I was at Bulk Barn last week to pick up hemp seeds and I left with various red and pink mini cupcake liners, dried cherries, red heart tins, hearts on a stick, and V-Day heart tags. You know, baking “construction materials”. Gag me. I tell ya, I embarrass myself sometimes. Oh, and I forgot the hemp seeds.

I don’t even remember what I wanted hemp for anyways.

It’s all about the dried tart cherries right now. They taste like fruit roll-ups…but better.

I rarely think to pair cherries and chocolate throughout the year, but once February hits, it’s all I can think about. I also like to add a touch of almond extract to take cherry recipes over the top. Almond extract brings me back to my childhood when I used to eat cherry almond icebox cookies around the holidays. There’s just something about the scent that is so comforting to me.

I decided to make a cherry truffle based off my Chocolate Macaroon truffles. The best part is you can freeze the truffles ahead of time. The worst part is, they taste best straight from the freezer.

So if you are like me and think, “oh if I put them in the freezer I won’t eat them all!”… think again. I’m not a miracle worker here.

A freezer will not stand in the way of a girl and her truffles! I wouldn’t stand for it.

[Despite my best efforts to be a food stylist, I just noticed the chocolate chips and cherries look a bit like rodent droppings on the dinner table. Now that’s romantic!]

Dark Chocolate Cherry Walnut Truffles

Similar to my Chocolate Macaroon Truffles, but with a slight tart cherry flavour, hint of almond extract, and walnut crunch. To make the truffles, I soaked and blended dried tart cherries with a bit of sweetener (my immersion blender mini processor worked great for this) and folded it into the truffle mixture with a touch of almond extract. To dress them up for Valentine’s Day, roll the truffles in pink-dyed shredded coconut. Be sure to use a great tasting chocolate here for the best outcome.

Print this recipe

Yield: 23-24 truffles

Ingredients:

• 1 cup walnut halves, finely chopped and toasted
• 1 cup dried tart cherries
• 2 tbsp agave nectar (or other liquid sweetener)
• 1.5 cups of your favourite vegan chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk (use the cream from the top of the can)
• 1/4-1/2 tsp kosher salt, to taste (I used 1/2 tsp)
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
• 12 drops red food colouring

1. Preheat the oven to 325F and toast the chopped walnuts for 12 minutes. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, soak the cherries in a bowl of water for about 10 minutes. Drain and add to food processor (or mini immersion processor like I used) along with 2 tbsp agave or other sweetener. Process until finely chopped.

3. In a medium-sized pot, heat the chocolate chips over low heat, stirring as necessary. Add in the coconut milk and stir well. Add toasted walnuts, cherry mixture, and almond extract. Stir again until combined. Now add the kosher salt to taste. The salt should give the sweetness a bit of a pop. Add a touch more sweetener if necessary to achieve your desired taste.

4. Spoon the truffle mixture into a bowl and place in the freezer, uncovered, for 90 minutes, stirring every half hour. After 90 mins, stir again and transfer bowl to the fridge for another 20 minutes until chocolate is firm and workable.

5. In a small bowl, mix together the coconut and food colouring until pink. When the truffle mixture is firm enough to handle, roll into small balls (you can use wet fingers if necessary- it will be very sticky!) and then roll into coconut mixture until you have about 23 balls. Store in an air-tight container in the freezer or fridge (they will become very soft at room temperature). They should keep for a couple weeks in the freezer in an air-tight container. I like to place mine in a baggy first, then in a container, to prevent freezer burn.

Pack them up in a heart-shaped tin and you have yourself a bite-sized Valentine’s Day gift.

No hemp seeds required.

Some of you might remember that my Grandpa was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma right around this time last year. He had a rocky start to 2011, but his strength carried him through some very tough times and he enjoyed a happy and stable summer and fall season.

He has unfortunately encountered another set back with his health over the past week. He battled a blood infection which landed him back in the hospital. He overcame it with antibiotics, only to find himself with yet another mysterious blood infection, fighting for his life, as of yesterday. It’s been a shock to our family as the doctor said he was in remission just before this all happened.

All this has made me realize that every day we wake up in good health is a day to celebrate. Forget about being down on yourself for the number on the scale, the guilt over yesterday’s indulgences, and whether you think you look “perfect” in your holiday dress.

If you wake up healthy, it’s already a great day.

and my Grandpa would argue, even if you wake up unhealthy it can still be a great day.

This past summer, Grandpa was the best I had seen him since his diagnosis last December. He was vibrant, active, and loving life. Despite his cancer, he carried on life as usual working up at the cottage, visiting with family, and doing renos all summer long.

