Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I got this recipe of Noel Trujillo from Food.com and have veganised it. The main reason I made them was because they were supposed to promote lactation in breastfeeding mothers - although I'm not sure they had that effect they definitely were delicious. The whole family ate them.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup vegan butter
1 cup vegan sugar
1 cup firmly packed vegan brown sugar
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons flax seed meal
2 vegan egg replacers
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups GF flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups GF oats
1 cup chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
2 -4 tablespoons brewer's yeast

Method

Preheat oven to 350�.

Mix the flaxseed meal and water and let sit for 3-5 minutes.

Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar well.

Add eggs and mix well.

Add flaxseed mix and vanilla, beat well.

Sift together flour, brewers yeast, baking soda, and salt.

Add dry ingredients to butter mix.

Stir in oats and chips.

Scoop onto baking sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes.

Let set for a couple minutes then remove from tray.

Homemade Twix Bars

Yes, it is true. Vegan and gluten free Twix Bars!!!! They are slightly fiddly but worth it! It would be easier to make it all in one pan and then just cut it into pieces as well! Original recipe from Fork and Beans.

Homemade Twix Bars

For the cookie:

Ingredients

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
4oz vegan butter (cold)


Method

Combine the flours, xanthan gum, sugar and salt together with a whisk until completely mixed.
Add butter into flour mix and with a fork/hand, cut the butter into dough until combined.
Knead dough briefly until smooth, divide in half and chill in fridge for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven at 400 degrees.
I skipped this next step by just cutting the pieces straight from the cold ball of dough.
Roll out dough between 2 pieces of parchment or wax paper until 1/2? thick.
Cut into rectangle shapes (I used a candy mold so I have to make sure the cookies would fit inside�so I needed the cookies at 3?x1?)
Gently using a metal spatula, place cookie dough rectangles onto a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes (to ensure that they will not spread in the oven).
Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet.
Freeze the cookies while you are making the caramel.


For the caramel:

Ingredients

1/2 cup Earth Balance
1 cup sugar
1 cup coconut milk (full-fat, canned)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla


Method

Line an 8 inch x 8 inch pan with parchment or cover a baking sheet with parchment
In a large saucepan (must be large enough where your candy thermometer will not touch the bottom when you attach it to the pot), put the coconut milk, sugar, butter and corn syrup in a large saucepan.
Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil stirring continually.
Keep stirring. You want the candy to reach 250 degrees.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Pour into a parchment paper lined pan (8�8 works great).
Allow to sit out for a few minutes before placing into freezer for 10 minutes to set.
Cut into rectangles with food scissors or a knife.
Wrap extras in parchment paper.


For the chocolate:

Simply melt 1-2 packets of vegan chocolate chips in a double broiler.


Putting it all together:

Place a strip of semi-hardened caramel on top of a shortbread cookie.
Place back in freezer while chocolate is melting to make sure the caramel stays hard.
Place the cookie and caramel into the chocolate bowl and using a spoon, drizzle chocolate until completely coated.
Be gentle though�the cookies will be fragile.
Set on a a piece of parchment or wax paper to allow excess chocolate to drip off.
drizzle any extra chocolate over the top of the bars for effect.
Place molds or place of candy into freezer to set for 20 minutes.

Raspberry & Chocolate Chip Muffins

Original recipe from The Conscientious Eater.

Raspberry & Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups GF flour
� cup vegan sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
� teaspoon salt
1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water)
1 cup non-dairy milk
� cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup fresh raspberries (I used frozen)
� cup non-dairy chocolate chips


Method

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and spray a muffin tray with non-stick cooking spray.
I used muffin liners.
In a small bowl, prepare your flax egg by whisking 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with three tablespoons of water.
Set aside to gel while you prepare the rest of the batter.
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder and salt).
Add in the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Fold in the raspberries and chocolate chips.
Evenly divide the batter among the 12 muffin tins and bake for about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Allow the muffins to cool slightly before removing from the pan.
Store in an air-tight container outside of the fridge for a couple days or in the fridge for up to a week. Best when warmed slightly before serving.

Blueberry Muffins

Original recipe from Eggless Cooking. I changed a few things as the original recipe didn't quite work.
These muffins are not super sweet so if you like them sweet add more sugar.

