Vegan Baking

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.

Want to bake the world’s best brownies (vegan or otherwise) with little effort? Never baked before and feel overwhelmed? Try this awesome brownie mix by my favorite chocolate company, Ghirardelli, founded in 1852 in San Francisco, California. I had great success veganizing the Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix. Follow my instructions exactly and you will discover how easy it is to bake the world’s best brownies!

When I was little, I noticed my Mom eating cake. When I asked what kind of cake it was she replied, “you won't like it, it has carrots in it”. Later in life I realized that she said that so she could horde the best type of cake in the world all for herself! Just to make sure that doesn't happen again, I designed this vegan carrot cake recipe which features carrot enhancing ingredients such as pineapple, molasses, cinnamon, cardamom with just the right amount of raisins and walnuts for optimal flavor contrast. It's great slathered with Cream Cheese Frosting. I also have a vegan carrot cake recipe for 8 inch cake pans.

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.

Traditionally, fudge is made with a caramel base that lends a delightful chew and contributes extremely rich flavors. This is because when sugar is caramelized, hundreds of flavor compounds are created. One day someone got lazy and decided that making caramel was too much drama and they turned to marshmallow fluff to take its place. This is the new school way of fudge making. Marshmallow fluff is sticky so it contributes to the chew of fudge but it severely lacks caramel's rich flavors. The result is a fudge that is slightly easier to make but flat on flavor. I'll take the old school approach thank you very much.

I first became obsessed with crumb-topped bars when I discovered Whole Foods' caramelita bar, a decadent mixture of chocolate, caramel, pecans, sugar and butter. Definitely not vegan, and not all that good for you either. If made with real fruit, the jelly crumb bars at least hit one of the healthier food groups. This vegan version of the recipe takes advantage of the wonder that is Earth Balance and combines it with homemade cranberry jelly, dried cranberries and cashews.

Peanut Butter Cookies are my very favorite comfort food. These are absolutely as good as I remember them... minus the eggs, dairy and gluten! Perfection :)

This Sassy Shortbread Cookie recipe is easy to make and has lots of possibilities for customizing. The buttery vegan cookies pack a generous helping of margarine with just a touch of vanilla extract for a delectible flavor and a satisfying crunch.

Rather than filled only in the center, like your typical filled muffin, these are layered so that you get a bit of berry in every bite. The "streusel" topping is sweet, and almost buttery or creamy. This recipe could easily be made with any berry besides strawberries. Blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, or raspberries to name a few. Just keep an eye on the filling when cooking to make sure it doesn't cook down too much, or start to burn. Different berries have different moisture levels, and cook down at different times. The filling should be the consistency of a slightly thick syrup. I prefer spraying or lightly oiling a muffin pan, as opposed to lining it because muffin batter tends to stick quite easily if even only a little over mixed.

I always thought properly made pumpkin pie was amazing until I tried sweet potato pie. Sweet potatoes are sweeter and the flavor is considerably more complex than pumpkin purée so that's why I was so excited to develop this Sweet Potato Pie recipe. This vegan pie is further enhanced with cashew butter, barley malt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves to create a flavor that will leave pumpkin in the dust. Try making it with Flaky Pie Crust.

Ultimate is not something that I throw around lightly, especially for vegan brownies. I've had my share of vegan and regular brownies and been baffled by how lacking vegan versions are. Growning up on my Grandmother's brownies, I learned that a good brownie should be dense, fudgy and soft; not light, cakey and dry. Why is it so hard to emulate a traditional brownie recipe that simply consists of a few simple ingredients? Hint: it's due to the egg, which emulsifies, binds, slightly leavens then bakes up as part of the actual base of the brownie itself. To emulate this takes an expedition deep into the innards of brownie science.