Archive | December, 2008

Pumpkin Cheesecake!

31 Dec


I’ve been moping around all day, so I figure the least I can do is post a pumpkin cheesecake I made on Christmas day.

I wanted to bring something special to my grandmother’s. This pie sure is special! It’s got fabulous flavor and I love the creamy texture.

The recipe is the double layer pumpkin cheesecake from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.

Anyway, I don’t have much more to write other than that. The past couple of weeks have been kind of rough on me, but hopefully things will start looking up.

Have a great holiday!

Snowed-In Sunday

21 Dec

Snowed in again! What else would I do besides bake? Make pancakes, of course!

These pancakes are the regular pancakes from Vegan with a Vengeance. They were delicious!


Yes, that is my Pokemon plate! Maybe one day I’ll show you my card collection ;)

Whenever I make pancakes for my family, the pancakes are usually scrambled instead of whole. This time, I was able to successfully make whole pancakes! Hell yes. So of course after I was done, I forced my family to tell me these were the best pancakes ever and that I was in fact, the pancake goddess. My sister even washed the dishes after :D

Before the pancakes, I started baking a TON of mini cupcakes for my sister’s cheerleading team. Well, after baking 80 mini cupcakes, I saw on TV that the gym was closed for today! Oh well! More cupcakes for me!


I call this one “Cupcake on my Knee”.

All this snow is making me crazy, I tell you. I started baking these cupcakes at 7 am and I danced like a wacky person around the kitchen until they were done.

Snowed-In Cookie Extravaganza

20 Dec

When the snow started to fall, I knew today was going to be a baking day. I’ve been on a cookie kick lately, so why stop now? I knew exactly what I wanted to make. Gingerbread cookies and oatmeal raisin. Yum!

When searching for an oatmeal raisin recipe, I stumbled upon a recipe that was adapted from a Paula Deen recipe which was oatmeal raisin PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP cookies. Umm…YES PLEASE. I suppose they call these “monster” cookies.

Monster Cookies
Recipe from La Vegan Loca
* 3 tablespoons ground flax seeds
* 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon water
* 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cups organic, creamy peanut butter
* 1 stick (4 oz., 115 g, or 1/2 cup) vegan margarine, softened
* 3/4 cup chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup raisins
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 4 1/2 cups rolled oats

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
2. Combine ground flax seeds and water in a food processor and whirl until the liquid becomes viscous and thick, about 1 minute.
3. In a very large mixing bowl, combine the flax mixture and sugars. Mix well. Add the vanilla, peanut butter, and margarine. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips, raisins, baking soda, and rolled oats. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.

I also just wanted a straight up gingerbread cookie, so I decided on this recipe from Vegan Visitor.

Gingerbread Cookies
Recipe from Vegan Visitor
* 1/2 cup Coconut Oil, room temperature
* 1/2 Cup Fancy Molasses
* 1/2 Cup Sugar
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 5 teaspoons Freshly Grated Ginger, include any juice
* 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
pinch, Freshly Grated Nutmeg
* 3/4 tsp Baking Soda
* 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1. Cream the coconut oil and sugar until fluffy.
2. Pour in your molasses.
3. Add molasses into the fluffed sugar, along with the vanilla.
4. Using a spoon, peel your ginger, then grate into a bowl to catch any extra juice.
5. Add grated ginger along with its juice, discarding any really stringy bits, until evenly blended.
6. Follow by adding the cinnamon and nutmeg.
7. Next, add the soda right to the dough and, on the lowest setting, follow with the flour, a half cup at a time.
Mixing just until dough comes together.
8. Shape dough into 2 logs and chill for at least 2 hours before rolling.
9. Preheat oven to 375 °F.
10. Slice the log, place on a cookie sheet, and ENJOY!

Both of these cookies are fabulous, and I encourage you to try them!

Persi-what?

17 Dec

As I read the next test recipe for Hannah’s new cookbook, I paused when I came across the star ingredient. Persimmons? I had never even heard of those before! A couple google searches later, I discovered they were some sort of fruit and they looked like tomatoes. I knew that as it was one of Hannah’s recipes, it had to be good, but I had no idea how these were going to come out.

They were fabulous! I’m definitely sending a few of these over to my blogger secret santa, if they last the rest of the night! I wouldn’t even really call myself a blondie person, but I won’t hesitate to say that these could be one of my new favorite treats.

I’ve added these to my list of holiday desserts for Christmas, but I’m at a loss for what else to bake. Christmas tree sugar cookies, perhaps.

What are you baking for your holiday festivities?