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups GF Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Zest of 2 lemons
1 cup Sugar
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used flax milk)
1/3 cup Canola Oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon White Vinegar
1 and 1/2 cups Fresh or Frozen Blueberries


Method

Preheat the oven to 375F.
Lightly grease a muffin tin or use muffin wrappers.
In a medium bowl, combine together flour, baking soda, salt and lemon zest.
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, milk, oil, extract, and vinegar. Mix well.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stir until just combined. Don�t over stir.
Gently fold in the berries using a rubber spatula.
Fill the muffin tins about 2/3 full.
Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes.
After that remove the muffins from the tins and cool on a wire rack.

Gluten Free Fruit Mince Pies

A must for any Commonwealth Christmas! Original recipe by Jamie Oliver. I found I had to stretch the pastry very thin to make the 12 pies so next time i think I would use 1.5 of the recipe. Had more than enough fruit mix though. They were delicious!

Gluten Free Fruit Mince Pies

Ingredients

Pastry;
75 g rice flour
40 g tapioca , or gluten-free flour
40 g chickpea flour
70 g vegan butter , chilled, cubed
4 tbsp vegan sugar
1 vanilla pod , split, seeds scraped
1 lemon , or orange, the grated zest of

Filling;
1 banana , mashed
70 ml fresh orange juice
1 good pinch of grated nutmeg
1 good pinch of allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp golden syrup
170 g raisins
80 g dried apricots
80 g dried sour cherries
80 g dried cranberries
80 g dried blueberries
2 tbsp brandy , (optional)


Method

To make the fruit filling, pop all the ingredients into a bowl, mix well, and leave covered in the fridge overnight for the flavours to develop.
To make the pastry, mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then use your fingers to rub in the butter to form breadcrumbs.
Mix in the vanilla seeds and lemon zest.
Add 2 tablespoons cold water to the mix, then quickly and gently work it into a dough.
Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Remove the pastry from the fridge.
Place a large sheet of greaseproof paper in front of you, put the chilled dough on top, place another sheet on top and thinly roll out the pastry (this will stop you needing any more flour).
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4, grease your pie tin well and take the fruit out of the fridge.
Cut out 12 pastry circles, big enough for your tin and 12 star lids (if you don�t have a star cutter, just make round lids).
Place a round in each of the pie moulds, before filling with the fruit and topping with a lid.

Brush with a little milk to help them colour.
Bake for 15�20 minutes, until golden.

Allow to cool before taking out of the tins. Once completely cooled, dust with icing sugar.

Candy Cane Chocolate Fudge

This recipe comes from Woman In Real Life, it was amazinly delicious, I made it for Xmas gifts but I really wanted to eat the whole thing myself! ;)

Candy Cane Chocolate Fudge

Ingredients

6 Tbls vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
3 1/2 cups vegan icing/confectioners/powdered sugar
1/2 cup sifted cocoa powder
1/2 tsp peppermint flavor (I used 1/8-1/4 tsp peppermint essential oil - food grade)
1/4 cup soy milk (I used flax milk)
2 vegan candy canes (I used TruJoy brand)


Method

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Place candy canes in a ziplock bag, squeeze out the air before sealing.
Crush the canes using a mallet or rolling pin.
Put butter, sugar, cocoa, peppermint and soy milk in a double broiler over simmering water and stir until smooth. I used a whisk towards the end to get rid of the bumps.
Add more milk if needed.
Once mixture is smooth quickly pour into prepared tin.
Sprinkle with the crushed candy canes and press in gently.
Chill in fridge over night.
Cut into slices or squares.

Vegan Pavlova

Pavlova is a traditional Australian (or New Zealand depending on who you ask - there is a long running feud over who really invented it) involving meringue, whipped cream and fresh fruit. It is served as a dessert for any occasion but usually served on Australia Day or Christmas Day. This is my vegan version :)

I ended up using pomegranate seeds instead of passion fruit because I couldn't find any this time of year. Apparently you can get them on Amazon so I shall be doing that next year!

I had a bit of a fail with the meringue - it tasted amazing and came out exactly as you'd expect but it stuck to the baking paper so I ended up having to pull it apart and serve it crushed on the bottom layer instead of one large piece but everyone LOVED it so it was still a big hit! Kind of a combination of pavlova and Eton Mess!