He’s taught me so much in my life, most importantly, with the right attitude and faith, anything is possible. He is a true role model in my life.

Did I mention he already beat cancer once in his life? He’s one tough cookie!

I actually made these cookies before I found out the news, but in a way, they oddly remind me of my Grandpa. They are both tough cookies.

And of course, I mean that in the best way possible.

The cookies come together very easy! Just toast the nuts, mix the batter, chop the dates, add flour and flax, and mix it all together.

Your dough should look like this…sticky!

The dough is really sticky to handle, so if you need to lightly dab your fingers in a bowl of water, feel free. When shaping the cookies, make them just smaller than golf balls and really squeeze the dough to compact it together.

I had to make quite a few trials of these cookies to figure out what the perfect temperature and baking time was. In my oven, 325F and 18 mins of baking time resulted in the perfect cookie. Depending on your baking sheet, oven, and altitude, this time may vary. To get the cookies cooked in the middle, I had to cook them until they were golden brown on the bottom.

This golden bottom, resulted in the perfect middle:

Perfectly cooked middle (after cooling):

If you don’t bake them long enough, you will have an undercooked middle, as shown below:

You don’t want that!

After cooling, they have this amazing toffee-like, chewy, and dough interior with a crispy and crunchy shell! We’re pretty much obsessed with them. For my first original Christmas cookie, I was really pleased with the outcome. Eric insisted I keep all the “failed” trials for him to eat! I’m also freezing a bunch and will give them to family members on the weekend.

Make these cookies for someone you love, maybe even crazy Uncle Ted.

Most of all, never forget your sense of humor during the holiday season.

My Grandpa still has his.

and I’m sure he would agree with me that Nutcrackers are really creepy.

Seriously, creepy.

You couldn’t twist my arm enough to make me eat one of these creamy chocolate truffles right now.

I know what you’re thinking…Who are you and what have you done with Ange?

Well, the reason for my truffle aversion right now is a little something called a hangover…of the red wine kind. Here I was doing so well eating healthy all weekend and then I went a bit crazy with the booze. You win some, you lose some. As I type this at 8pm on Sunday night, I can’t even fathom eating something sugary right now.

This too shall pass.

Despite, my current inability to eat anything that isn’t a salty carb, I can assure you these truffles are incredible! They almost didn’t make it to my sister’s place…

Thankfully, they did…and everyone raved about them. I heard many, “I’m not normally a truffle fan, but these are amazing” comments.

And then I ended up as a short-lived President with a break-proof beer insulator on my wine glass, hugging stuffed Santas. It’s a long story.

The good times rolled much like these truffles! These vegan truffles come together incredibly easy which is always nice. The only thing you need is a bit of patience while the truffle mixture firms up in the fridge for a couple hours. If you are in a rush like I was, you can place it in the freezer for 30 minutes and then in the fridge for another 30-45 mins to save a bit of time. Who can really wait 2 hours for chocolate anyways?

After the dough firms up, just shape it into balls and roll in cocoa powder. Easy stuff! 

They’ll think you baked for hours.

You can also try rolling it in finely chopped toasted mixed nuts, which would give it a nice crunch. I think I will try that when I make them again on Friday!

After rolling the truffles in cocoa powder, I placed them into a cute little “Painter’s can” food container I purchased at Bulk Barn. It’s adorable…transparent…what’s not to love?

To complete my hostess gift, I attached a trimmed Christmas card with ribbon and wrote the recipe on the inside.

You can also change up the flavours too. I was thinking a chocolate orange truffle would be nice (maybe add 1/2-1 tsp orange extract and some fresh orange zest) or a mint crunch truffle (add 1/2-1 tsp peppermint extract along with some crushed candy cane). Yum!

Don’t want the shredded coconut? Just leave it out!

Need to make ahead of time? You’re in luck.

I do, however, suggest serving them with a glass of cold almond milk, instead of red wine.

The truffles are an indulgent, easy gift you can make for your girlfriends, family, host or hostess, or maybe even yourself!

As I edit this post on Monday morning, a truffle for breakfast is almost tempting. I’m back, baby.

Recipes coming up…

Coming up on the blog, the 12 Days of Healthy Dinner Recipes continues with a take-out inspired dinner recipe. On the cookie front- Eggnog Spiced Snickerdoodles I made for a cookie swap.

