Vegan Baking

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. 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.

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!

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 takes advantage of the wonder that is Earth Balance and combines it with homemade cranberry jelly, dried cranberries and cashews.

Peanut butter and maple syrup have this amazing relationship. I think they might be in love with each other. These are really easy to make and you have the option of adding chocolate chips if you want to crank up the flavor/passion levels even more.

These bars are quite possibly the only good thing I got from going to church as a youngster.  Sundays were free-for-all sugarfests that kept the kids coming.  This dessert in particular often made me secretly infiltrate the church kitchen while the service was still in session.

These bars are perfect for use as energy bars for sporting events, a nutritious snack for people on the go, or a healthy dessert.  They have a satisfying chewy texture.

These bars are perfect for use as energy bars for sporting events, a nutritious snack for people on the go, or a healthy dessert.  They have a rich chocolate flavor.

These blondies are dense, moist and chewy. Use refined coconut oil if you want an overall balanced flavor or unrefined coconut oil if you want a slight coconut flavor.

These bars are perfect for use as energy bars for sporting events, a nutritious snack for people on the go, or a healthy dessert.  Peanut butter and chocolate is such a delectable flavor combination it may be banned in some countries.

These bars are perfect for use as energy bars for sporting events, a nutritious snack for people on the go or a healthy dessert.  They're extremely addictive!  You have been warned.

These bars are perfect for use as energy bars for sporting events, a nutritious snack for people on the go, or a healthy dessert.  They offer a satisfying crunch as well as a nice chewy texture.

These brownies are fudgy, dense and chewy like my grandmother used to make. It took me over 8 years of trial and error to figure out how to emulate them with no animal products. Enjoy!

These decadent brownies utilize coconut oil to make them dense and rich.  Use unrefined instead of refined coconut oil if you're interested in imparting a coconut flavor.

This baklava is much easier to make than it looks.  Ok, it's a mild pain, but still well worth it!  Below are recipes for two different types of syrups to use depending on the availability of ingredients in your area.