Archive for the 'Desserts' Category

Bridal Shower Dessert Table

Wednesday, October 1st, 2008

Bridal Shower Dessert Table

Bridal Shower Dessert Table

I offered to help throw a bridal shower for Midge (friend and scrumpdilly reader). My main task was the dessert table. Bake, bake, bake, I did for over 14 hours.

72 cookies for gift bags (lemon butter cookies, molasses cookies, and swirled sugar cookies)
60 cookies for cookie dish (molasses cookies and swirled sugar cookies)
54 cupcakes (chocolate with vanilla buttercream frosting lined with blue sugar, lemon with lemon buttercream frosting and raspberry fruit gem)


2 vegetarians
1 vegan (me)
21 omnivores who didn’t know the difference; all goods were a huge hit!

I had a great time baking. And an even better time reflecting on it afterwards.

Chocolate-Coconut-Oat Bars

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008

ChocoCocoBars

Chocolate-Coconut-Oat Bars

I had at least three baking disasters last week. “At least” meaning, that’s all I can remember; there might’ve been more. Oh no. That’s right. It was the thermostat on my car that went bad, then the hot water heater in the house. Plus the three kitchen disasters. I needed something easy and reliable to counteract the losing. So I revisited the Choco-Coco Bar.

The first time I ever made this bar, I used the recipe from The Chicago Diner Cookbook, but the “crust” portion of the bar wasn’t a thriller. It was dry. What luck, though, in making my normal vegan blog rounds, I stumbled upon a very similar recipe at Urban Vegan. Thankfully, within about 20 minutes, my week filled with disasters turned into easy deliciousness. Got to get me more o’ dat!

Chocolate-Coconut-Oat Bars (from the Urban Vegan blog)

Bottom Layer:
1 1/2 cups uncooked oatmeal (instant is fine)
2 T. coconut oil
1/4 cup agave nectar

Top Layer:
1 cup dark chocolate buttons or chips (vegan)
1/2 cup pecans*
1 cup shredded dried coconut
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix “bottom” ingredients and press into oiled 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish. Mix “top” ingredients and spread atop crust. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Let cool and cut into squares. Makes 9 large or 18 small bars. Optional: Add 2 Tbsp. dried raisins, cranberries, cherries, or cacao nibs to “top”.

*Urban Vegan calls for walnuts. I’m partial to the pecan.

Report on Latest Cookie Testing

Friday, August 8th, 2008

To occupy you, while I run around the country with my 18-wheelin’ driving husband - yes, I’m inside the rig with him - here are some cookies I tested before hitting the highways. Reports soon about being on the road as a trucker’s vegan wife. But first, dessert!


Zesty Coconut Lime Wedding Cookies

Zesty Lime Coconut Wedding Cookies

Texture: soft and moist, but crumbly enough that you might take some heat for it
Taste: lime and coconut play perfectly well together
Rating: 3.5 dough balls


Crispy Pinwheels

Crispy Pinwheels

Texture: crispy and crunchy
Taste: like carmalized sugar with an ever-so-slight chocolate taste
Rating: 4 dough balls


Almond Ladies\' Kisses

Almond Ladies Kisses

Texture: soft, but expected crunchy
Taste: overpowered by almond extract, couldn’t taste the chocolate
Rating: 2 dough balls

Recommendation Emergency

Tuesday, July 15th, 2008

Purely Decadent Coconut Milk Mint Chip

Purely Decadent Coconut Milk Mint Chip

I’ve been getting all bratty and smug with myself for posting regularly, for posting my own concoctions, for posting so many cooked items and recipes in a row. Downright snotty and kind of proud, I’d say. So, I had to remind myself that this blog was supposed to be about recipes and cooking, yes, but also about vegan products/items that get my seal of approval.

So as I’m checking email and taking little bites of my newly-purchased dessert treat, I instantly realized I had to stop what I was doing to tell you about this stuff. Right now. It’s that good! It’s so delicious, I couldn’t even wait to take my own picture. I literally copied one from the Turtle Mountain website and started writing. It’s that much of a recommendation emergency.

And I’m happy that the three or four of you reading actually do take to heart my advice and recommendations. You’re such good listeners, that I’ve decided to make this post your command. Your command to put down whatever you’re doing and run. This very second. Run yourself right over to the grocery store and get you some of this.

If you love Mint Chocolate Chip, especially the natural mint kind (i.e. not day-glo green), you’ll just go nuts. Having coconut milk as its base makes it bright, white, thick, creamy, and smooth with just the right amount of coconut flavor. It’s there, you can taste it, but the chocolate and the mint have plenty of room to shine. It’s almost like the coconut is hanging out backstage. Blended flavors. That’s what it is. They’re blended perfectly, absolutely perfectly, together.

Not only does Purely Decadent Coconut Milk Mint Chip beat any other non-dairy frozen treat I’ve tried, it is seriously, seriously better than its dairy counterpart.

Oh whatever. Just go get the stuff. You’ll be thanking me. I promise.