VEGAN OREO DONUTS

Hello everyone! It was my boyfriend,  Reece and I anniversary on the 9th of July and I obviously needed to make him something amazing for that day.  We are both vegan and loveeee to eat! I asked him what he wanted and he said donuts! Which gave me the grand idea to recreate the new Oreo donut the Tim Horton's just launched,  vegan style. Oreos are already vegan so it was pretty easy! I baked the donuts this time but with a different recipe.  They turned out amazing! I was super pleased with the results. It was a super easy recipe and they baked quick. Donuts at e my favourite.  I'm still reminiscing the vegan donuts at voodoo donuts in Portland.  After going there in May 2013 I was really inspired to come home and make my own! These are by far some of my best yet and I guarantee anyone would love these! As long as you have a sweet tooth because they are sweeetttt.  The coconut milk makes the perfect icing for them too. I hope you enjoy this recipe and I would love for people to share pictures of their donuts if they try this recipe! Leave it in the comments or message my Facebook page,

Happy baking!

Donut Recipe

2 cups flour + 1/4 cup extra flour for kneading and dusting 

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1/4 cup warm water

dash of salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon cocoa

2 tablespoons vegan margarine, melted

3/4 cup coconut milk

dash of salt

Icing Recipe

1/3 cup vegan becel margarine, melted *link attached

1 cup vegan powdered sugar

3 tablespoons coconut cream *thicker chunks in your can of coconut milk

*save some for the drizzle

2 rows of oreos crumbled for toppings

To start your dough recipe you will need a 1/4 cup of warm water with a dash of salt added to it. Sprinkle your 2 teaspoons of yeast over top of the warm water the allow to sit for 10 minutes. This gives you time to combine all your dry ingredients. You can add more cocoa if you want chocolate donuts. These just had a slight hint of chocolate in them with the amount I added. Thats what I was going for. Once your yeast is ready, create a hole in the middle of your dry mix. Add your yeast, coconut milk then margarine. Mix together well with a fork until dough is form then begin to knead and mix with your hands.

Knead your dough for 7 minutes. Rub a bit of margarine inside the bowl your dough is in so it doesn't stick and cover with a clean dish cloth and allow to rise at room temperature for at least a half hour. The longer you let it rise the more donuts you will get out of it!

While your dough is rising you can make your icing!

First step is to melt your margarine. Keep in mind that becel margarine is WAYYY lighter then regular original earth balance which is what I normally use. This made a really nice butter cream frosting! You MUST add the coconut cream to get the right consistency though. My icing was very thin before I added that but afterwards it was the PERFECT icing. I highly recommend using becel vegan margarine for your icings(especially butter cream ones) but just try and keep in mind you will need a vegan thickener. Other examples of thickeners are mashed bananas, natural agar agar and ground flax seeds.   

Gradually add your vegan powdered sugar while using a mixer. Mix constantly while adding. Once your sugar and margarine is mixed together well add your coconut cream. Continue to mix until desired consistency. I mixed mine for about 5 minutes.  Once it's finished place it in your fridge with a lid. 

NOW, your dough has risen for a half hour or more and you need to preheat your oven to 325 F. 

Knead your dough on a clean, lightly floured surface on your counter or table. You'll need to knead it for about another 10 minutes. Keep adding flour as needed to your surface. Rub vegetable oil all over your baking tray. Begin to roll out your dough with a lightly floured rolling pin. Keep rolling until the dough is a 1/4" inch thick.

Using either a donut cutter or a knife begin to cut out even shapes of your dough and place on lightly oiled baking tray.

 Repeat until all your dough is used. Once they are all ready, rub a little vegetable oil on top of the donuts and throw into your heated oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Take out and allow to cool.

Allow to cool for at least 10-15 minutes before icing or your icing will just melt off because it's wayy too hot. Take your icing out of the fridge now so its not to hard to spread on the donuts.

Crumble up two rows of oreos in a bowl.

This will be for sprinkling on top of the icing. Begin to spread icing on all your donuts. Try to make sure you will have enough icing left for the drizzle on top of the oreos but if you don't just break the icing recipe here down into a 1/4 recipe and use that! Once all your donuts have icing on them begin to sprinkle oreos all over them. A lot of the oreo crumbles will probably fall onto the plate. I just kept scraping them all off and sprinkling them until it all stuck to the donuts. Once you've covered all your donuts add a light drizzle of icing over top of them all. This is the last step but MOST CRUCIAL ONE. It really does make the donut. These will last in your fridge for up to 5 days. These are some of the best donuts I've ever made and I hope you like them :)