Bring your appetite, it’s going to be a fun week!

~~~

The winner of the Ellie Eternity Scarf Giveaway is #1145- Abbey L. Congrats! I have emailed you to collect your info.

Big thanks to everyone for participating!

Somehow I went from eating raw cabbage to baking one of the richest desserts known to man.

That’s just how the cookie crumbles sometimes, isn’t it?

However, I should get bonus points for making this classic dessert vegan and almost half the sugar and fat, don’t you think?

Have you ever tried a sticky toffee pudding? Being the sweet tooth that I am, I always loved sticky toffee pudding. You want me to eat a date and sugar filled cake and them dump more sticky toffee sauce on top? AND serve it with ice cream? *dies* There isn’t any pudding actually in this cake, but it’s the method that creates a pudding-like texture.

I figured I could make a vegan version lower in fat and sugar, while still enjoying one of my favourite desserts. So, I set out on a mission to create my first vegan sticky pudding. My goal was simple: Make this toffee pudding taste as good as the original, while slashing the sugar and fat. I also added a whole grain flour to give it a bit of a boost. Traditional British versions vary quite a bit (some steep in tea bags or serve with custard, for example), but I just kept mine basic for the first attempt. I also added in toasted pecans, which isn’t common, but I loved the nutty crunch it added.

And to my surprise, it actually worked! I really cannot imagine this dish being any sweeter than it was.

We have a few holiday gatherings coming up this weekend and next and I’m trying to figure out what I’m making for potlucks and what food gifts I’m going to give. I have a huge list of healthy dinners and desserts I want to make before the year is out and all these crazy recipe ideas popping into my head! So…expect to see a mix of holiday desserts and The 12 Days of  Healthy Dinner Recipes over the next while. I’m also in the process of meeting with cookbook publishers over the next couple weeks (which I didn’t expect to happen so soon!). It’s a crazy, but exciting month. I really just want it to slow down so I can do everything I want to do.

Anyways, this was my first time making sticky toffee pudding and I was happy to see how easy it is to make. For such an elegant looking dessert, it’s really fool proof. (Don’t be put off by my long directions….I just made them very detailed so there would be no second guessing.)

We’re having friends over for dinner on Sunday and I will be making this dessert for sure…it’s absolutely amazing straight from the oven, served with warm toffee sauce, with a scoop of vegan ice cream and toasted pecans! This is one of those desserts that are great served on a cold night, cozied up with loved ones watching your favourite holiday show on TV.

Or reality TV shows if you are like us. I don’t know what’s more mind-numbing….watching Kris Humphries or Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer for the 765 time.

Sinless Sticky Toffee Pecan Pudding

This sticky pudding cake has the perfect amount of sweetness, remaining true to the original classic dessert, without going overboard. The cake is fantastic; once the sauce is poured on, it turns into a gooey, moist, and dense cake. The toasted pecans add a lovely texture to this dish and I don’t recommend skipping them unless necessary. Whatever you do…serve this dish WARM!

print this recipe!

Inspired by Taste.com.au and Historical Foods.

Yield: 6-8 servings

For the cake:

• 200 grams pitted dates (about 1.5 cups), roughly chopped
• 1.5 cups almond milk
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance (or other vegan butter substitute), lightly softened
• 1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar (75 grams) OR 1/2 cup Sucanat
• 3/4 cup toasted chopped pecans, divided
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4  tsp kosher salt
• 1 & 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose)

For the toffee sauce:

• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp brown rice syrup*
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp unpacked brown sugar (35 grams) OR Sucanat
• 3 tbsp Earth Balance
• 1 tbsp  vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp almond milk
• salt, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 325F and toast the pecans for about 8-10 mins. Now, preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 9-inch pie dish or an 8-inch square pan with Earth Balance. .

2. In a medium sized pot, bring 1.5 cups of almond milk to a low boil. Add in the chopped and pitted dates and reduce heat to low. Cook for 1 minute, remove from heat, and stir in baking soda. It will froth up a bit.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the softened Earth Balance and brown sugar until no clumps remain. You can also use an electric mixer if desired. Now add in the date & almond milk mixture and stir.

4. Add the dry ingredients (cinnamon, salt, 1/2 cup of pecans, and whole wheat pastry flour) into the wet and stir until just combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish.

5. Bake at 375F for 27-28 minutes, or until the cake gently springs back when you touch it.

6. Toffee sauce: About 10 mins before the cake is done, make your toffee sauce by whisking together the sauce ingredients in a pot (use the same one). Bring to a low simmer over medium heat, and then reduce heat to low, whisking frequently making sure it doesn’t burn. Heat for about 5 minutes while standing over the pot to stir & watch. Remove from heat and set aside.

7. Remove cake from oven, let it cool for a few minutes, and then prick with a fork or toothpick all over. I made about 100 holes. Pour 2/3 of the toffee sauce over the top of the cake (reserving the other 1/3 of the sauce for later) and smooth out with a spoon.

8. Scoop out your portions onto plates, drizzle with remaining sauce, and top with toasted pecans. Serve with a side of your favourite vegan ice cream (I love coconut bliss).

