Not-Horrible For You Vegan Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Cookies are not meant to be healthy. Would I like a "healthy cookie?" Why no thank you, I would not. Cookies should be a yummy sweet treat and there's definitely nothing wrong with a buttery, chocolatey, gooey cookie binge every once in a while. But sometimes I'm in the mood for a cookie and don't want it to be completely devoid of nutritional value. Like now, for instance, when I'm eating for two I want some good fats, protein, fiber, etc... in pretty much anything I eat. So here's my solution: a vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookie that you can feel pretty good about.

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup brown cane sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp vanilla

1 1/3 cup of instant oats
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
6-8 oz chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, add the wet ingredients in the order listed. Mix well after each addition.

In a small bowl mix the dry ingredients. Add to the wet and mix well. Drop onto cookie sheet at bake in a preheated 350° oven for about 10 minutes. 

Vegan Lemon Poke Cake

My grandma makes this amazing lemon cake that we call a Lemon Jell-o Cake because, well, it has lemon Jell-o it. As a vegan, jello is definitely out, but I had to find a way to get all of that intense lemony deliciousness into a vegan cake. This was it. I started with a simple vegan yellow cake recipe and then went a bit wild with the lemon. The result was a moist, fresh lemon cake with a Southern-sweet finish.

So there are no pictures of this cake because my guests ate it all. I also helped. There will be pictures later because this cake is definitely being made again.

Cake

• 1 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbs corn, potato or tapioca starch
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Small pinch ground turmeric, for color
• 1 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbs oil (vegetable oil, olive oil, coconut oil if you don't mind the coconut flavor)
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Zest of one lemon

Glaze

• 1 cup vegan powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, add the milk to the lemon juice and let it curdle while you mix the dry ingredients.

Sift dry ingredients together into a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, milk/lemon juice mixture and oil and beat with a hand or stand mixer or whisk until smooth (don't over beat).

Pour into greased 9x14 pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until toothpick come out clean from the center. Immediately poke (hence a "poke cake") holes in the top of the cake with a fork. Pour prepared glaze (mixing powdered sugar and lemon juice together until smooth) onto cake, covering it evenly. Perhaps garnish with some lemon zest. Let cool.

Heaven.

Vegan Banana Quinoa Muffins

I'm on a quinoa kick and had some really ripe bananas in the fruit bowl. What does that make for? These banana quinoa muffins!

3 very ripe bananasp
3/4 c. non-dairy milk (I actually used coconut milk creamer)
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. cooked quinoa

Mix these ingredients in a large blow and set aside.

In a smaller bowl, mix these guys:

2 c. white whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt


Add dry to wet and fold in until all ingredients are moistened (not long if you want a fluffy muffin).

Scoop batter into lined muffin tin and bake for 20ish minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies just might be my all-time favorite dessert. I like mine gooey with a little tiny bit of crispness when you first bite into one. Here is the vegan recipe I developed based on the standard Tollhouse one.

3/4 c. vegan sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. (2 stick) Earth Balance vegan butter
2 tsp vanilla



2 1/4 c. white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

2 tsp egg replacer to 4 tablespoons very warm water
2 tsp flax seed meal to 4 tablespoons very warm water
*these two together make our two eggs

1 bag vegan chocolate chips!

Beat sugars, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy

In separate small bowls or cups mix the egg replacer and flax with the water. Stir and set aside until the egg replacer starts to foam and the flax meal "gels" up.

Mix dry ingredients until well combined and then add 1/2 to the creamed sugars and butter. Add "eggs" (egg replacer, which fluffs and the flax, which binds), beat until combined and then add the remainder of the dry ingredients. Mix until combined and stir in the chocolate chips.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8-12 minutes (depending on size).


Using whole wheat white flour and ground flax give these cookies good fiber content and that counts as "good for you"? Right?

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

This was my first foray into vegan baking and I came out a champion. I'm a sucker for a light, fluffy cupcake and these were the lightest and fluffiest.

1 1/2 cups vanilla soy milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegan margarine
1/2 cup semi sweet vegan chocolate chips
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar and let sit until the mixture curdles. Melt margarine and chocolate chips, set aside.

In a large bowl mix dry ingredients well. Add soy milk mixture, margarine/chocolate mixture and vanilla and mix with wire whisk until well combined. Pour into prepared cupcake pan (with papers) and bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool before before removing from pan.

Frost with vegan buttercream frosting (recipe coming soon)!