VEGAN BANANA CREAM PIE W/ A HAZELNUT DATE CRUST

VEGAN BANANA CREAM PIE

w/ a hazelnut date crust

I woke up this morning with such an itch to bake so I was instantly excited when my boyfriend said it was national banana cream pie day. Random yes but an excellent opportunity to try something new. I also had a serious craving for hazelnut so I went out and bought some pura hazelnut agave syrup which is the kind I used in this recipe and it is SOOO GOOD. I mostly drink it in my coffee usually but it was an awesome addition for my pie crust. It gave it just the extra pizzaz it needed. Although I didn't make my own custard for the middle I was really pleased with the gobio vegan custard packet that I bought at one of the local pharmacies here with an awesome vegan food section there. It was my first time trying the custard and although it needs quite a bit of sweetener to be delicious its an excellent base for a cream pie. I highly recommend it to anyone trying to pull off a vegan cream pie for the first time. So here it is. In the name of national banana cream pie day, my vegan banana cream pie. I hope you enjoy! Happy baking. 

*I attached a link to the Pura linkedin below if you want to check them out. They are an awesome local company from Vancouver, BC

Pie crust recipe

1 cup everland organic pitted dates (soaked in warm water for 20 minutes)
1/2 cup bob's red mill organic graham flour
1/2 cup everland organic unbleached white flour
1/4 cup lets do it organic shredded coconut
1/4 cup earth balance melted
2 tablespoons Pura hazelnut agave syrup (link attached here)

*I also left links to the other products I used if you wanted to check out these awesome vegan companies!

Steps

Combine flours in a medium sized bowl with your shredded coconut.  Mix together well with a fork. Next drain your dates and add to your food processor or blender. Add 2 tablespoons of agave syrup and 2 tablespoons spoons of melted earth balance. Blend together for 4 minutes. Add blended dates to the flours and begin to mix together well, pressing down while mixing to pack everything in tight. Once your pie crust has formed into a ball, press your pie crust into a pie  pan. Refrigerate for 5 minutes then bake at 375 for 12 minutes.

Once your crust is ready you can make your custard because you'll want your custard to cool before adding it to your pie.

Pie filling recipe

2 cups vanilla almond breeze milk
1 packet goBio organic custard
2 tablespoons cane sugar
2-3 bananas sliced

Steps
Measure 2 cup of almond milk. In a bowl add the contents of the custard packet and 1/4 cup of your milk. In a pot bring your remaining 1 3/4 cup of milk to a boil then slowly add your mixture to the pot once its boiling. Turn down to a low bowl and whisk together until desired consistency. For me it was around 10 minutes. Afterwards pour your custard into a bowl and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Next its time to make your pie! You'll need 2 to 3 bananas depending on how much banana you like. Slice them thinly then place slices in your crust. Cover the whole bottom of your crust.
Add your custard to the pie crust and spread evenly. Place one more layer of banana slices on top. Top it all off with your choice of whip cream if your heart so desires. Its delicious on its own. Refrigerate until you're ready to serve.

VEGAN DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Valentines day is kinda dorky but it gives me a reason to bake something good. This valentines day I decided to bake some cupcakes. AS PER USUAL. Because I am a cupcake fanatic if you haven't already noticed. This was my first attempt at buttercream frosting and I was soooo pleased! I need to get a good icing bag to make my cupcakes look professional now. This icing is the perfect recipe for decorative cakes or any baked good. I added some beet powder to make the icing pink for valentines. Its a great natural way to color your food and its good for you! Vegan food coloring is seriously hard to find in Victoria. The double chocolate cupcakes were an extra sweet treat for my boyfriend for Valentines. Although I think its kind of silly for everyone to celebrate their relationships on one day, I loveeee hearts, flowers, the colors pink and red because they are cute everyday of the year... Just like my boyfriend hehe. Anyways, these are some seriously sweet cupcakes so if you have a sweet tooth or you're a lover of chocolate you will loveee this. It has alot more sugar than my baked goods usually do but whatever! Its valentines day, celebrate with some sugar. 

VEGAN DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Cupcake recipe
1 1/2 cups unbleached organic white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of sea salt
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/3 cup of Enjoy Life vegan mega chocolate chunks (link attached)
1/4 cup earth balance, melted
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup everland organic coconut milk  (link attached)       


Buttercream frosting recipe
1/2 cup earth balance, melted
2 cups wholesomesweeteners organic powdered sugar (link attached)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons beet powder

Steps

Makes 12

Preheat your oven to 350F. In a large bowl begin by adding all your dry ingredients. Flour through chocolate chips. Stir together all the ingredients well with a fork. Make sure there is no lumps in the mixture. In a medium sized bowl combine your butter, sugar, vanilla and coconut milk. Stir together well with a fork until everything is well combined. Make a well in the middle of your dry mix to add the wet mix too. Pour the wet mix in, stirring while combining. You should be using a large spoon to mix it now or an electric mixer. Once all ingredients are well combined it should be like the consistency of pancake batter. Prepare a muffin baking tray with either liners or oiled. Take one big spoon full and place into a muffin slot. The batter should be about 2/3 full. Repeat 12 times and place in the oven. Bake for 18 minutes. 