*Note: Other liquid sweeteners may work instead of brown rice syrup (you can use honey if you eat it), however the taste and consistency will change slightly. Maple syrup would also work, although it won’t get quite as thick.

After I made this cake, I realized that some recipes actually mix everything straight into the pot on the stove! I think I will certainly try that next time to save cleaning another bowl.

The batter for the sticky toffee cake is quite thick and dense, but far from being dry.

Spoon batter into your prepared dish. I used a pie dish because they photograph better than the 8-inch square pans, but feel free to use whichever you prefer. Single serving ramekins might be fun too! Although, you’d probably have to reduce the cooking time slightly for single servings.

After baking about 28-30 minutes…it’s golden and slowly springs back after being touched.

Grab a fork or toothpick and make about 100 holes all over the top of the cake. Get out all your holiday frustrations! This allows the sauce to sink into the cake and make it all gooey and wonderful!

Pour on 2/3 of your toffee sauce, leaving the rest for later.

The sauce will soak into all those holes and create a gooey and dense, “pudding-like” cake.

Check that out!

Now portion out your servings onto plates or bowls and drizzle on more toffee sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining toasted pecans and serve with a scoop of vegan ice cream.

Prepare yourself for a dessert you won’t soon forget.

You will, however, forget all about the sugar, cream, and butter that I cut out.

Trust me on this one.

I think there’s a rumor going around that biscotti is difficult to make. At least, that’s what I used to think.

I suspect I’m not alone! The other week I was at the grocery store telling this sweet elderly cashier about my biscotti making adventures. With a worried look she replied, “Ohhhh….biscotti…power to you…” as if making biscotti ranked right up there with pulling a rabbit out of a hat. I didn’t tell her it was vegan biscotti either. Perhaps, I just didn’t come across as one who spends hours in the kitchen each day. Long winter jackets cover my flour-marked black pants nicely. If she only saw the state my kitchen was in right now she would really think I was nuts.

Despite the rumors, biscotti is actually one of the easiest baked goods to make. Promise. It just takes more baking time as compared to other common cookie recipes. I first made biscotti back in 2007 and Eric thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. Then, I became vegan and biscotti hasn’t seen the light of day in our house, much to Eric’s chagrin. He’s been pestering me to make biscotti ever since and I can only ignore the poor guy for so long.

I can’t tell you how many conversations have started with, “Remember that biscotti you made….BEFORE we were married?” (he always emphasizes the “before” marriage part)

I smirk back, “No, I’m sorry I don’t recall…I’ve just made YOU so many things over the years. You could see how one would forget….”  (I like to emphasize the “you” part)

“It was from BEFORE we got married and BEFORE you became a vegan.”

“Who?” I say with a blank stare.

Lucky for Eric, I’m a big fan of biscotti. Give me a firm cookie masquerading as a breakfast food and I’m a happy girl.

My first vegan attempt was a pumpkin biscotti. It tasted good, but due to the high moisture content of the pumpkin, the biscotti got soft by the next day. I don’t know about you, but my biscotti has to be crisp. Next, I tried making oil-free vegan biscotti, one with applesauce and one without. Again, they tasted nice, but they got soft or dry as bricks by the next day. Before our vacation, I tested eggnog biscotti (after falling in love with Holly Nog) with a bit of oil and I hit the jackpot. Another test this past weekend and I have the recipe ready to share with you today. Whew.

It has a light eggnog flavour and the eggnog glaze really brings the flavour out even more. The toasted nuts and dried cranberries give it a great texture and nutty, tart flavour. Even Eric who isn’t an eggnog fan (oops…), really loves this biscotti.

I suggest using fresh nutmeg and cinnamon if you can, but pre-ground works in a pinch. It will still taste great using pre-ground spices (I tried both fresh and pre-ground and they were both delicious).

When mixing your ingredients (I did this by hand), keep in mind that the dough is going to be very thick. You can stir it with a spoon until the dough looks pretty ragged and rough like this:

Now get in there with your hands and squeeze it, lightly kneading it together:

Until it comes together like this:

Be careful not to overmix the dough…stop as soon as it comes together. It’s ok if there are a couple flour patches too.

Depending on the size you want, you can shape it into 1 or 2 logs. I tried both methods and prefer shaping it into two small logs because it makes smaller pieces that are the perfect size for tea!

Flatten each half with your hand so it’s easier to shape:

Now, take a piece of parchment paper and place it on top. Roll it out with a pastry roller or rolling pin (or you can just shape with your hand), stopping to shape the sides with hands as necessary. 

Tip: You can pick up these pastry rollers for a buck at the Dollarstore. I’ve had mine for a couple years now and they’re still going strong despite my lazy self throwing them into the dishwasher.

Once both logs are about 10 inches long by 4-5 inches across, you are good to go. Don’t worry too much about getting the log perfectly shaped.  Biscotti is like pie…just call it rustic and you’re good to go!

I also like to score my logs before the first bake. I just take a knife and gently run it halfway through the dough. This will make it a bit easier to slice your biscotti after the first bake.

Bake for 30 mins at 350F, and then cool for about 5 minutes on the stovetop. Reduce oven temp to 325F. Carefully slice the biscotti all the way through and flip on one side. They will be delicate at this stage so now’s not the time to use them as drumsticks!

