Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

These are amazing. There cannot be enough pictures of them because of how delicious they are. Enjoy the food porn. I adapted this recipe from Peas and Thank You. I love her blog and highly recommend it. The only difference I made in the recipe was using all-purpose wheat flour instead of the mix, and took out the peanut butter chips because I couldn't find vegan ones. 

Who doesn't love cookies and milk? My last post was about a cookies n' cream ice cream and so it was natural for me to make the real thing next. I can officially say this is my new go-to cookie recipe. By the time I balled these up and got them in the oven, my stomach hurt from how much sugary dough I had consumed...and I still couldn't stop. 

Seriously, I'm warning you. You will LOVE these cookies. If you were that kid who would eat the chocolate chip cookie dough right out of the tube, you may not even bother cooking these. You'll give up on the idea of letting the dough out of your site and completely demolish it right there and then. No eggs, no worries...except gaining a pound in 15 minutes. We can run it off later, right? 

What is your favorite type of cookie?

Cookies N' Cream Milkshake

I love cookies n' cream ice cream. I used to read this blog called Chocolate Covered Katie that would have almost every recipe use her Vitamix, so I went back to it after I got mine. The reason I left it  was because the recipes looked beautiful but never came out tasting good. It was very...off. So I thought I'd give it a chance one more time. 

I looked up her ice cream recipes and it said to freeze almond milk in a shallow dish with a little sweetener, then pop the blocks in the vitamix and you will have ice cream. This is false information. This gives you an iced milk, which is extremely icy and doesn't even ball up and get creamy like ice cream.

I had to take matters into my own hands. I froze soy milk, coconut yogurt, boxed coconut milk, and agave in a glass ziploc dish. Two days later I popped that in my vitamix with a couple teaspoons of guar gum (a natural thickener) and it came out soooo good! It was definitely oh-my-gosh good. I added in 6 Peanut Butter Newman-O's to kick it into over drive. I could have just eaten it with a spoon, but Mr. Organnix wanted a milkshake, so I added in extra coconut milk and gave it a whirl. We both enjoyed our desserts with a straw and cookie on top. :)

I didn't measure out anything so I can't give you a recipe just yet. I will be making this again soon and adjusting things here and there, so a recipe is on it's way. I started this by trying to make vanilla ice cream...but then got all Nixie on it and turned it crazy. haha.

If you have a vitamix or ice cream maker, I would suggest having some fun and experimenting with different frozen milks! The experience and end product are very rewarding.

Question!
What is your favorite ice cream or milkshake flavor?

3 Ingredient Vegan Caramel

After making this recipe for the third time, I was convinced I must bottle it and sell it immediately. I was going to post that there is nothing like it on the market and not give you the recipe...but that is no longer true. Since the first time I've made it, someone has beat me to the punch. I may have very well gone through with a production line if nobody had done it, but of course the world is always one step ahead. Our friends at FreshFoods have it here if you're really too lazy to make this super easy recipe, but the ingredients aren't posted so I'm not sure what's in it. And it's not sold at Whole Foods or any other health food store in a 15 mile radius from me. Best bet? Make my recipe!

It can be used in your favorite coffee drinks, top any of your favorite pies, or even just be warmed up for your freshly cut apples. This caramel is the shit (I never curse) and your life will never be the same after making it.

Do you ever go to Starbucks and want a caramel macchiato but you can't have the caramel sauce because it's made with cream and milk? Now you can do it at home! Save some bucks and use this sauce in your homemade macchiato (recipe coming soon).

What You Need

Equal parts of:

Earth Balance

Soy milk (or any unsweetened non-dairy milk)

Agave Nectar

Sauce pan

What You Do 

• Place earth balance and milk into sauce pan on medium-low heat. 
• Whisk until all the Earth Balance is melted into the milk.
• Add agave nectar and whisk in. 
• Keep stirring for 20-30 minutes on medium heat.
• Your sauce will start to bubble up on the sides and almost get a little foamy in the middle. This is good!
• Make sure to scrape the sides of the pot with your whisk as you go around. 
• You can stir slowly or stop for a few minutes if you get tired, just make sure it doesn't bubble over. 
• After 20-30 minutes, take the caramel off the heat. 
• Place into a heat-safe airtight container. Do NOT use plastic. I use glass.
• Refrigerate!
• Your done!

Use warm as caramel sauce on ice creams, pies, cookies, brownies. Or like me just eat it with a spoon. I even put it on oatmeal! 

If you want caramel candies, use a non-plastic mold, cupcake liners, or anything that has the shape you want, and freeze. I placed some of mine in a cupcake liner, froze it for about ten minutes so it was pliable, and then placed it into a small sheet of plastic wrap. Twist the ends and you've got a soft caramel candy. Refrigerate to keep it's shape.

I used 1/3 cup of each tonight, but you can double it, triple it, or even quadruple it because as soon as it's gone, you will want more. Tomorrow I am buying a clear squeeze bottle just to house my new caramel.

Place in a squeeze bottle on your counter for easy access...or in the back of your cupboard because it will be gone in one day if left in sight.

Pros:

• Vegan 
• Gluten-Free
• Processed Sugar Free
• No Corn Syrup 
• No Cream
• Low Glycemic Index
• Versatile
• Can be: soy-free and nut-free
• Can be made into solid caramel candies
• Can be used in cookies, pies, cakes

Cons

• When you run out you want more
• Addicting 

Edit: If you want your caramel pliable and like candy, use less soy milk and cook longer until thick. 

