Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies and Yummy Brownies!!

Sorry I haven't posted lately but I have been snowed in for the last few days and my attention needed to be redirected toward my paintings and handmade toys.

Since i last posted I have tried 4 new recipes, two of which I will share with you in this post. Sadly, i have no photographs of my own to show you, since the cookies and the brownies were such a hit, they disappeared in two days! The customers really liked their treats!

I really enjoy making these treats for the people I love! I will be trying some truffle recipes soon!



PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup margarine, softened (I used Earth Balance Vegan Butter sticks)
1/2 cup sugar (I used organic cane sugar)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a large bowl, cream sugar, brown sugar and margarine with an electric hand mixer on low speed. (I used a whisk due to lack of owning a mixer). Add pumpkin, vanilla and mix well. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, then stir in chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablespoons of dough on baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned on the edges. If you are baking more than one sheet at a time, rotate the sheets halfway through the baking time. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Store cooled cookies in a container with a loose fitting lid, as they are very moist, at room temperature.

Yield: 3 DOZEN COOKIES
Prep time: 25 minutes




YUMMY CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/3 baking cocoa
1/2 salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain or vanilla yogurt
(equal to 1 6-ounce container)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease as 8 x 8-inch pan with margarine or oil, or line it with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk sugar, flour, baking cocoa, salt and baking powder. In a large bowl, stir together margarine and yogurt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in batches and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread mixture in the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until edges are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in a pan on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting. Store brownies covered at room temperature.

Yield: 9 brownies
Prep Time: 25 minutes

Happy Baking!!

Why Vegan Desserts? Pineapple Cake Recipe

So here I go, delving into the depths of vegan cooking. I have been a vegetarian for half of my 30-something life, but decided to go vegan in December of 2008. It lasted for about 8 months and at times it was difficult to find something to consume that wasn't previously alive, that was derived or came from an animal source (i.e. honey) at the grocery store or restaurants. 

So I fell off the vegan bandwagon somewhere between store bought chocolate cookies in a Christmas tin and a decadent key lime pie. Falling off wasn't so hard, it's the getting up and realizing that I want to live a healthy lifestyle. I exercise, I eat right (although my BFF just sent me an article published in the NY Times which states that plants have feelings too! What am i supposed to eat then???) but after all this time, I still love sweet treats. So I can live with myself if I can make a treat that is vegan and healthy and tastes just as good or better than mass produced bakery goods and cakes. 

So my first experiment was a vegan pineapple cake which was simply smashing! Being born in Central America afforded me easy access to all of the mouth-watering and delectable tropical fruits, I know lack in my current place of residence.  Lucky for me, pineapple comes canned now. 

Here is a photo of my pineapple cake and you can find the recipe below:

VEGAN PINEAPPLE CAKE 

2 cups All purpose flour
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Canola oil
1cup Pineapple Juice
1tbsp Vinegar
1tsp Baking Soda
1tsp Vanilla extract
1cup Pineapple pieces
2tbsp Powdered sugar

Whisk sugar, canola oil, pineapple juice together until the sugar gets dissolved, mix together all purpose flour, baking soda n keep aside...now add the vinegar, vanilla extract to the whisked oil n sugar mixture, mix everything together, gradually add the flour with baking soda and beat everything until they turns a smooth batter, add the pineapple pieces i used the canned one, can also use fresh pineapple pieces...mix again everything n keep aside...Preheat the oven at 350F..

Grease a cake mould, pour the cake batter n bake them in middle rack for 30 minutes..Let them get cooled, before serving springle few powdered sugar over the cake..

 

My test tasters told me that the cake was delicious! It must have been since I ate 90% of it on my own. 

Happy Baking from
!