Bake at 325F for 10 minutes. Remove, flip, and bake for another 5-10 minutes depending how crisp you like it. Cool for at least an hour on a rack and then transfer into a glass container for storage (glass containers keep them firm).

You can add this delicious eggnog glaze just before serving too!

I scooped the glaze into a plastic baggie, cut off the end, and then “piped” it on. You can drizzle it with a spoon too.

This glaze is so simple to whisk together and has such a lovely eggnog flavour. I like it heavy on the nutmeg, but feel free to adjust the nutmeg to taste.

I served it with a side of homemade eggnog tea. Steep black tea as usual and instead of adding in milk add in a hefty portion of vegan eggnog along with freshly grated nutmeg and cinnamon on top. Add sweetener to taste.

Spiking it with bourbon is optional, but encouraged.

Vegan Eggnog Biscotti + holiday tin Giveaway!

Because biscotti is for sharing, leave a comment below to be entered to win a tin of this delicious eggnog biscotti! (Note: will ship without glaze).

Contest is open to anyone, anywhere. I will draw the winner on Thursday AM…goodluck!!

One Lucky Duck Winner:

The winner of the One Lucky Duck Giveaway is #1740: Rachel! Rachel said, “kale chips!! so easy to make & convenient for on the go!” Congrats Rachel! I have emailed you to collect shipping info. Thanks to everyone for participating…I loved reading about your fav vegan foods.

UPDATE: I found a typo in the gluten-free pie crust recipe…the crust should be pre-baked at 350F and not 425F. It’s updated now (and thanks to Jesica for letting me know!).

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Making a pie from scratch has to be one of the most feared tasks of all time. I would say it ranks right up there with bread baking, public speaking, and drinking something green. I always had this expectation that everything had to go perfectly for the pie to turn out. If my dough ripped while putting it in the dish I would just about have a heart attack.

These days I’m more relaxed when tackling a pie crust. That comes from practice (and a bit of bourbon-spiked apple cider doesn’t hurt the process either!). I’ve learned that each pie crust tends to turn out a bit differently. Some of them I like to burn to hell, while others I’m more mindful of the timer function. Anyway, when a pie crust doesn’t turn out as expected, you call it a “rustic” pie and everyone thinks you are a culinary genius. bahaha… fools!

burn the crust? It’s rustic.

the crust crumbles to pieces? rustic

Pie explodes when you cut it? yup, rustic

you find your dog licking the pie before dinner? it’s rustic with a hint of dog breath

No biggie.

If you want a sure way to loathe making pie, then my advice is to expect every outcome to be perfect. If you want to have fun with the process and get a bit better with practice, then stick around for pie crust class!

Check out my pages of scribbled notes and recipes galore over the past couple months. Why must I insist on writing my recipes in chicken scratch and losing them all over the house? I am truly my own worst enemy.

When it was all over, I think I said the words “never again” and “if I see another pumpkin pie I may hurl”.

With that being said, I think you will love these recipes!

I tested 3 kinds of crusts:

Classic flaky pie crust:

My rustic spelt pie crust from 2009:

A gluten-free pie crust made from pecans, GF oats, etc.:

I also tested 3 kinds of pumpkin pie fillings:

• Classic pumpkin pie filling using arrowroot or cornstarch powder
• Cashew cream pumpkin pie filling for extra creaminess
• Coconut flour pumpkin pie filling to thicken filling

The results:

Favourite pie crust winner –> Sweet & Salty Spiced Pecan Crust (gluten-free, all-natural, amazing flavour, paired perfectly with the filling!!)

Runner up: Rustic Spelt Crust (super easy to prep, no chilling dough, healthier flour)

Least favourite pie crust: Classic flaky (the most curb crust appeal, but lacking flavour, greasy, and very labour intensive/fussy)

Favouite pie filling winner: Classic (the most classic tasting pie filling whisked together in just 5 mins)

Least favourite pie fillings: 1) Coconut flour (it dried out the filling a bit too much although it set much quicker) & 2) cashew cream (I could detect the cashew taste slightly, fussy prep with cashews, and it took longer to set)

First up, I’ll talk about the classic pie crust:

Classic Pie Crust Ingredients (least favourite crust):

While this has the most traditional flaky crust and appearance, it was not my favourite tasting and greasy on the bottom! Make at own risk!

• 3/4 cup Earth Balance (I used 1 shortening stick and 1/4 cup soy-free Earth Balance), frozen
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 7-8 tbsp ice water

I followed the directions to a tee for making a classic pie crust here. I tested this crust using a few different combinations of Earth Balance and was just never impressed with the outcome. The top crust baked well, but the bottom was always quite greasy and bland.

It did make a gorgeous lattice crust though! I also paired it with a pecan praline on top of the filling.

Pretty, but lacking in the taste department.

Next up, the hearty spelt crust and classic filling!

Vegan Pumpkin Pie with Rustic Spelt Crust

While this spelt crust is anything but classic and flaky it’s one of my favourites simply because it’s easy, there’s no chilling required, and it’s healthier than than most. The crust is very dense and firm with a hearty, lightly spiced, sweet flavour. The filling is quite traditional, however not too sweet to let the pumpkin flavour shine. Serve with non-dairy ice cream or whipped coconut cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Print this recipe

for the crust (from here):

• 1 cup whole grain spelt flour
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup dry sugar (Natural cane sugar, brown sugar, or Sucanat)
• 2 tbsp ground flax seed
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted OR Earth Balance, melted

for the filling:

• 2 & 1/4 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/2 cup natural cane sugar or brown sugar
