http://www.veganbaking.net/ http://www.veganbaking.net/fats/vegan-butters/781-three-herbed-vegan-butter http://www.veganbaking.net/fats/vegan-butters/781-three-herbed-vegan-butter This is the ultimate Vegan Butter because three fresh herbs are infused into it, resulting in multiple layers of buttery goodness. Feel free to mix up the herbs to add your own special flavor profile. Slather this butter on crusty artisanal breads for an amazing flavor combination. You can also use Three Herbed Vegan Butter to make buttermilk biscuits or a savory pie crust. This is currently my best attempt at making a vegan butter that rivals real butter.

Vegan Butter is designed to mimic real butter in vegan baking applications. Like real butter, Vegan Butter is more solid than tub margarine and not as spreadable. This is so it can perform optimally in vegan baking applications. If your goal is to have a conveniently softer, spreadable Vegan Butter, swap out 1 Tablespoon of the coconut oil with 1 additional Tablespoon olive oil.
]]> Sat, 16 Apr 2011 05:00:00 -0400 781 2011-04-16 http://www.veganbaking.net/fats/vegan-butters/780-coconut-vegan-butter http://www.veganbaking.net/fats/vegan-butters/780-coconut-vegan-butter Coconut Vegan Butter is similar to Vegan Butter but involves unrefined coconut oil and agave syrup to accentuate the coconut flavors. The result is a spread that celebrates the richness and smoothness that only coconut can offer. Since this Vegan Butter is slightly more sweet than a regular vegan butter, it's recommended to add another layer of complexity to things like pancakes, toast or a baked item where coconut would enhance flavor. Also use this to make things like coconut pie crust or coconut lime scones.

Vegan Butter is designed to mimic real butter in vegan baking applications. Like real butter, Vegan Butter is more solid than tub margarine and not as spreadable. This is so it can perform optimally in vegan baking applications. If your goal is to have a conveniently softer, spreadable Vegan Butter, swap out 1 additional Tablespoon of the coconut oil with 1 Tablespoon canola, safflower or sunflower oil. ]]> Sat, 16 Apr 2011 05:00:00 -0400 780 2011-04-16 http://www.veganbaking.net/fats/vegan-butters/735-vegan-butter http://www.veganbaking.net/fats/vegan-butters/735-vegan-butter Butter is one of those ingredients that can be so central to baking that as soon as some people hear the term vegan baking they wonder aloud almost in a panic, “what about the butter?!” Many vegan baked items get along great with fats like canola, coconut oil or even olive oil. These types of fats work wonders for cakes, cookies, bars and breads. When designing recipes where we need something to act like butter, things start to get complicated. Solid fats like butter and margarine are integral to things like puff pastry, pie crust, shortbread, croissants, danish dough and certain cakes. This is because in these cases the fat is used to coat the flour so gluten doesn't develop too much and also trap air bubbles to enhance leavening and texture. The only option in these instances is to turn to a margarine or similar vegan butter that is solid at room temperature and gets soft as it melts so it