Once your cupcakes are ready take them out of the oven. You can stab them with a toothpick to make sure they are done but mine were perfect after 18 minutes. Remove from tray and place on a large plate to cool down. Time for frosting!!

To make the frosting you'll need an electric mixer. I have an old handheld one and it worked perfect! First you'll want to melt your butter. Add your melted butter to a medium sized bowl. Add your vanilla. Begin to add your powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Start to mix it using your mixer and continue to add the rest of your sugar while mixing it.

 Keep beating your frosting for 4 minutes. It should be a good, thick, creamy texture by now. If its not, keep mixing. If its too thick you can add some coconut milk 1 teaspoon at a time. Once the consistency is right you can sprinkle in your beet powder. Continue mixing while adding the powder. Beat for another 2 minutes. 

Once all your beet powder is well combined and your icing is a nice pink color you can throw it in the fridge. If you are using an icing bag, place your icing into the bag then place it in the fridge until your cupcakes are ready to be frosted. Allow your cupcakes to cool for 10-15 minutes before icing them. This should make the perfect amount of frosting for this recipe. Ice your cupcakes then serve! These will rock your world. 

VEGAN CARAMEL CINNAMON BUNS WITH COCONUT SHREDS

VEGAN CARAMEL CINNAMON BUNS WITH COCONUT SHREDS

Three words. OH MY GOD. If you haven't had vegan caramel yet you will not believe your taste buds when you try some of this! 100% vegan and gluten free. Its so easy to make with just 4 simple ingredients.  The hardest part is getting the right consistency.  As long as you stir it constantly and keep it at the right temperature, you cant fail. This will be your new favourite recipe to complete all your vegan treats. If you cook it an extra 5 minutes you can make vegan caramel squares! As long as you have some shallow square molds. Now enough about my caramel.  Its time to talk cinnamon buns! I LOVE cinnamon buns. Pastries and coffee is actually one of my top 5 favourite things in the world. Ever. So I dont mess around when I make cinnamon buns. These are PERFECT. Better than any regular cinnamon bun I've ever had. Its light, fluffy, chewy and moist. Not too sweet so the caramel is the perfect finish. If you're a fan of cinnamon buns, you've got to try these! You'll never go out to buy some store made cinnamon buns. You can satisfy you and your friends cravings with this simple, cheap and easy recipe! Enjoy!

Recipe

makes 10

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1 cup almond fresh coconut milk

4 tablespoons earth balance melted

1 package instant yeast

1/3 cup of raisins soaked in warm water

Filling

1/4 cup earth balance

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon wholesome sweeteners raw blue agave syrup

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Handful of organic shredded coconut

Caramel

1 can coconut cream chilled 4 hours then drained of water

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon earth balance

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps

Preheat oven to 350F.

Melt 4 tablespoons of earth balance on low heat and combine 1 cup of almond milk. Stir in sugar and salt and remove from heat once everything is well combined.  Pour into a large bowl. Let it cool down. It has to be lukewarm because you're adding your yeast to this mixture and if its too hot you'll kill the yeast. Once lukewarm sprinkle your yeast over top of the milk mixture and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Stir your yeast in and begin to sprinkle in your flour a 1/2 cup at a time. Stirring constantly while adding. Add your cinnamon and raisins and begin to knead your dough with your hands once all the flour is added. Continue to knead for 5 minutes. Rinse and dry your mixing bowl then pour a small amount of oil in tr bottom. Rub it all over the bowl then place your dough inside. Cover with a cloth and allow to rise for 1 hour.

This leaves the perfect opportunity to make the caramel!  To make the caramel

you need to have a can of coconut milk in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Next take your chilled coconut milk out of the fridge and get a strainer place the strainer over a bowl and poke a couple holes through the top of the milk with a knife. Place the can in the strainer with the open side down and let the excess water drain out. There shouldn't be too much. Scoop out all of the coconut cream and place it in a frying pan. Turn it on to med-low heat (between 4 and 5 on your stove). Allow the cream to start melting then sprinkle your sugar, butter and vanilla on top. Stirring until everything is well combined.  Once your mixture begins to bubble allow it to get to a steady boil, not allowing it to boil over. Remove from heat for a minute if it keeps boiling over. Stirring it almost constantly, allow it to cook for 20 minutes. Pour into a bowl and allow to thicken.

This will keep well in the fridge for up to a month you just need to reheat it if you're going to drizzle it over something.

Once your dough has risen for an hour it should be about double in size. Knead it for about 10 minutes then roll it out on a lightly floured surface. 