Vegan Pavlova

Ingredients

Liquid from 2x 16 ounce can of chickpeas
1 1/2 cup of vegan powered/icing sugar
1/2 tsp of cream of tartar
3 tsp of pure vanilla extract
Vegan whipped cream (I used Soyatoo but you can do it yourself with coconut cream).
Fresh fruit (traditionally strawberries, blueberries, kiwi fruit and passion fruit)


Method

Preheat oven to 100C/200F.
In a large mixing bowl add the cream of tarter to the brine and mix with a whisk attachment on a high speed until combined. Turn off the mixer and add the sugar and vanilla and mix on a high speed for ten to fifteen minutes or until the meringue forms stiff peaks.
Seriously this takes a while so don't get discouraged if after 5 mins your mix still looks like clear yellow goo, it will happen - it just takes patience!
Spoon onto baking paper on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 2-2 1/2 hours. It's ready once top and bottom are hard.
Wait till cooled completely before continuing.
Transfer the pavlova to a serving plate or keep in baking dish.
Top with the whipped cream and fresh fruit.

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

This is a great last minute easily whipped up dessert and delicious...plus pseudo healthy ;)
This original recipe is from Food Network. I halved the recipe to two servings (but still proceeded to eat them both in one night). Shown with Soyatoo Vegan Whipped Cream and vegan chocolate shavings. Can easily be made raw.

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

4 very ripe (8 ounce) avocados, peeled and pitted

1/2 cup agave

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup almond milk

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Method

Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. 

Place over a small saucepan of barely simmering water. 

Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth, about 3 minutes. 

Set aside to cool slightly.

Place the melted chocolate, avocados, agave, cocoa powder, almond milk, vanilla and salt in a food processor. 

Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.

Spoon into glasses and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (can be prepared 1 day in advance). 

Note: I waited around 30 mins and it was still fine :)

Chocolate Brownies

These brownies are delicious!! They seem a little not done when you take them out of the oven but once they cool down they are crunchy on the outside and fudgy on the inside. YUM! I found they harden up if you store them in the refrigerator.
This recipe comes from "Pollen" on Food.com.

Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients

2 cups GF baking flour
1 cup water
1 cup vegan brown sugar
1 cup vegan white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (I forgot this ingredient and mine still turned out great)
1/2 cup nuts (optional) - I used walnuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional) - I used Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks


Directions

Preheat oven to 350F and grease your 11"x7" brownie pan (I also used some parchment/baking paper)
Cook water and 1/2 cup of the flour over low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches the consistency of a gluey paste.
Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Mix sugar, salt, vanilla, cocoa powder and vegetable oil, and then mix in the flour/water mixture.
Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour, plus the baking powder and mix until smooth.
Stir through the nuts and chocolate chips if using.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until knife inserted into center of pan comes out clean.
I ended up cooking mine for 45mins before they were done but it might have been the lack of baking powder...oooops!

Homemade Mint Patties

This original recipe is from This Rawsome Vegan Life.

Homemade Mint Patties

Ingredients 

Mint Patties 
1/3 cup dried coconut chunks/shreds
1/3 cup cashews
1-2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
2-3 tablespoons honey/maple syrup/agave
1 teaspoons peppermint oil (I used 1/2 tsp of peppermint essential oil)
Pinch of salt

Chocolate Layer
1-2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1/3 cup cacao powder
4-5 tablespoons honey/maple syrup/agave
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon and cayenne


Method 

Blend all ingredients for the mint pattie together until smooth.
Pat into flattened balls (patties) with your hands and place them in the freezer to set for around 30 minutes.
Process all ingredients from the chocolate layer together until smooth.
Dip each pattie in the chocolate sauce and place on a tray lined with parchment paper.
The recipe says they harden instantly but that definitely was not the case for me.
I had to put them in the freezer and even then they melt very quickly in your hands.

Watermelon Ice

We had a watermelon from our last vegetable garden that was a little small to eat so I turned it into Watermelon Ice which was delicious!

Watermelon Ice

Ingredients

1 whole watermelon, cubed and seeds removed.

1 Tbls agave syrup (or any sweetener to taste) - you can totally omit this ingredient too

Method

Blend in the blender and transfer to a container to freeze.

Blend again when ready to serve.

Spirulina for Life!!!

I know I've mentioned Spirulina before but I feel like it bares repeating. Spirulina is awesome!