• 1/4 cup full-fat coconut cream (or almond milk)*, softened
• 1 tbsp Earth Balance, softened
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (other sweeteners may work, but the flavour will change slightly)
• 3 tbsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• pinch of ground cloves

For the directions, and to print the recipe, click here.

The beauty of this spelt crust is that you don’t chill the dough! It’s hands down the quickest pie crust I have made.

(note: these pictures are from my classic crust dough and not the spelt):

Tuck under the overhanging dough:

Now crimp/flute your pie edge using your fingers. Work your way all around the edge.

Prick crust with a fork and pre-bake for 7 minutes at 425F. Cool for 10 mins. Add filling and smooth.

Add your cut-out shapes on top (I cut 4 big leaves, 12 small leaves, and 5 balls)

[These photos are of the actual spelt crust now!]

Before baking the spelt crust:

Bake at 350F for 45 minutes, remove and cover crust with a shield or tin foil, and bake for another 15 minutes at 350F. Cool on rack for 1 hour and transfer to fridge for a minimum of 3 hours to set. <—very important step!

Does anyone know the best method for covering the edges of a pie crust? I find tin foil so annoying to use…it always falls off! Any good crust shields out there?

While I enjoyed the spelt crust, my favourite crust award goes to the gluten-free Sweet & Salty Pecan crust! It wins in the flavour department by a landside and it’s worth every single calorie.

Sweet & Salty Spiced Pecan Crust (Gluten-free)

Absolutely worth every calorie and then some! It’s a bit sweet, buttery, lightly spiced with cinnamon, and enhanced with a bit of salt to bring out the flavours. This crust goes so nicely with the pumpkin pie filling! This crust is very sensitive to changes, so I caution against changing things in the recipe.

Print this recipe.

Inspired by Manifest Vegan.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup GF certified rolled oats, processed into a fine flour OR 1 cup GF oat flour
• 2 cups raw pecans
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp ground flax
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup brown rice syrup (acts as the binder, honey may work if you prefer that)
• 1 tbsp Earth Balance, melted (or coconut oil?)

For the directions and to print the full recipe (including filling) recipe, click here.

The pecans need to be ground very finely until they release their oils and start sticking to the side of the machine (this took me 35 secs exactly in my processor, fyi). You should be able to form a ball with the pecans. If you don’t process the pecans enough the crust will be too dry. With that being said, you don’t want to make pecan butter either!

After mixing all the ingredients, the dough should be a bit sticky like this:

You should be able to form a big ball with it. If it’s too dry, add a touch more melted Earth Balance, a teaspoon at a time.

Crumble it into a greased pie dish:

Press down and outward to form the crust (press firmly!) and pre-bake for 14-15 mins at 350F. Cool for 10 mins before scooping in filling and baking. Make sure you let the pie chill for at least a few hours in the fridge before carefully slicing with a sharp knife.

Ding, ding, ding we have a winner!

This pie crust also makes the house smell divine. Mmm. For the full recipe (including filling) to print, click here.

[source]

If you made it this far, bless your soul. That was one long post!

Here’s to a stress-free pie season!

Every Halloween I have grand plans to make “scary” Halloween food.

This year, I have my eye on:

• Brain cupcakes (so clever)
• Chocolate Witch Hats (not scary, but cool)
• Forked eyeballs (do this with cookie dough balls!)
• Tentacle Pot Pie (Monday’s dinner inspiration)
• Stuffed roaches (hahah)
• Apple Teeth (doesn’t get much easier than this)

I’m all over the scary food right now.

[P.S. - Kitty litter cake? Really? I might barf. times ten.]

Anyway, I dream about all the scary food I’ll make and then it occurs to me that I really just want chocolate in mass quantities.

I don’t care if it scares me, in fact, I doubt chocolate could. Well, unless it’s shaped like poo or even worse, in a litter box. That’s pretty scary. The same goes for Eric playing Christmas music a week before Halloween.

Sigh.

Give me luxurious chocolate, Green Monster shots, “scary” Dollarstore decorations,  and a couple easy, no-bake recipes?

I can do that.

Man, I love this pudding. This is an example of avocado in a dessert that works!

See, scary?

Oh my what nice eyes you have…

And because I’m all about balance, something GREEN!

A Green Monster on Halloween, how appropriate.

[Please avoid the glaring obvious that these look like Christmas shots instead of Halloween. I blame Eric playing Christmas music.]

Mini Green Monster Shots

Made extra sweet for Halloween!

Yield: ~2.5 cups

Ingredients:

• 3 frozen bananas (peel before freezing)
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1-2 cups spinach
• chia seeds, if desired
• ice, if desired

1. Chill shot glasses in freezer. Throw ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Rim with sugar (as explained above) and fill with green monster smoothie.

Get this. I chilled the shot glasses in the freezer beforehand. DO IT!

Get what else. I discovered I could make my own coloured sugar.

All you do is add food colouring drops to the sugar and mix well until combined. Instant coloured sugar! How did I not know this?

This is supposed to be orange, but clearly the colour wheel is not my forte.

Dip the glass in water and twist around the sugar mixture until evenly coated. Or something.

This would be fun for kids!

You know what kids would love even more?

Drinking something called a Green Monster, made extra sweet just for Halloween.

Yup, I totally slammed 5 shots in a row after this photoshoot. Hard core, I know.

So there you have it, two no-bake vegan Halloween recipes that won’t take up too much of your time.

Now you can plan that costume you’ve put off all week, or maybe that’s just me.

Help?

Bottoms up!

