Add flours one at a time (or you could be fancy and mix them in a separate bowl, but again, more dishes) and mix well.
7) Generously spray whatever pan(s) you are using (I used a standard cookie sheet with sides, so it was very thin). Bake at 350 until it passes the toothpick test - maybe 20 to 30 minutes, but I didn't time it. This cake is very moist, so if you want it drier bake it a little longer.
8) While the cake is baking, make the frosting - melt the shortening and beat it with the solid coconut stuff and vanilla. Then add powdered sugar and whip until it's nice and thick.
9) Once the cake was cool, I cut it into about 1 1/2 inch squares and piped the frosting onto each one. Then I melted the chocolate in the microwave and used a whisk to drizzle the cakes with melted chocolate.

Enjoy!

Vegan Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie

Modified from Oh She Glows, for a 10 inch pie.

For the crust:

2c pecans

1c oat flour (or other GF flour)

2T sugar

1/2c GF rolled oats (omit if you don't do oats)

1t cinnamon

1t salt

1T canola

1/4c agave

Preheat the oven to 350. Process the pecans for 30s to a minute until they are completely chopped and start to release oils. Mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl, then press into a greased pie pan. Prebake the crust for 8 minutes, then set aside to cool. (This crust is so good I've used it to make oatmeal cookies!)

For the filling:

2 15oz cans pumpkin (not pie filling)

1/2c sugar

1/3c nondairy milk

1T canola

1/4c pure maple syrup

3T cornstarch

2 and 1/2t vanilla

1T cinnamon

1/2t ginger

1/2t nutmeg

pinch cloves

Whisk the maple syrup and cornstarch in a bowl, then add the other ingredients and mix. Scoop into the crust and bake for 50 minutes. Let it sit at room temperature for an hour to cool, then refrigerate overnight - I didn't try eating it after refrigerating, but Oh She Glows warns against eating before fully set.

"Yo Dawg" Oreo Cookies

This cookie was born about a month ago when we had extra Oreos that no one wanted to eat. So, naturally, I baked them into something! Since then, everyone who's tried them has pestered me constantly to make them again, and again, and again. These are especially good with mint Oreos.

Equipment: Oven, bowl, spoon, measuring devices, pan.

Ingredients:
1/2 c vegan butter (Earth Balance; or an equal amount of canola oil)
1 1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp chocolate extract (optional; throw in some mint extract if baking with mint Oreos)
1/4 c potato starch mixed with 1 c water (equivalent of 8 eggs)
3/4 c cocoa powder (I always use Hershey's special dark)
2 tsp baking soda (or 3 tsp baking powder)
2 c flour
8 double stuf Oreos (the minimum requirement, of course)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter in a large bowl. Mix in the sugar and extracts. Rigorously mix the potato starch and water with a fork in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture. Add the cocoa powder and baking soda. Finally add the flour and mix until a dough consistency is achieved. Crush up the Oreos; quarter-sized pieces are perfect. Knead them into the dough. Grease a cookie sheet. Form 2 tbsp of dough into a ball, then squash a little. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes; it's hard to tell when the cookies are done, so I'd suggest trying one after 10 minutes to make sure it's been cooked all the way through. Feel free to share these, but be aware that you may gain a few stalkers if you do.

Settlers of Catan Cookies

So, apparently I never put up my FAVORITE vegan sugar cookie recipe! This recipe is adapted from Perfect Vegan Sugar Cookies, and it is one of the few recipes that I don't mess with, because they actually are perfect. They work great in all kinds of shapes, and you can get really fancy with them. Anyways, here's the recipe:

Equipment:
Oven, cookie sheet, large mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons. (For fancy cookies: rolling pin/wine bottle, cookie cutters, lots of little bowls, toothpicks, ziplock bags and scissors).