Many people find the idea of Spirulina daunting or gross.
It comes in dark green powdered form and doesn't taste particularly great on it's own but the health benefits from this Superfood are undeniable...but who would eat it on it's own? That would be like eating protein powder...eww!

I got interested in Spirulina about 10 years ago from a women I worked with who raved about it and basically lived off the stuff and she was a very fit, healthy 50 something.

The easiest way I've found to use it is in my morning smoothie because with the protein powder, banana, almond milk and any other added extras I don't taste the Spirulina at all...only reap the benefits...YAY! Sometimes I add it to the kid's spaghetti or soups and they don't even notice...mwah ha ha! (that was my evil laugh, just FYI)

What is is???
Spirulina is a natural �algae� powder that is incredibly high in protein and a good source of antioxidants, B-vitamins and other nutrients. It is largely made up of protein and essential amino acids, and is typically recommended to vegetarians for its high natural iron content. It's not called a superfood for nothing!

To learn more about all the amazing health benefits of (or to buy) Spirulina click on this link to the  Nuts.com Spirulina page.

Here's a great vegan and gluten free spirulina mint ice-cream based on a Nuts.com recipe! Iadded mint leaves to mine - yum! I love how it turns the ice-cream a great bright green color.

Easy Rocky Road

The best part about this is that you can use whatever ingredients you have in your house.

Easy Rocky Road

Ingredients

1 cup vegan mini marshmallows

1/2 cup nuts of choice (I used walnuts)

1/4 cup raisins

10oz vegan choc (I used half dark half milk)

Method

Using a double broiler melt half of the chocolate.

Once melted transfer to a brownie/casserole dish lined with baking paper.

Sprinkle marshmallows, nuts and raisins to the melted chocolate.

Melt the remaining chocolate and pour over the top of the other ingredients.

Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Slice into small bit size pieces.

Vegan Meringue!!

Whoever decided to use chickpea water is a genius but it makes sense because of the protein. I'm waiting for the new craze of just chickpea water in a can to start - someone will make a lot of money!

Vegan Meringue

Ingredients

Liquid from 2x 16 ounce can of chickpeas
1 1/2 cup of vegan powered/icing sugar
1/2 tsp of cream of tartar
3 tsp of pure vanilla extract


Method

Preheat oven to 100C/200F.
In a large mixing bowl add the cream of tarter to the brine and mix with a whisk attachment on a high speed until combined.
Turn off the mixer and add the sugar and vanilla and mix on a high speed for ten to fifteen minutes or until the meringue forms stiff peaks.
Seriously this takes a while so don't get discouraged if after 5 mins your mix still looks like clear yellow goo, it will happen - it just takes patience!
Spoon or pipe onto baking paper on a cookie sheet, you can do small meringues or one large sheet for pavlova.
Bake for 2-2 1/2 hours. It's ready once top and bottom are hard.
Wait till cooled completely before removing from baking paper..

Pistachio & White Chocolate Muffins with Caramel Drizzle

Pistachio & White Chocolate Muffins with Caramel Drizzle
Makes 12

Muffins;
Ingredients

2 cups gluten free flour or baking mix
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 vegan sugar
1 egg replacer, as per packet instructions
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used cashew)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup pistachios, crushed
1/2 - 1 cup vegan white chocolate chips

Method

Preheat oven to 400F and grease muffin try or line with muffin papers. (I recommend using muffin papers, especially if you are using gluten free flour which tends to be crumbly and stick to the trays.)
In a medium bowl mix the flour, baking power, salt and sugar.
Make a well in the centre of the dry mix.
In a separate small bowl prepare your egg replacer then whisk in your milk, vanilla extract and vegetable oil.
Pour mixture into the well of dry ingredients.
Whisk well by hand.
Add in the pistachios and white chocolate chips.
Pour evenly into your muffin tray and bake for 20mins.
Once out of the oven allow to cool before removing from tray and then drizzle with caramel sauce.


Vanilla Caramel Drizzle

Ingredients

1 cup vegan icing/powdered sugar
2 Tbls non-dairy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbls vanilla sugar (if you have some, otherwise ordinary vegan sugar)


Method

Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and whisk to combine well.
Heat on medium-high until mixture starts to bubble boil and then turn heat down to low-medium.
Continue to whisk until mixture has the consistency of caramel. Take of stove immediately.**
Using a spoon drizzle over muffins and allow to cool hard.