Vegan Pumpkin Pie and Coconut Whipped Cream

Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Google Nexus 1

It is officially the month of pumpkins and I'm stoked. After waiting a year for the Dexter premiere, I wanted to celebrate in a sweet way: pumpkin pie. This is a rich, creamy, and decadent dessert that will be a perfect fit for your Thanksgiving Dinner...or tomorrows breakfast...or both. 

Every time Fall comes around I can't wait to get my hands on that Tofurky, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. I dream up the old classics from when I was a kid and think of ways to veganize them so I can enjoy the holidays just as much as everybody else. I stock up on cans of organic pumpkin, flour, sugars, and boxed non-dairy milks to be able to make anything my imagination comes up with. Just this week I've used pumpkin in three recipes! My favorite so far though has to be this pie.

I've made pumpkin pie before but it has never been this good. With inspiration from other vegan recipes, I used raw soaked cashews and cream cheese to give this pie the decadent richness that it deserves. The cashews give it extra nutrients while supplying the creaminess a pie needs. This may take a bit more work than the simple pudding-style pies but it is totally worth the end product.

Pumpkin Pie- Makes 1
What You Need
15 oz (almost 2 cups) of organic pumpkin-I used organic pumpkin from Trader Joe's
3/4 cups Organic Sugar
1/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves)
1/8 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 cup + 1/8 cup Soaked Raw Cashews, ground into a paste, packed into measuring cups
4 oz Tofutti Non-hydrogenated cream cheese- half a container
1/8 cup Orange Juice, freshly squeezed

Crust
1 Cup Cinnamon Cookies or Graham Crackers, crushed into a powder- I use Trader Joe's Cinnamon School Book Cookies
3 T Earth Balance

Coconut Whipped Cream
2 cans Coconut Milk, refrigerated overnight
1/2 cup Organic Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract


Hand Beater
Pie Pan

What You Do

Use a food processor or single auger juicer to process your raw cashews into a creamy sauce. Add cream cheese to it and lightly mix. Use hand beater and slowly mix in pumpkin, sugar, orange juice, and spices. Make sure you have it on low so the sugar doesn't get sprayed out onto the counter! Now process through your juicer to make into a smooth pie filling, or place in a food processor to do the same. 

For the crust, melt earth balance and mix into 1 cup powdered cookies or grahams. I like to use my hands for this one. If you like your crust thicker, use more powdered cookies and earth balance. I process mine through my juicer (aka food processor). Place into pie pan and cook at 375* for 5 minutes.

Take crust out of oven and pour pie filling into pan. Cook at 375* for 30 minutes. After cooked, place in fridge for two hours to firm up. 

For the coconut whipped cream: Take cans out from the fridge and carefully scoop off the top block of thick cream. Do not use any of the liquid in the cans. Store this for later use in creative recipes, like coconut tofu or soup. Place the cream in a bowl and slowly add in powdered sugar, on low speed with the hand beater. Add in a teaspoon of vanilla extract and blend on high until fluffy, about 5-10 minutes. To get maximum air into the cream, go up and down with the beaters. 

After pie is firm, dollop as much whipped cream as you like on top. Sprinkle cinnamon for a pretty look and welcome your taste buds to heaven! 

On the side I like to have a glass of coconut milk (not the canned type) with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Who can turn down chocolate? After reading a post about peppermint pie, I bought some extract expecting to make it. Once I mentioned to the omnivore boyfriend that I needed silken tofu for it, he denied his interest. I decided to get creative so that we could share dessert. My result: Chocolate cups filled with peanut butter or peppermint creme. Let's just say the result was, "Yum. Can I eat it all?" 

 As you can see from the photos, this will be the easiest candy you've ever made. No thermometers, special molds, pots or pans. Just an easy melt, stir, and spread.

What You Need
1 Bag Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips


Peanut Mixture
3 T Natural Peanut Butter
1/2 tsp Agave
1/2 tsp Nutritional Flakes


Peppermint Cremé
3 T Soy Cream Cheese
1/4 tsp Peppermint Oil 
1 tsp Powdered Sugar


Cupcake liners
Cupcake pan 
Ice cream scoop with button


What You Do 


Line cupcake pan with paper liners.

Melt half of the bag of chocolate chips in a glass bowl over boiling water. Stir with a rubber spatula.

Using the rubber spatula, spoon chocolate into the ice cream scoop and place into cupcake liners. I used half a spoonful for each. Make them as thin as you'd like. I came out to 8 cupcake liners filled. If you use less, you can fill all twelve.

After filling all cupcake liners with the melted chocolate, place them into the freezer to harden.

In two small bowls, make the peppermint creme and peanut butter. If you're not into the mint flavor, just make twice the amount of peanut butter mixture. Place the peanut butter ingredients in one bowl and mix until creamy. If you're peanut butter is too stick, place it in the microwave for 15 seconds.

Mix the peppermint cremé ingredients in a separate bowl until smooth.

Melt the rest of the chocolate chips in the bowl the same way as the first time.
While melting, take out the hardened chocolate and scoop a teaspoon of each mixture onto it. (Seen above in photos) Feel free to eat any leftovers or lick the bowls. I did! :) 


Now scoop the chocolate onto the top of the mixtures and spread around with a teaspoon until smooth. Keep the edges clean if you want it to look like a Reeses cup. If you like the layered look, then spread it to the edges. Place back in freezer for 10-15 minutes until hardened. Mine didn't even take that long!


Dig in!