You knew it was coming!
This post was a lot of fun to put together. After compiling the most popular dessert recipes of 2011, here’s what I found:
You guys go crazy for:
- Anything NO BAKE!
- Quick & easy
- Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate
- Chewy, crunchy things
- Peanut butter AND chocolate
- Short ingredient lists
- Healthy blizzards (1, 2, and 3)
- Bite-sized
- Healthy “dessert-like” snacks (see end of post for list)
- Cookie dough galore
- Classic desserts made vegan
- Balls, balls, balls
What kind of desserts did you love the most? Or maybe you want to let me know about a non-vegan dessert that you’d like to see “veganized” in 2012? Let me know in the comments below and I will add it to my list.
Here are the top 21 dessert recipes that you drooled over, indulged in, raved about, and baked (or didn’t bake) the most in 2011…
21. Peanut Butter and Jam Nanaimo Bars (a personal fav of mine & also no bake)
20. Sinless Sticky Toffee Pecan Pudding
19. 5-Ingredient Almond Butter Chews & Almond Butter Rice Crisp Treats (tied)
18. 5-Ingredient No Bake Date Squares
17. Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts
16. Rustic Chocolate Chip Banana Cake
15. Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream
14. Brownie Pumpkin Pie with a Crunchy Pecan Topping & Pumpkin Pie Brownie Cupcakes
13. Itty Bitty Carrot Cake Cookies
12. Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
11. Vegan and Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies – the crispers!
10. No Bake Double Chocolate Torte
9. Healthy Strawberry Oat Squares
8. Vegan Pumpkin Pie, three ways (with gluten-free crust option)
7. Dense, gooey, flakey Vegan Brownies, two ways (with killer gluten-free version!)
6. No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispies with “Fudge”
5. 80-calorie No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
4. Pumpkin Gingerbread with Spiced Buttercream
3. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard
2. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls
1. Double Chocolate Torte (I would have to agree with the #1 pick, although I’m partial to the no bake version too)
This torte photo was clearly before I learned how to white balance my photos…heh
If you are looking for a lighter treat, check out some of the healthier recipes below:
- Itty Bitty Carrot Cake Cookies
- Healthy Strawberry Oat Squares
- Rustic Chocolate Chip Banana Cake
- 80-calorie No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls + Blizzard
- 5-Ingredient Almond Butter Chews & Almond Butter Rice Crisp Treats
- 5-Ingredient No Bake Date Squares (high in natural sugars, but uses all natural ingredients)
- Almond Butter Rice Crisp Treats
On that note, I see carrot cake cookies in my future…
The vegan chocolate chip cookies are definitely my favorite! Such a classic. I would love to make the pb and jam bars if I get brave in the kitchen! ;)
Balls are a girl’s best friend ;) And, I’m serious on that, they’re always on hand in my fridge for quick snacks!
I have been dying to try the double chocolate torte! Do you think that other flours might work instead of the spelt flour? And would the arrowroot powder be replaceable by corn starch? I know for thickening sauces, etc., they are often interchangeable, but I’m not sure what the purpose of the arrowroot powder is in the crust, so I’m unsure of whether corn starch would work instead…?
Anyhoo, great list! Your website is so inspiring, Angela! Happy New Year, and keep those recipes comin’!!!!
Happy New Year to you as well Kelli!
Yes I def. think cornstarch would work too! I believe it binds the crust, although I’d like to try it without at some point…
I assume another flour would work too, although you might have to reduce the amount a bit since spelt usually yields in a “wetter” batter. I wouldn’t use whole wheat flour though b/c I think it might be too dense and hearty. Whole wheat pastry flour would probably work.
I used flour instead of arrow root, and it came out delicious!
No vegan oatmeal cookies? Those were my favorites! :) Next I am making those vegan, GF brownies.
People do like balls. 2 of my top 11 in 2011 were balls!
the oatmeal cookies were quite high on the list too!
This is the post of my vegan dessert dreams! Is it too early to bake and eat cookies? 10am is okay, right?
I made your No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispies with “Fudge” earlier this year and they were outrageously good. I think I need to re-visit those…
I completely agree with your list. Love balls. Love no bake. Love simple ingredients. What I’d love some help with in 2012 – snacks that can be taken to school (ie no nuts). The Boy is a teacher. What a pain in the butt Ontario schools are. They aren’t just peanut free anymore. They’re completely nut free. And since the Boy is supplying and doesn’t know if there will be a kid with an allergy in his class he’s super paranoid about it. So while I love the balls – thwy’re usually nut based and therefore not school friendly. Thoughts?
Thank you for the suggestion! I can imagine how difficult that would be. Can you use sunflower seeds or sunflower seed butter? I love using sunflower seed butter as a replacement in recipes that call for PB or almond butter.
I think kids can’t because teachers can’t be sure of the difference. But I don’t see why he can’t as a teacher – its not like he’s sharing by the playground at recess! Hadn’t thought of using that in balls – I guess I know what I’m doing this weekend. Thanks! I’ll be sure to report on how it goes!
You’ve officially got me drooling this morning Ange, and I’m not even that big on sweets!! All of these photos are so, SO gorgeous (cookbook worthy!!!) :D
I must say your rustic banana cake is #1 in my book however all of these look mouth-watering!