**Note, the first time I did this I left it too long and the mixture crystallized but if you just add a bit more milk and repeat the steps you can save it.

Homemade Honeycomb

Honeycomb is that fabulous golden crunchy goodness that you find in Violet Crumbles, Crunchie bars or Hokey Pokey ice-cream. It is so simple to make and great with ice-cream, covered in chocolate or use for gifts. This is from a Nigella Lawson recipe.

Homemade Honeycomb

Ingredient

100 grams vegan sugar
4 tablespoons golden syrup (I get this in the States from a British store but you could substitute with a mixture of molasses and agave)
1 � teaspoons bicarbonate of soda


Method

Put the sugar and syrup into a saucepan and stir together to mix.
You mustn't stir once the pan's on the heat, though.
Place the pan on the heat and let the mixture first melt, then turn to goo and then to a bubbling mass the colour of maple syrup - this will take 3 minutes or so.
Off the heat, whisk in the bicarbonate of soda and watch the syrup turn into a whooshing cloud of aerated pale gold.
Turn this immediately onto a piece of reusable baking parchment or greased foil.

Leave until set and then bash at it, so that it splinters into many glinting pieces.

Cover with melted chocolate and refrigerate to make your own chocolate covered honeycomb!

Green Tea Ice-Cream

So simple it's ridiculous!

Green Tea Ice-Cream

Ingredients

1 pint vegan vanilla ice-cream (I've also used mint choc chip which was so good!)

1 Tbls green tea powder

Method

Wait for ice-cream to soften.

In a food processor blend the ice-cream and green tea powder until mixed.

Done!

Donut French Toast

Another fabulous recipe from Nigella Lawson - great for those mornings when just a little bit of sugar just won't cut it!

Donut French Toast

Ingredients 
Serves 2

2 egg replacers
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
60 ml coconut milk or vegan creamer
4 slices bread, each vegan butter
1 drop vegetable oil for frying


Method

Beat the egg replacers with the milk and vanilla in a wide, shallow bowl.
Soak the bread halves in the eggy mixture for 5 minutes a side.
Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan, and fry the egg-soaked bread until golden and scorched in parts on both sides.
Put the sugar on a plate and then dip the cooked bread in it until coated like a sugared doughnut.

For the strawberry syrup;
1 cup fresh/frozen strawberries
1/4 cup icing/powdered sugar
1 Tbls lemon juice
a little water if needed

Add all ingredients to a blender and blitz till smooth.

Peppermint Patty Bars

The jury is still out on these, half of the family liked them the other half thought they taste like toothpaste.  Inn fairness though it's most likely because I used mint extract (a combination of spearmint oil and peppermint oil) instead of peppermint extract because it's all I had.
The recipe comes from Oh She Glows.

Peppermint Patty Bars

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats, processed into a flour (use gluten-free if necessary)
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup walnuts
4-5 tbsp cocoa powder, to taste
1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt, or to taste
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
2 tbsp almond milk
5 tbsp pure maple syrup
1/4 cup rolled oats (use gluten-free if necessary)
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
75 grams dark chocolate (about 3/4 chocolate bar)
1 tsp coconut oil
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
Flaked coconut, to garnish (optional)


Method

Line an 8-inch pan with two pieces of parchment paper, one going each way. Set aside.
If making oat flour, add 2 cups rolled oats into a high speed blender.
Blend on high until a flour forms.
In a food processor, add almonds and walnuts. P
rocess until a very fine crumble.
Add oat flour, cocoa powder (start with 1/4 cup for now), salt, and brown sugar.
Process until combined.
Add in the maple syrup and almond milk. Process until a ball forms.
Add another tablespoon of cocoa powder if desired.
Process in the 1/4 cup rolled oats and chocolate chips until combined.
Take mixture and crumble it all over the prepared pan (it will be very sticky but not to worry).
Now place parchment paper over top and press down evenly with your fingers.
Use a pastry roller to smooth it out.

Once smooth, place in freezer while you melt the chocolate topping.
Add chocolate, coconut oil, and peppermint into a small pot.
Melt on low until most of the chocolate has melted and remove from heat. Stir.
Remove pan from freezer and pour melted chocolate on top.
Smooth out with spatula.
Sprinkle on coconut (opt.) and place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, or until set. Slice into 6 narrow rows and then in half to make 12 bars.
Serve chilled with a glass of almond milk. Store in the freezer.