http://www.veganbaking.net/ http://www.veganbaking.net/breads/enriched-breads/muffins/702-peanut-butter-muffins http://www.veganbaking.net/breads/enriched-breads/muffins/702-peanut-butter-muffins I have a new found love for this peanut butter muffin recipe which happened by mistake. I was scouring the internet looking for a recipe for peanut butter bread…there aren’t that many. Don’t ask me why I was so fixated on finding a recipe for such a thing, I just get it in my head sometimes and I can’t let it go. I found this recipe and decided to veganize it. And then I realized that I had misplaced my bread pan… So it became a muffin recipe! ]]> Fri, 21 Jan 2011 20:03:44 -0500 702 2011-01-21 5 http://www.veganbaking.net/pastries/701-apple-cider-doughnuts http://www.veganbaking.net/pastries/701-apple-cider-doughnuts “What's an apple cider doughnut?”, I asked at my recipe club meeting. I think my friends were as surprised as I was that I didn't know of it's existence. Come to find out, I've learned that many other West Coast (USA) natives are unaware of this cake doughnut that's infused with a hint of apples. This is because apple cider doughnuts are mainly a Northeast (USA) phenomenon. In colonial times, doughnuts were served in the Fall months in the Northeast when exotic dough recipes for beignets, imported from France and Holland, started to evolve and the seasonal butchering provided enough fat to fry things. Combine this with the apple harvest being at it's peak in the Fall and you have a food collision course in the making. ]]> Thu, 20 Jan 2011 19:48:16 -0500 701 2011-01-20 http://www.veganbaking.net/breads/hearth-breads/700-european-peasant-bread http://www.veganbaking.net/breads/hearth-breads/700-european-peasant-bread This bread is adapted from the book "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day". While the rising and baking of the bread takes more than five minutes, the active work is about that. The great thing about this method is that it eliminates the timing aspect of bread - having to be home in x number of hours to punch down the dough and shape it, etc. One recipe of dough lasts up to 2 weeks. I will usually make 3 loaves out of one batch, but you can size the loaves to whatever is appropriate for your household - just adjust the rise time and baking time depending on how small or large your loaf is. I've added additional wheat flour in this recipe but still use some white flour because I find whole wheat flour to be too heavy. And I've deviated from the original recipe in the baking method, instead using an enameled cast iron pot to cook the bread. ]]> Wed, 19 Jan 2011 19:36:38 -0500 700 2011-01-19 http://www.veganbaking.net/other-vegan-treats/699-caramel-powder http://www.veganbaking.net/other-vegan-treats/699-caramel-powder What if you could have a fanny pack with a secret stash of caramel flavor that you could just dust onto things like apple cider donuts, fold into apple pies, work into cake batter and sprinkle onto ice cream whenever you wanted? Now you can! Caramel significantly enhances everything from chocolate to apple to vanilla, making this Caramel Powder a great thing to have in your kitchen flavor arsenal, or your fanny pack. Caramel powder is just sugar, water, oil and salt brought up to an amber caramelization temperature of 345F (174C) on the Candy Temperature Chart. If you'd like a slightly deeper caramel flavor feel free to experiment with temperatures up to 375F (191C).
]]> Mon, 17 Jan 2011 17:11:17 -0500 699 2011-01-17 5 http://www.veganbaking.net/sauces-syrups-spreads/sauces/698-golden-caramel-sauce http://www.veganbaking.net/sauces-syrups-spreads/sauces/698-golden-caramel-sauce Where Easy Caramel Sauce is good for a quick caramel fix, Golden Caramel Sauce is the no-holds-barred version where flavor and consistency are top priorities. Traditional caramel sauce relies on heavy cream which allows the sauce to be thick and rich due to the solids present in the cream. This vegan caramel sauce recipe relies on cashew cream to supply the extra cream factor and solids, resulting in a silky smooth golden caramel that's perfect for drizzling on ice creams, baking into pies or tucked into brownies. Substitute the vanilla extract for bourbon, rum or brandy if you want an extra layer of flavor complexity. ]]> Sat, 15 Jan 2011 04:43:01 -0500 698 2011-01-15 5 http://www.veganbaking.net/breads/enriched-breads/muffins/697-sugar-free-blueberry-corn-muffins http://www.veganbaking.net/breads/enriched-breads/muffins/697-sugar-free-blueberry-corn-muffins My healthy alternative to one of my favorites! Baked with no sugar, no sweeteners, whole wheat flour, and polenta, these muffins are hearty, healthy, delicious, incredibly easy and naturally sweet! I use Bob's Red Mill flour and polenta, but you can use the brand of your choice. I also use unsweetened applesauce as an egg replacer- it works perfectly and makes the muffins nice and moist, and personally I don't taste the applesauce. I also made my own vegan cream cheese from silken tofu, which I will include the recipe for, although it does contain one Tablespoon of sugar. If you choose you can omit the cream cheese (or sugar). ]]> Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:38:54 -0500 697 2011-01-11 4 http://www.veganbaking.net/breads/hearth-breads/696-three-herbed-focaccia http://www.veganbaking.net/breads/hearth-breads/696-three-herbed-focaccia The secret to making great focaccia involves using an herbed olive oil to lend an array of herb flavors, allowing the dough to ferment in a refrigerated state for at least 12 hours which allows complex bread flavors to develop and baking a wet dough at a very high temperature which ensures a soft, spongy texture and a crispy crust. Fresh herbs are paramount to infusing the right intensity of flavors in this focaccia recipe. Feel free to use any combination of fresh basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, savory or marjoram. A long, refrigerated fermentation allows naturally occurring enzymes within the flour to break out more sugars from the starches for the yeast to ferment. These extra sugars allow the yeast to built more flavor, sweeten the focaccia and caramelize under heat which contributes a multitude of enhanced flavors. ]]> Tue, 11 Jan 2011 05:35:04 -0500 696 2011-01-11 http://www.veganbaking.net/cookies/695-cranberry-pecan-oatmeal-cookies http://www.veganbaking.net/cookies/695-cranberry-pecan-oatmeal-cookies These cookies are one of the standards of our Christmas baking celebrations. They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The crunchy pecans and tart-sweetness of the cranberries really make a complex and well rounded flavor and texture. They are really, really delicious! ]]> Thu, 30 Dec 2010 23:44:25 -0500 695 2010-12-30 5 http://www.veganbaking.net/brownies-and-bars/brownies/685-double-chocolate-fudge http://www.veganbaking.net/brownies-and-bars/brownies/685-double-chocolate-fudge 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. ]]> Fri, 17 Dec 2010 02:44:08 -0500 685 2010-12-17 5 http://www.veganbaking.net/confections/bonbons/680-white-chocolate-matcha-bonbons http://www.veganbaking.net/confections/bonbons/680-white-chocolate-matcha-bonbons This White Chocolate Matcha Bonbon recipe is a great example of the possibilities that can be achieved with white chocolate and ganache. The ganache is enhanced with matcha green tea powder and a touch of rum, enrobed in a white chocolate coating then dusted again with matcha powder for a beautiful confection with subtle green tea overtones. Cocoa butter has a very small window of time between being too runny and too solid so remember to watch it closely before rolling the ganache into balls and later coating them in the white chocolate.
]]> Thu, 18 Nov 2010 20:16:36 -0500 680 2010-11-18 http://www.veganbaking.net/cake-decorating/frostings/677-rich-coconut-frosting http://www.veganbaking.net/cake-decorating/frostings/677-rich-coconut-frosting This Rich Coconut Frosting recipe is just bursting at the seams with coconut flavor. It's similar in flavor and texture to the frosting at BabyCakes bakery if you've ever been lucky enough to do a 'shot' of theirs. This vegan frosting differs in that it takes advantage of caramelizing sugar to the thread stage of 230F (110C) where it contributes a smooth velvety texture. It also uses soy milk powder (not to be confused with soy flour) to improve creaminess and a dash of vanilla extract to tie it all together. A touch of agave syrup inhibits sugar recrystalization in the frosting. There is a delicate balance due to coconut oil's tendency to melt above 76F (24C) which is one of the caveats of using coconut oil in a frosting.

Be extremely careful if you choose to customize this recipe with your own flavor substitutions; adding too much liquid can make it excessively runny. You even have the option of using refined coconut oil if you want to go in a completely custom non-coconut flavor direction. When using this frosting and other coconut oil based frostings, try to keep your cake in temperatures below coconut oil's melting point or your frosting may slip slide away along with your sanity. ]]> Tue, 09 Nov 2010 04:27:28 -0500 677 2010-11-09 5 http://www.veganbaking.net/pastries/676-pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls-with-rum-spice-icing http://www.veganbaking.net/pastries/676-pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls-with-rum-spice-icing 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.
]]> Mon, 08 Nov 2010 03:28:47 -0500 676 2010-11-08 5 http://www.veganbaking.net/cake-decorating/icings/675-vanilla-icing http://www.veganbaking.net/cake-decorating/icings/675-vanilla-icing This Vanilla Icing recipe is a great companion for drizzling on cinnamon rolls, danishes, or pop tarts. The vegan icing features powdered sugar for it's base and just a touch of non-dairy milk and vanilla extract to bring it all together. ]]> Mon, 08 Nov 2010 02:51:55 -0500 675 2010-11-08 5 http://www.veganbaking.net/cake-decorating/icings/674-rum-spice-icing http://www.veganbaking.net/cake-decorating/icings/674-rum-spice-icing This Rum Spice Icing recipe is a great companion for drizzling on spiced versions of cinnamon rolls, danishes, or pop tarts. The vegan icing features powdered sugar for it's base, dark rum, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves to move the spice factor forward. Feel free to cut back on the rum or eliminate it completely if you're concerned about alcohol consumption. ]]> Mon, 08 Nov 2010 02:10:09 -0500 674 2010-11-08 http://www.veganbaking.net/confections/candy/673-white-chocolate http://www.veganbaking.net/confections/candy/673-white-chocolate Commercial vegan white chocolate is relatively difficult to find but is an extremely versatile ingredient to have in your kitchen. Luckily, white chocolate's main ingredient, cocoa butter, is easy to find at affordable prices on the internet if you can't find it at your local health food store. A touch of soy milk powder and vanilla extract enhances depth of flavor in this chocolate.

Earlier attempts at making this chocolate have resulted in excessively grainy bars due to the absence of industrial chocolate making equipment. A few extra steps will ensure this bar is as smooth as possible. Grinding your soy milk powder in a rotary coffee grinder will make the powder granules as small as possible and cause them to not be as noticeable on the palate. Tempering the chocolate to ensure proper fat crystal formation is the other crucial step to ensuring a smooth, high quality bar. Once you've mastered these steps you can add flavorings like cardamom, matcha, cinnamon and ginger powder for a truly outstanding vegan white chocolate
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