Vegan Baking

This vegan Apple Pecan Muffin recipe has a wonderful apple notes enhanced by maple syrup, lemon juice, allspice and cinnamon. The addition of pecans adds a welcome flavor and texture contrast and a touch of unrefined coconut oil makes you not miss the fact that they don’t contain any butter. Using tart apples like Granny Smith is preferred for maximum apple flavor.

These vegan Blueberry Muffins feature a buttery flavor and smooth texture thanks to the combined efforts of non-dairy milk, lemon juice and lemon extract. This compliments the tartness of the blueberries, making a delectable snack for breakfast or any other occasion. The combination of lemon juice and lemon extract in this recipe is so the lemon flavor can be brought up to tasty levels without excessive acidity, which in large amounts can negatively affect gluten's ability to bind.

This Cashew Crunch Bar recipe makes perfect vegan energy bars for sporting events, a nutritious snack for people on the go simply just dessert. They offer a satisfying crunch as well as a nice chewy texture thanks to a cashew butter base which is sweetened with maple syrup and brown rice syrup, then studded with everything from hemp seeds to millet to crushed cacao nibs.

These Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies are no nonsense soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies like your vegan grandma used to make. Over the years I've learned a lot about the art of cookie making and these are simple to make but still pack lots of flavor into a chewy, chocolatey chippity package. The secret to this cookie recipe is having just the right ratio of fat, water and golden flax meal. The molasses also adds chewiness and the cinnamon adds a touch of flavor complexity. Finally, the way the cookies are formed results in just the right shape. These cookies are also great for ice cream sandwiches.

This Chocolate Coconut Macaroon recipe is based on the fact that chocolate and coconut is one of the best flavor combinations ever known. These vegan macaroons feature brown rice syrup and a touch of vanilla extract to let the chocolate and coconut flavors really shine.

This Gingerbread Pecan Biscotti recipe showcases the winning combination of candied ginger, pecans, molasses and just the right amount of spices like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. The result is a vegan biscotti armed with a deep, complex flavor with a spicy finish that helps kick out those winter blues.

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.

Orange chunks and dried cranberries make a perfect combination of sweet, tart flavors in this vegan Orange Cranberry Muffin recipe. Lemon zest further unifies the orange and cranberry and just the right amount of vanilla exract ties it all together.

This Parsnip Cake recipe is carrot cake's long lost brother, featuring parsnips which are slightly spicy and astringent. Parsnips are teamed up with pineapple, golden raisins, non-diary yogurt and a touch of cardamom to make a vegan cake that's lighter and spicier than carrot cake but every bit as tasty. Like carrot cake, Parsnip Cake should be liberally frosted with Easy Cream Cheese Frosting or a variant thereof for best results.

This Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll recipe takes every opportunity to pack itself with pumpkin and then enhance it with a delicate balance of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves. Barley malt syrup can be a little tough to find but it's an essential flavor booster that puts the pump in pumpkin for these vegan cinnamon rolls. Rum Spice Icing is literally icing on the cake.

This Pumpkin Spice Muffin recipe has a wonderful warm, buttery flavor that is enhanced by barley malt syrup, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger and a touch of cloves. Pecans add flavor complexity and a delightful crunch. These vegan muffins are equally good with baked sweet potato purée substituted for the pumpkin as well.

This Sticky Cinnamon Roll recipe features brown sugar, maple syrup and just the right amount of cinnamon, making them moist and chewy. And if that's not enough, these vegan cinnamon rolls are topped with walnuts, raisins then drizzled with icing to make them an irresistible treat any time of day.

The subtle buttery flavor of zucchini and intensely sweet flavors of pineapple collide with delicious chaos in this Zucchini Pineapple Muffin recipe. Flavors are further enhanced by the addition of vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg. Just the right ratio of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour is used to give these vegan muffins the optimum level of fluffiness.