My friend Sara brought the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls to a potluck that I had, and that’s what got me turned onto your blog! They were SUCH a hit!
All of these recipes look so delicious- I want to try to make the almond butter rice krisp treats using puffed Kamut.. I’m thinking it would work…
That’s so neat! Let me know how the puffed kamut works out if you try it.
I’ve made them with puffed kamut! They turned out great.
I’ve made them with puffed kamut, as well as making them as written… Both versions were amazing! You might need a bit more puffed kamut to achieve an identical texture, though, just because puffed kamut tends to be more voluminous and doesn’t pack as much as crispy rice does when measuring it out in cups. :)
Oh my! i completely forgot about the rustic banana oat cake. I made that SO many times last winter! I’m thinking it needs to make a return to my kitchen this weekend. ;)
I should also add, that after drooling for quite some time, I finally make your pumpking gingerbread with spiced buttercream for Christmas and it was a total hit!! My little 12 year old cousin ate about half of it by himself! :)
Glad to hear that Laura :)
I forgot about the banana cake too…Im going to try making it with caramelized bananas *dies*
I’m making the donuts this weekend to put my new donut pan to use! I can’t wait! Keep those babies coming. You rock!
Have fun with your new pan!
I made your pumpkin gingerbread with spiced buttercream twice over the holidays for two different parties and it was a big hit both times! My husband can’t stop raving about it.
Although the people I was serving it to are not vegan, they loved it and wanted the recipe because (1) it could serve as a delicious dessert for a family that keeps kosher (no mixing of milk and meat in the same meal) and (2) one of my friend’s sons is allergic to eggs. Thank you!
Hey Shayna, Thanks for the great feedback about the loaf. We love it here too! Eric said it was one of his fav desserts last year as well.
That no-bake Chocolate Torte has yet to be consumed by anyone outside our apartment! Probably because I stash it in the freezer and then it just gets gobbled up over time (OK . . 2-3 days) by my husband and I. He loves it! And loves that it’s all natural. He’s also asking for more granola and chocolate truffles. I think I am going to make the latter for some friends coming over for dinner next week. Please stop making yummy, healthy treats! :)
Im laughing because that sounds all too familiar…it doesn’t last long here. Its such an easy dessert to “pick at” from the freezer! I think I might try making it in cupcake tins for a fun change
i really like the banana cake!
and i’d live to see your veganized version of cheesecake. there lots of recipes on the internet, bit you’re a genius and im sure you’d make it evwn more special! :)
Thanks Anna, I will add it to my list :) I’ve been wanting to make one for a while…maybe I’ll put it in the cookbook
no bake 5 ingredient dates squares!!!!!!!!! Angela, you ASTOUND us all. You ASTOUND me. Blow this site a way, i tell ya. Funnily enough, edible perspective starred in my dream last night…it must be that spinach carob monster three hours before bed or something! ill have to go tell her!
on my way to work this morning, i wondered could we bake down blueberries like you baked down bananas for your homemade larabars?! This summer I picked, on five different occasions blueberries enough to freeze and give away 50 gallons of fresh organic blueberries for FREE this summer! sweet old farmer that lives nearby lets me pick them! he might even give me three gallons of fresh organic asparagus in march!!!!!!!!!!! yippee!
and for anyone still reading this silly comment of mine…there are still blueberries, frozen, for adding to yogurt and granola, etc…do you think with the turn of spring and summer you could develop a bar with blueberries for us?!
much love, jasper naomi
Hi Jasper, Good question regarding the blueberries! I’m not sure if they would dry out as much as the bananas? It would be a fun experiment though. Goodluck!
A blueberry bar sounds fantastic. I will put it on my list!
sweet ;) no pun intended (or perhaps it was ;) )
The torte looks amazing! Do you edit the white balance now after shooting? It’s something I’m still getting my head around. Any advice would be much appreciated! I use the Canon EOS 1100D but I’m yet to invest in daylight lamps for taking shots in the evenings…bring on the summer! I thought I was over sweet treats after Christmas…now you’ve enlivened lots more cravings! :)
Hey Michelle!
I recently discovered a useful tool on my Canon DSLR. Took me….2 years to start using it? haha
There is a white balance right on the camera (just hit menu and it’s in the second list, 3rd one down…on my camera anyways). Click on white balance and then you can choose what setting you have in your area…if it’s cloudy outside, hit “cloudy”, if it’s sunny hit “daylight”, if you are in a restaurant with harsh yellow lighting, hit “tungsten” etc. I find these settings help a lot.
Post processing, if you have Adobe Lightroom, I also always do a white balance as well. Under the develop mode, hit “tools” and then “white balance selector”….now click on something in your image that should be a true white and it will auto balance it. Sometimes it works well, sometimes it doesn’t. When in doubt just eye ball the white balance with the temperature setting.
Now THIS is the post I was waiting for. ;) One hell of a drool-inducing roundup!
I personally love short ingredient lists. I get intimidated or shy away from ones that have too many ingredients.
Ahhhh now we’re talkin’ :) I could swim in an ocean of all of these combined with my mouth wiiiiide open! Thank you for always blessing us with FAB treats!
Have a great day!
xxoo
that just gave me a really funny visual ;)
The year’s favorites all in one place – great idea! =)