No Bake Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
¼ cup cocoa
½ cup plant milk (soy)
¼ pound vegan butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch salt
½ cup chunky peanut butter
3 to 3 ½ cups quick oats

Directions:

Line counter with a few sheets of waxed paper.

In a 4-quart saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, milk and butter. Cook over medium heat until it starts to boil.

Remove from heat and add vanilla, salt, peanut butter and oats. Start with 3 cups of oats and add more if the batter seems a little runny. Stir well and drop by tablespoons onto waxed paper.

Allow to cool and serve.

Cinnamon Sugar Pizzelle Cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup canned coconut milk
1 tablespoon ground flax seed + 2 1/2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup vegan butter, melted
1/2 cup brown or coconut palm sugar
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, combine the coconut milk, flax seed/water, vanilla, soy milk, butter and brown sugar. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix to combine. The batter should resemble pancake batter—add more soy milk if needed.

Heat your pizzelle maker and when it is ready, add one tablespoon of batter for each cookie. Most makers these days are non stick, but if yours is not, be sure to spray with oil before adding the batter. Cook for about 45 seconds before removing—the cookies should be a medium brown.

Place the cookies on a baking rack to cool and then dust with powdered sugar.

Notes:

It is hard to find vegan pizzelle recipes. These bring back memories of my childhood.

Scotcheroos

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
5 1/2 cups puffed/crisp rice cereal
6 ounces chocolate morsels
6 ounces butterscotch morsels (King David has a vegan brand. If you can't find this, you can use 12 ounces total chocolate morsels)

Directions:

Cook sugar and light corn syrup in a 4 quart saucepan over medium heat until boiling. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Mix in puffed rice cereal. Press mixture into a buttered 9 x 13 inch pan. Let harden. Melt chocolate and butterscotch morsels in a double boiler. Pour over top of the puffed rice mixture. Cut and serve.

Notes:

My brother and I loved this recipe when we were kids. I wanted to make some vegan rice crispy treats and thought of this recipe. Everyone loves it! Credit to my mom.

Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients:

½ cup aquafaba (this is the liquid that is in a can of beans—I used garbanzo)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut
¾ cup sugar
Pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. With an electric hand mixer on medium, whip the aquafaba until white and foamy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and stir. Stir in coconut, sugar and salt. Use a tablespoon to measure a mound of cookie dough and squeeze gently to hold the mixture together. Place the mounds on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden, 15-20 minutes.

Notes:

My husband loves coconut macaroons and missed them once he went vegan. I could tell when he bit into his first cookie that this recipe was exactly what he was looking for. The dough will feel a little crumbly when you are forming the mounds, but it will hold together well when baked.

Vegan Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups applesauce
2 cups grated carrots

Cake Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In another bowl, mix oil, sugar and applesauce.

Add dry ingredients and beat.

Add grated carrots and mix.

Grease and flour two 8 inch round cake pans and then pour in batter

Bake for 45 minutes. The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and dry.

Frosting Ingredients:

½ cup Earth Balance margarine
8 ounces of vegan cream cheese (Kite Hill)
4 cups of confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting Directions:

With a hand mixer, beat together the margarine and cream cheese until light.

Add the confectioners sugar, one cup at a time.

Add vanilla and mix to combine.

Notes:

This is my mom's recipe and is truly the best carrot cake I have ever tasted.

Moist Banana Nut Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
2/3 cup applesauce
1/2 stick vegan margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sift flour, baking soda and salt together.

In another bowl, stir sugar, applesauce, vanilla and margarine until thoroughly combined. Add flour/baking soda/salt mixture and stir until smooth.

Mash bananas with a fork and stir into the batter. If desired, add 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts.

Spray two loaf pans with oil and pour in batter. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes

An alternative is to pour the batter in standard size muffin tins. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. If you use the mini muffin tins, bake for 25 minutes.

The banana bread is cooked when the tip of a knife comes out clean and dry.

Can be frosted with peanut butter frosting for a banana peanut butter cupcake.

Ambrosia

Ingredients:

4 ounces vegan cream cheese
1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple, strained
1/4 cup vegan sour cream
1 cup canned sliced peaches, strained
1/2 cup canned fruit cocktail, strained
1/4 cup canned mandarin oranges, strained
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
maraschino cherries

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, whip the cream cheese, pineapple and sour cream until smooth. Mix in remaining ingredients.