~~~

Sorry for the major delay, but the winner of the cookbook giveaway is #642- Katie L. Congrats! Katie wrote, “Hey Angela!! I love your recipes, I make them on a weekly basis (this week I made pumpkin pie brownies and pumpkin gingerbread)! This book looks great! Thanks for showing me how to make great vegan food!”

Thanks for participating!

Brownies are notorious for being difficult to get just right. Since going vegan, brownies are the one dessert that I have had the least success with. There’s something about not having the egg in there that just makes it difficult to get the perfect texture. I’ve tried a few vegan brownie recipes on the blog so far and while they’ve all tasted great, I haven’t found the one that makes me say “this is it”.

This might be it. It’s pretty damn close to my perfect brownie.

I love my brownies dense and rich with a crispy crust. I’m not a fan of cake-like brownies. If I want cake, I’ll make a cake! Mind you…I’ll pretty much eat any brownie that’s put in front of me without a single complaint. Duh.

Now, throw gluten-free and vegan into the mix and it’s almost doomed for failure.

But it can’t hurt to try.

Apparently it can. It can hurt real bad.

Despite the mess above, I have two successful brownie recipes to share with you:

• a gluten-free and vegan version
• a regular vegan version (not GF)

The very first brownie I made was our least favourite and biggest shocker. I used a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat pastry flour. The result was a cake-like texture and the flavour didn’t wow me like I hoped. I will not be sharing this recipe with you today as it needs more work.

After that, I decided to switch up my flours to get the dense brownie I was looking for.

[the GF brownie is a bit thicker because it was baked in an 8 inch pan while the vegan brownie was baked in a 9 inch pan.]

In the vegan version (on left) I used a mix of all-purpose flour and almond meal/flour. The texture and taste was so much better than the first version! For the gluten-free version, I used a mix of brown rice flour, almond meal/flour, and arrowroot powder. I was really surprised at how close I could get the gluten-free version’s texture to the regular vegan version. Both were winners, but I’ll tell you which one we liked best at the end of the post. Oh, suspense.

I love a crisp edge on a brownie!

