The more I use yeast instead of baking powder for sweetbreads the more I notice that yeasted breads produce far better flavor results. How did we get into this bad habit of 'chemically' leavening our sweet breads with baking powder and baking soda? One word: convenience. Yeasted breads take about 3 times longer to make because we have to wait for the yeast to do it's thing. Yeast leavened breads are usually considerably more flavorful than chemically leavened breads because as the yeast ferments and spits out C02 that rises the bread, it also produces a multitude of complex flavor compounds. This is not the case with chemically leavened breads where few flavor byproducts are produced during the chemical reaction between acid and alkalne that produces the C02. This Yeasted Banana Bread is now my go-to vegan banana bread recipe.

Legend has it that egg nog originated in England where it consisted of a mix of milk, eggs and either brandy, Madeira or sherry. It wasn't until it was brought over the the United States that it started to get mixed with bourbon, a reaction to other liquor's scarcity during the American Revolutionary War. This vegan Cashew Egg Nog recipe is super easy to make and doesn't actually contain eggs. It's just a great 'nog to put a splash of bourbon or rum into. It's even good on it's own. Using the arrowroot powder or tapioca flour is important to achieve the creamy texture and emulsify the fats with the rest of the liquids. Perfect for a lazy evening next to a crackling fire space heater.

I used to get so grossed out at the mere thought of accidentally eating orange peel while eating an orange. Then I had candied orange peels and appreciated their candy form and created this recipe. Candied orange peels are a very versatile delicacy. Use them in Panettone, Stollen, Hot Cross Buns, pair them with almonds and cover them with chocolate or mince them and use them for topping on ice cream. Feel free to use other citrus peels in place, or in addition to orange such as lemon or lime. Just be sure to use organic peels because non-organic ones often have high concentrations of pesticide residues.

This vegan Apple Walnut Stuffing recipe is great inside Stuffed Seitan or along side some Cranberry Sauce during holiday feasts. Apples give it a light flavor enhancing sweetness which is a great accompaniment to the textures of water chestnuts and walnuts.

Gone Pie Vegan Bakery was kind enough to submit this Gluten-Free Pie Crust.

This year we went with a new pie crust for our gluten-free holiday pies. It is adapted from the wheat-free crust we have been making for years. I think it actually held together better and was an all around better crust than its inspiration. It is not a crust without issues. Using both tree nuts and gluten-free oats, it is not for everyone!

Here is the recipe. It makes enough crust for one 10 inch tart crust or three 7 inch crusts.

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.

Pumpkin Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts during the holidays. This recipe variation pairs pumpkin with Easy Caramel Sauce for a great way to end a feast. It also features barley malt syrup, lemon juice, cinnamon and ginger powder to help marry bold pumpkin flavor with vegan creaminess. I recommend opting for non-hydrogenated vegan cream cheese so you can avoid trans fats. This vegan cheesecake also goes great with a dollop of Vanilla Ice Cream.

Use this Easy Caramel Sauce recipe to bring another dimension to vegan cheesecakes, ice creams, pies, brownies or pretty much anything. Caramel is one of those rare taste miracles that's in the same realm of chocolate sauce and maple syrup; it would probably make cardboard taste delectable. It's liquid gold. This is an easy to make sauce that utilizes coconut cream for rich flavor. Coconut contains flavor compounds called lactones which are among the same compounds that give dairy products like cream their signature flavors. Want to turn up the flavor level to eleven? Replace the vanilla extract with 1 Tablespoon bourbon, rum or brandy.

Strudel is one of those treats that everyone loves. If I met someone who was anti-strudel I'd back away if I were you. Strudel has origins in Austria and Hungary dating back to the late seventeenth century. Traditional Austrian strudel is not made with phyllo dough or puff pastry but with a thin dough with a high gluten content that gives it elasticity. Traditionally, strudel can be filled with cherries, apples, spinach, saurerkraut or cheese. This vegan Apple Strudel recipe features apples picked fresh from an apple orchard in Pennsylvania and is enhanced with rum, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.

Although not as smooth and creamy as Dark Velvet Ganache, this Easy Ganache recipe is still great when you need vegan ganache in a pinch. Ganache can be a very versatile base for a recipe. It can be adapted to anything from frostings to truffles to fillings. Just adjust the non-dairy milk in this recipe plus or minus up to 2 Tablespoons to get the thickness that suits your needs. For example: 2 more Tablespoons non-dairy milk will make this ganache solidify into a soft frosting-like consistency at room temperature. ½ cup of non-dairy milk yields ganache that is perfect for cakes. You can even customize it further with things like Grand Marnier, Chambord, espresso or mint extract.

Apple butter varies from apple sauce in that apple sauce is just puréed apples with some spice and sweetener optionally added. Apple butter has a bit of a cult following because it more accurately captures the essence of the apple. It consists of a spiced apple sauce that's cooked down for several hours so the sugars caramelize, preserving the mixture in the process. Cooking the mixture also produces more complex flavor compounds, activates naturally occurring pectin so it gels and reduces it so it's more concentrated. The result is rich, creamy apple heaven. Fall apple perfection captured in a jar. You can make a large batch from this recipe and can it for future use or spread it immediately on toast, pancakes or use for anything where you would use fruit preserves.

Don't know what to do with all those pumpkin seeds from pumpkin carving? Take those little pepitas and dress them up in little spiced sugar costumes with this Candied Spiced Pumpkin Seeds recipe. They'll love it and you will too because this vegan recipe features barley malt syrup, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom to help push the savory pumpkin seed flavors forward.

New Englanders seem to get inordinately excited for Fall every year, and while they claim it’s the foliage and the seasonal Starbucks drinks, I’m pretty convinced it’s all the baking they’re suddenly inspired to do and consume.  Mass consumption of sugary, fattening, delicious baked goods isn’t an alien concept to me, even though I hail from San Francisco, the land of health food and hippies.  My heritage is largely (no pun intended) German, and if there’s any bit of culture my German-American relatives have retained, it’s their love for two things above all else: (1) beer; and (2) cakes.

When the weather starts to cool and gets a little drizzly (as Seattle is known to do) I start craving warm and hardy soups. Thick, earthy and when you get up from the table, you don’t even care that it’s already dark.

Most of the vegan barley soups I’ve found seem to be too brothy and not enough of a bold flavor for me. My family is newly vegan so we still need that “meaty” flavor. So what do I do when I need a bolder flavor? I booze it up. Yep. That’s the bam around my house. “Booze it up!” I know, what a wonderful role model I am! I also like to add kale. Mostly for color but also because it is super nutritious and I am always trying to toss it into my dishes. 

Bread Pudding is probably the most comfortable comfort food. What other type of food has a moist pudding-like texture paired with a soft cake-like feel? Take some barley malt syrup, cinnamon, nugmeg, ginger and cloves. Now add some pumpkin and bourbon to the mix and you have recipe to warm your soul. In one bite all your worries are forgotten for a few minutes. Preparing this vegan Pumpkin Bourbon Bread Pudding recipe is really easy, provided you already have pumpkin purée. For the base, you can use any bread that is light in color and neutral in flavor.