Apple Cinnamon Coffeecake

Oh darlings, this is scrumptious.  I won't be making this again for a while because of my strict Spartan training, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't share it with you!  My recipe is adapted from this one.  I used to look up vegan recipes, but then realized I could get much better results by finding non-vegan recipes and making my favorite substitutions.  Vegan substitutions are easy - especially in baking!  With this recipe, I substituted rice milk for low-fat milk, flax meal mixed with warm water for egg, and vegan butter for dairy butter.  Always use organic, all-natural ingredients of the best quality. This is a magnificent, moist, flavorful coffeecake with the perfect streusel topping.  Enjoy warm with a delicious hot cup of Montavida coffee!

Apple Cinnamon Coffeecake

Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated unrefined sugar (evaporated cane juice)  
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon sea salt 
3/4 cup rice milk
2 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 tablespoon flaxmeal mixed w/ 3 tablespoons warm water 
1 cup diced peeled Granny Smith apple (about 1 apple)

Streusel:
1/4 cup packed unrefined brown sugar 
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
2 tablespoons chilled vegan butter, cut into small pieces

Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, melted butter, vanilla, and flaxmeal mixture, stirring with a whisk; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in apple. Pour batter into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray.  To prepare streusel, combine brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle streusel evenly over batter. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack before serving.


 

Chocolate Chip Cookies? Yes, Please!

There are plenty of recipes online that claim to be the best vegan chocolate chip cookie out there. I've tried many of them, but by trial and error I believe I truly have THE BEST. Hopefully you'll follow this recipe and it'll result in an amazing cookie for you; one that melts in your mouth and makes you yearn for an ice cold glass of rice milk so you can cuddle up in front of the fireplace with a good book. If not, use it as a starting point to develop your own "best" cookie. Everyone needs one.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup softened vegan butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp flax meal mixed w/ 6 tbsp warm water (let it sit until congealed)
1 12oz pkg vegan chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts(optional)

Heat oven to 375°F. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowl until creamy. Add flax meal. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes MAX. GENTLY remove from cookie sheet and place on wire rack to cool (they should still be super soft, will form more as they cool).

Makes 2 dozen big cookies.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

Hello. My name is Yadira and I am a recovering sugarholic. There was a time in my pregnancy with Annabelle before going vegan that I was eating bags of skittles and microwaved chocolate cake daily. Oh how I wish I was exaggerating. I even made a video with instructions for 5 minute chocolate cake. Watch it for the cuteness of my kiddos, not for the recipe. Smh.

Anyway, since I've been vegan, my sugar cravings have dropped to almost nothing. It's a fabulous thing. However every once in a while I get the urge to bake something fun. That's when this cookie comes in handy. It's almost like breakfast, in a cookie. In fact you probably could bake up a batch and have them as a quick breakfast for the week. I don't even want to tell you they're "sugar-free" because those are usually fighting words, but these are pure and simple goodness.

OATMEAL PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
1/3 cup peanut butter
2 ripe bananas (overripe is even better)
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp unsweetened rice milk
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 1/2 cups quick cooking or rolled oatmeal
1/4 cup flour

Mash bananas with a fork until smooth. Add peanut butter, rice milk, vanilla and maple syrup and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well combined.
Shape the dough into cookies and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 13-16 minutes at 350 degrees. Voila! The kids love them!