Ingredients
Cookies:
1c vegan butter
1 c sugar
2 eggs (1 tbsp egg replacer, corn starch or potato starch mixed with 2 tbsp water, or mixed in dry if you're lazy like me.)
1 tsp vanilla
1 one-serving container of coconut yogurt (or soy yogurt, or 1/4 c vegan cream cheese or sour cream)
2 tsp baking powder (or 2 tsp baking soda with a little more corn starch, potoato starch, or egg replacer powder)
4 c flour (an estimate, add as much as you need to get the consistency you want)

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 F. Warm or melt the butter. Mix in the sugar, egg equivalent, and vanilla. Add the yogurt/cream cheese/sour cream and mix until combined. Mix in the baking powder. Add flour two cups at a time, mixing first with a spoon, then kneading with your hands until the dough is pliable, but stays together very well. If you are cutting cookies in shapes, roll out the dough (I use an empty wine bottle for a rolling pin), then use cookie cutters (or a Settlers piece wrapped in foil) to cut the cookies into the right shapes. Cookies can be baked pretty close, since they don't spread, for 10-15 minutes, just until they start turning golden brown on the edges. Let the cookies cool for at least an hour, then prepare the icing.

Icing:
Vegan milk
Corn syrup
Powdered sugar
Flavor extracts (I like almond, but anything will taste good)
Food coloring

Mix together the milk, corn syrup, and powdered sugar until you get a thick icing (you really just have to experiment with proportions, but start with a few cups of powdered sugar, 2 tbsp milk and 1 tbsp corn syrup, then adjust based on how the cookies are coming out.) Add flavor extracts and food coloring. Once cookies are thoroughly cooled, dip them in the icing, then hold them upside down for a few seconds to let the excess drip off, and put them on a covered surface to dry.
For fancy cookies, use plastic bags as icing bags or toothpicks to add details. If you decorate while the icing is still drying, the colors will mix a bit, and the icing will be smooth. If done correctly it can look really cool and professional. If that doesn't work, wait for the icing to dry for at least an hour, then decorate with other colors on top of the dry icing.

Vegan Jell-O

This recipe is super simple and awesome, I can't believe I went jell-o-less for so long!

Tools
1 cup measure (or eyeball it)
1 tbsp measure (or eyeball it)
Microwaveable container to hold the jell-o
Microwave

Ingredients
1 20oz Sprite
Flavoring - I used a cherry mixer
Water (if desired)
4tbsp Agar Agar flakes (or 4tsp powder)

Directions
1) Measure out 4c of liquid - try 2c water, 1c Sprite and 1c flavoring, then adjust to taste. Take out 1 cup of liquid and set aside (helps prevent spills if your container is really full).
2) Add the agar agar flakes and mix
3) Microwave the solution for 5 to 10 minutes, mixing every 3 minutes or so until the agar agar is completely dissolved (be careful - if the agar agar isn't dissolved your jell-o will be lumpy; if this happens just reheat the jell-o, mix it, and cool it again). Add the rest of the liquid.
4) Chill in the fridge for a few hours.
5) Enjoy!

Super Bowl Cake

I know it's been forever, but I did want to share this Super Bowl cake. I made three thin layers, stacked them on top of each other, and frosted with green and yellow frosting. The goal posts are made from straws. Delish!

Opening a Young Coconut

I can't even count the number of young coconuts I've had to open for various recipes. Over time, I have come up with an easy and quick way to open them. All you need is a knife, cutting board (or plate) hammer, and bowls to store the meat and water if  you aren't using them right away.

The untouched coconut, knife, and hammer.

Cut off the fibrous white husk from the top of the coconut. Cut as close to the inner shell a possible.

Young coconuts have a natural stress line around the top. Gently hit the coconut in one point with the claw of the hammer until it gives.

Here is a picture of the hole punched through by the hammer.

Work your way around the top of the coconut in a circle, until it's ready to be lifted off.

Use the claw to pry off the top of the coconut.

The opened coconut. Pour the water into a bowl. Use a spoon to scrape the meat out of the coconut.

There you have it! I timed myself last time, and it only took me 5 minutes to get the coconut open. Hope this helps, and happy cooking!