blends to one cohesive mass of dough. I make Vegan Butter in large batches and store it in my freezer. ]]> Sat, 16 Apr 2011 05:00:00 -0400 735 2011-04-16 5 http://www.veganbaking.net/cakes/cupcakes/732-banana-cupcakes-with-chocolate-peanut-butter-ganache-icing http://www.veganbaking.net/cakes/cupcakes/732-banana-cupcakes-with-chocolate-peanut-butter-ganache-icing This was my first foray into vegan cupcake-baking, and, according to the reviews of all of my friends who tried the finished product, they are more moist and delightfully sweet than any egg-and-milk-filled competitor. This cupcake is a throwback to every one's favorite childhood (or adult!) combination of bananas topped with chocolate and peanut butter. And while there may be several steps, there are several substitutions along the way that make it easy to adapt for the cook on the go! ]]> Tue, 05 Apr 2011 02:56:18 -0400 732 2011-04-05 3 http://www.veganbaking.net/other-vegan-eats/731-pine-nut-parmesan-with-fleur-de-sel http://www.veganbaking.net/other-vegan-eats/731-pine-nut-parmesan-with-fleur-de-sel Toppings can really add depth to a dish. I remember the cheesy kick of grated parmesan cheese and how effective it is at adding another layer of flavor to things like pasta, garlic bread and pizza. I set out to make my own cheesy topping and borrow some concepts from grated parmesan but also attempt to build a flavor that rivals it in it's own way. I used pine nuts (also known as pignolis) that are freshly toasted for maximum rich flavor. Toasting the pine nuts yourself ensures that their rich flavor compounds are freshly infused and haven't had a chance to diminish. Pre-toasted pine nuts can frequently lack their toasty essence due to the amount of time that has passed since they've been toasted.  Nutritional yeast flakes are used for their cheesy notes. Fleur de Sel is a rare salt that is selected by hand from the coast of Western France. I utilize it in this recipe for the fascinating flavor depth it adds. ]]> Sat, 02 Apr 2011 03:41:05 -0400 731 2011-04-02 http://www.veganbaking.net/cookies/729-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies http://www.veganbaking.net/cookies/729-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies My grandmother used to make the best cookies I've ever tasted. They were oatmeal raisin cookies that had a barely crisp exterior that gave way to a chewy, rich center that would release the most amazing oatmeal flavor. I asked her for the recipe once and she said she just made them by heart. How did people ever do that? It's amazing to me when something as exact as baking can be done without a recipe and be consistently amazing every time. ]]> Sat, 02 Apr 2011 02:19:14 -0400 729 2011-04-02 5 http://www.veganbaking.net/faces-of-vegan-baking/727-the-faces-of-vegan-baking-mary-doyle-of-petite-treats http://www.veganbaking.net/faces-of-vegan-baking/727-the-faces-of-vegan-baking-mary-doyle-of-petite-treats This month Mary Doyle from Petite Treats joins us and shares her thoughts and experiences on being the creative mind behind Petite Treats in Ireland. I was lucky to meet Mary while she was enrolled in Vegan Boot Camp in New York. I think the words "you go girl!" apply here.