The key for brownie success is a very thick batter. It’s so thick, you think you did something wrong.

You did not.

Unless of course you forgot the flax egg (see brownie disaster above).

Crazy good batter!

Scoop the thick dough onto the pan and spread it out. I placed a piece of parchment paper on top and rolled a pastry roller over it to smooth out. It’s a bit annoying to work with, but the effort is worth it!

Next up, the GF and vegan brownies:

Vegan and Gluten-Free Brownies

Ridiculously good. No one will ever guess these are vegan and gluten-free!

This recipe uses almond meal/flour, arrowroot powder, and brown rice flour.

For the full-recipe click here.

Two excellent vegan brownie recipes.

But which one was the best?

I put on my Mad Scientist coat and did a Blind taste test on Eric. He preferred the gluten-free and vegan brownie to the vegan brownie made with all-purpose flour. I also preferred the GF brownie. I never thought either of us would have concluded that, so it was quite interesting to say the least! Whichever you make, you really can’t go wrong though.

Served with creamy almond milk?

Now you’re playing with my heart strings.

You know, I think Pumpkin Pies are totally overrated.

Pumpkin, sugar, and a buttery crust? Meh.

Over it. Pumpkin Pie is so 1651.

But clearly you wouldn’t believe such a tall tale. You know me better than that…don’t you. You know the truth is that I desperately wanted to make a vegan and soy-free pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving this weekend. I wanted to make it for you, so you could make it for your families.

…and maybe send me one in the mail.

Well, it bombed. And I don’t mean, “It fell apart, but still tasted amazing!”, but “it fell apart and tasted like it had been sitting on the counter since Thanksgiving 1987.”

For real.

Remember my beloved Double chocolate torte that hides avocados so well? That was a good idea.

Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls? Excellent idea.

Avocados in a pumpkin pie filling? Bad idea. Baaaaaad idea.

Have you ever tasted avocados after they’ve been cooked in the oven? They are bitter…and musky. Two excellent qualities for a pumpkin pie.

Not.

In this sad moment, I remembered the Pumpkin Brownie Pie I made last year adapted from Isa’s recipe.

Chocolate brownie, pumpkin pie filling, with a sweet pecan topping?

Great idea.

Somehow, I don’t think my family will mind me making this two years in a row.

If I recall, it was the talk of the table last year. The Pumpkin Gingerbread with Spiced Buttercream did pretty well for itself too. You can find the recipes in this PDF.

I just hope they aren’t expecting a Luxury Dinner Party. That’s where I draw the line.

As for that pumpkin pie, I guess there’s always hope for the American Thanksgiving. Perhaps, I shouldn’t give up just yet…

~~~

And now from a failed recipe to blog awards. I have stellar timing, don’t I?

A big thank you to everyone who nominated me for a Foodbuzz award!! I found out yesterday that I was nominated for two categories:

• Best Overall Blog
• Best Veg Blog

I would greatly appreciate your vote(s) of support, but if you don’t vote for me there are a ton of amazing bloggers all worthy in their categories. I’m so happy to see many friends on the list!

You can vote here!

Now I’m off to rock the vote…literally, at the polls.

I’ll return with a kick butt recipe. Mark my words.

I can’t stop making fruit butter…help!

This time, I adapted my go-to pumpkin butter recipe and added cocoa powder and pure maple syrup to create a lovely chocolate flavour.

It’s a fun change if you are getting bored of plain pumpkin butter (not that that would ever happen).

Silky & smooth pumpkin butter with a hint of chocolate. Now we’re talking!

I also made another batch of Apple Butter.

This time I made “Naked” Apple Butter. No sweetener, no spices, just apples.

I also left the peel on and I added a 1/4 cup of apple juice. A few of you suggested leaving the peel on and blending, so I thought I would give that a whirl this time around. It cuts down the peeling time and also adds more nutrition.

I cooked the apples on HIGH with the lid on for 4 hours. After 4 hours, it looked like applesauce:

I cooled it slightly and transferred it to the blender. Be careful and make sure you don’t over-fill it. You might want to do this in 2-3 batches if need be.

Once blended, it turned into the silkiest, most magnificent, buttery applesauce I have ever tasted!!

I kept saying it looked and tasted like caramel.

Actually, it was a cross between applesauce and apple butter at this point.

Somehow I think you’ll find a way to clean the container…wink, wink.

I added it back into the crockpot and cooked for several more hours (with lid propped ajar) until it was the consistency that I wanted.

The only downside? 5lbs of apples made just 1 cup of apple butter. I think next time I will try adding more apple juice and not cooking it as long. Or I might even stop after the blender stage as it tasted incredible as it was!

Recipage is all up to date as of this morning.