Melt 1/4 cup earth balance and combine it with your sugar, cinnamon and agave syrup. Spread your butter mixture on your rolled out dough, sprinkle your coconut shreds on top. Save some of your mixture for the top of the cinnamon buns. Begin to roll your dough with the longest side closest to you, pinching tightly while you roll it. Once the whole thing is rolled pinch the open edge with your fingers to seal it. 

Cut off 2 inch sections of the roll and place in an oiled glass baking pan. Repeat until finished. Spread the rest of  your butter mixture on top. Bake for 25 minutes.

Allow to cool for 15 minutes then drizzle your caramel on top. Cut into even squares and serve!

VEGAN GLUTEN FREE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

VEGAN GF PEANUT BUTTER CUPS


Hey everyone. So this is an amazing treat to make for any time of day. Its so easy, so tasty and good for you! Instead of dreaming of Reece's peanut butter cups, I reversed them and made it even better! With just a few simple ingredients this will be your go to dessert when you have a sweet tooth. The great thing about these is you can sprinkle different things on top to spice it up. They are great with coarse sea salt or shredded coconut. Ive yet to try caramel but I bet it would be way to good. The one thing about these is that they have to stay relatively frozen in order to keep their shape, so if you're trying to take these to a friends make sure to have an ice pack! I like using dates for the middle because it a great, healthy replacement for chocolate.  Its just as sweet too. Especially with agave syrup. This recipe is fun to make and share. Everyone can enjoy these reverse peanut butter cups. Who doesn't like peanut butter?! Oh yeah and gluten free! It doesn't get much better than that. Enjoy. 

Makes 12

Recipe

1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter

1/2 cup coconut oil

4 tablespoons organic sugar

dash of cinnamon

8 medjool date

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

3 tablespoons agave syrup

Steps

In a medium sized pot melt your coconut oil on a low heat. Add your peanut butter.  Stirring in the coconut oil while adding. Leave that on a low temperature to combine well and heat up. Next cut your dates in half and take the pits out. If you have a food processor you can do this step in there. I don't so I cut all my dates into very tiny pieces, throw them in a bowl and add my agave and cocoa.  Next I stir and blend the dates together with a fork. It should turn into a thick paste.

Line your muffin tray with 12 liners. 

Pour 1 tablespoon of peanut butter on the bottom of each liner. Make sure the bottom of each liner is completely covered. If its not just add peanut butter very little at a time.

Place in the freezer for 10-12 minutes. The bottom should be completely frozen when you take it out.

while those are setting you can makes the middle! Using your hands and about a 1/2 tablespoon of date mixture, you're going to press the dates into a little round disc and place it in the middle it should be just a little bigger than a twoonie. Try to make sure theres room around the edges of the dates to pour more peanut butter around the sides. Once you've filled each middle you can pour your remaining peanut butter 1 tablespoon at a time.  Repeat until you've used all your peanut butter! Add your toppings. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes. 

Make sure you let them thaw a little before you serve:) 

VEGAN COCONUT DONUTS WITH MAPLE ICING

I said I was going to post a recipe for baked donuts a looonngg time ago in my first donut post.  Sorry it took me so long! These are so insanely easy to make.  It probably took me a half an hour tops and that includes making icing and baking. The longest part is waiting for them to cool down.  The icing recipe I used is from my maple scone recipe. (There's a link attached here) its an amazing icing recipe thats super versatile. It works great for donuts, danish's and scones! I love making baked donuts because you can eat so many guilt free:) They are much healthier for you and much less oily. I hope you love making and munching these easy, healthy and delicious donuts.

Recipe

Makes 14 donuts

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup turbinado sugar

1/4 cup earth balance, melted

1/2 cup of unsweetened almond breeze

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Steps

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Combine all your dry ingredients except the sugar into a large bowl. Stir together well with a fork to make sure all the lumps are out and everything is well incorporated.  Melt your butter and pour it into a medium sized bowl. Add your milk, vanilla and sugar. Stir together well with a fork. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture. Pour all your wet ingredients into the well. Stir all the ingredients well together with a big wooden spoon. Once it mostly mixed together begin to knead it with your hands. It should form into a doughy ball like this!

*My mom bought me that beautiful rolling pin for christmas. She also bought me the cute green platter and the funky plate. Thanks Mama <3

Once your dough is formed prepare an area on your counter to roll your  dough out. I have a donut cutter so if you don't have one you can cut your dough into thin long strips and form the two ends together by pinching the dough together with your fingers.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. It needs to be about half an inch thick to make the proper size and amount. Begin to cut your donus out. Prepare a lightly oiled baking tray and place the cut donuts on the tray. I used the middle of my donuts to make donut bites too! Place them in the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Let them cool for a half hour before icing.

You can get the icing recipe here. Sprinkle your donuts with your favourite toppings and serve!