Mattie: Please tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into vegan baking. ]]> Wed, 30 Mar 2011 02:09:42 -0400 727 2011-03-30 http://www.veganbaking.net/other-vegan-eats/726-raw-sprouted-hummus http://www.veganbaking.net/other-vegan-eats/726-raw-sprouted-hummus This raw sprouted hummus is a easy incorporate a zesty, high protein, versatile spread that is just teeming with nutrients into your diet and have fun doing it. Since the chickpeas are sprouted you don't have to babysit a saucepan for an hour, making sure it doesn't boil over or run out of water. All that's needed is a visit to the chickpeas in a colander to give them a shower whenever you have a few spare seconds during the day. The times that are most convenient for me when making this hummus is before work, after I get home from work and right before I go to bed. This hummus has a fresh, subtle grassy flavor that is great on salads, sandwiches, with pita bread or paired with almost any savory food. ]]> Sat, 26 Mar 2011 05:00:00 -0400 726 2011-03-26 5 http://www.veganbaking.net/cakes/cupcakes/725-raw-lemon-cupcakes-with-pistachio-nuts http://www.veganbaking.net/cakes/cupcakes/725-raw-lemon-cupcakes-with-pistachio-nuts
These nutrient dense cuppies are quick and easy to make! You don't need an oven to do these, only a food processor and a fridge. They contain exciting super foods that work wonders for you body! Eat them without guilt.
]]> Fri, 25 Mar 2011 03:40:31 -0400 725 2011-03-25 5 http://www.veganbaking.net/cakes/cupcakes/724-monkey-island-cupcakes http://www.veganbaking.net/cakes/cupcakes/724-monkey-island-cupcakes
My love for chocolate, bananas and island vacations were the inspiration for this fabulous recipe. I threw in all my favorites to create a piece of holiday vacation in a decadent little tin that stands alone like an island. Moist cupcake with solid chocolate pieces, filled with the richest pudding filling I've ever experienced, covered with sweetness of fruit cream frosting and topped with crunchy chips to give everyone a little bit of what they secretly want!
]]> Fri, 25 Mar 2011 03:37:15 -0400 724 2011-03-25 5 http://www.veganbaking.net/cakes/sponge-cakes/723-olive-oil-rosemary-semolina-cake http://www.veganbaking.net/cakes/sponge-cakes/723-olive-oil-rosemary-semolina-cake This moist, rich cake showcases how olive oil can make a great combination of sweet and savory when it's paired with fresh rosemary. Early on in the design of this cake recipe I was really liking where this cake was going but I knew I cold take it further. I remembered how olive oil tends to go seamlessly with pasta dishes so why not use the same type of flour for an olive oil cake? ]]> Wed, 23 Mar 2011 04:06:13 -0400 723 2011-03-23 http://www.veganbaking.net/pastries/721-flaky-apple-turnovers http://www.veganbaking.net/pastries/721-flaky-apple-turnovers Apple Turnovers are perhaps one of the rare baked treats that suit the season any time of year. Perhaps the sweet, gooey apple paired with buttery, flaky puff pastry being one of the ultimate flavor combinations is why. This vegan treat would hit the spot on a cold winter morning, a hot summer day, or as a midnight snack. Put leftovers in the toaster oven for a few minutes to make them taste like they just came out of the oven. For the ultimate dessert, top it with some vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. ]]> Thu, 17 Mar 2011 05:00:00 -0400 721 2011-03-17 4 http://www.veganbaking.net/breads/enriched-breads/yeasted-enriched-breads/719-rosemary-mint-bread http://www.veganbaking.net/breads/enriched-breads/yeasted-enriched-breads/719-rosemary-mint-bread This deliciously easy recipe originally came from an Italian herb bread recipe I had begun to follow when I decided to branch off and make my own recipe, with surprising success. This bread is flavorful and sweet with agave syrup, followed with a hint of mint. Please excuse the rough estimations as I did make up this recipe as I went. ]]> Thu, 17 Mar 2011 05:00:00 -0400 719 2011-03-17 5 http://www.veganbaking.net/cookies/720-power-puffs http://www.veganbaking.net/cookies/720-power-puffs These power puffs are so puff-tastic! I highly recommend them. I have never used millet before and I will certainly be using it more often. It’s fluffy, light and has more protein than puffed rice. These little power puffs are a perfect snack with a hot cuppa joe. You can easily cut this recipe in half if you aren’t trying to feed an army. These are so good that my husband brought them to his Tai Chi class this morning and vanished with a request for more next week…I highly suggest you give these a whirl. ]]> Sat, 12 Mar 2011 23:25:09 -0500 720 2011-03-12 5 http://www.veganbaking.net/pastries/718-puff-pastry http://www.veganbaking.net/pastries/718-puff-pastry I'm obsessed with baking because unlike traditional cooking, there are nearly no limits or boundaries to creating completely new forms of food. Effectively harnessing your imagination is the only truly required skill. Developing this skill, as well as understanding the fundamentals of baking allows you to create true art forms. Then you get to eat them.

Puff pastry is a truly remarkable building block for vegan baking because of it's versatility. It can be the basis of anything from flaky layers enveloping fruit, coiled into rolls such as sticky buns, or twirled into cinnamon and sugar twists.

Referred to in France as pâte feuilletée which means 'pastry made leaf-like', puff pastry is made of several hundred alternating layers of dough and fat. The water in the dough produces steam during baking that separates and lifts the layers into the puffy goodness that we know and love. This steam-assisted lift is known as chemical leavening. Puff pastry often gets a bad rap due to the many steps of preparation involved. Puff pastry can be a truly time intensive endeavor- if you let it. I recommend splitting the preparation into little pieces and working at it a little bit at a time over a few days. This way you'll only spend a total of about an hour on it. You also have the option of making your puff pastry and storing it in the freezer for a special occasion or for that day when you can no longer resist some sticky caramel cinnamon buns. ]]> Thu, 10 Mar 2011 04:38:00 -0500 718 2011-03-10 5