Vegan Babies aka Banana-Chocolate Brownie Bites

My continued search for vegan brownies for my vegan girl took a turn for the better this week when I hit on these delish brownies. This recipe is a mish-mash of several things I've tried or seen online.

Pulverize in a food processor or blender, until very, very smooth:
1 15-oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 Tbs. ground flax seed whisked with 2 T. water
4 Tbs. cocoa
1 ripe banana
1/2 c. sugar (I used Turbinado)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. instant coffee granules (optional but adds nice flavor)

Scrape into a bowl and fold in:
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Add:
3/4 cup chocolate chips (mini preferred)

Scoop into mini muffin tins that are well greased.
Bake for 23 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cool for 10 minutes before turning out to cool completely.

Makes 24 minis.

Blueberry Cake with Lemon and Brown Sugar - no recipe, just photos

Ready for the oven with the brown sugar on top

Cooling

Chocolate Waffle Cakes from Waffleizer

Most of you already know that my son is crazy for waffles and anything related to waffles, waffle irons, and Belgium, so you can imagine my delight at finding a website for all things waffleized. Waffleizer.com will show you how to waffle up a whole bunch of stuff, none better than these truly delicious little chocolate cakes. Just think, no pans to wash and really, really happy children.

When this posted on facebook, a (grown) friend asked if she could move in with us. Such is the power of the chocolate waffle.

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter

1/4 cup dutch-process cocoa powder

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Optional: 1/2 ounce cocoa nibs, broken down into bits in a food processor, or in a plastic bag with a blunt object (meat tenderizer, rolling pin, old waffle iron, etc.)

Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a saucepan. Let cool slightly.

2. Put eggs, vanilla, and sugar in the bowl and mix with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale, 4 to 5 minutes. Mix in butter, salt, cocoa powder, cocoa nibs (if using -- I didn't) and the flour.

3. Heat a waffle iron until hot. (I found this recipe worked best with a regular, not Belgian, waffler.) Lightly grease iron with a neutral oil, such as canola. Spoon about 1 tablespoon batter onto center of each waffle-iron section to make 1 1/2-inch rounds. Close cover; cook until set, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool. Repeat with remaining batter, coating grids with oil after each batch.

4. Dust with powdered sugar. I suggest eating them with ice cream and some nice hot fudge sauce, too.

Eulie's Ozark Apple Cake

My grandmother made this as a breakfast or snack cake when I was a child. It's similar to a typical "Ozark" apple cake, but uses butter, not oil. I think she got the original recipe from a cookbook called Symphony of Cooking. The actual honest-to-God note handwritten on the back of the original recipe card says, "If you are planning to serve this to guests, better make two as Jen can eat one whole one." Um, yes.

SERVES 6

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cup flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups finely chopped, peeled apples
• 1/2 cup nuts, dried fruit, etc. optional, though I never include them

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Add egg. Beat well.
3. Sift all dry ingredients.
4. Blend into wet ingredients.
5. Fold in apple and optional items
6. Spread into a well-greased 8x8 inch pan.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
8. Serve warm or room temp, with whipped cream or without. 

Grandma Eulie’s Carrot Cake

The main reason for starting a blog is so I could share my Grandma Eulie's amazing recipes with my cousins who are scattered all over the country. This is a Eulie classic or maybe even THE Eulie classic.  She got the original recipe from her friend Paulette Green.

If you want to bake it in true Eulie style, you have to get up at, oh, maybe 4:30am, bake this cake, and have it ready and frosted when your grandchildren wake up at 8am.

Ingredients:

2 ¼ c. flour

2 t. salt

2 t. baking soda

2 t. cinnamon

(above sifted together)

1 ½ c. vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 c. sugar

3 coarsely grated carrots

1 ½ c. chopped walnuts  (I make it without the nuts which many consider sacrilege.)

1.      Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2.      Grease and flour 2 8” layer cake pans

3.      Mix sugar, oil, and eggs in large bowl at medium speed for 2 minutes.

4.      Gradually add flour mixture at low speed for 1 minute.

5.      Stir in carrots and nuts until well mixed and spoon into pans.

6.      Bake for 1 ¼ - 1 ½ hours, then cool. 

7.      Make icing and frost.

Icing:

8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened

¼ c. butter

2 t. vanilla

1 package confectioner’s sugar (I’m assuming that means a 1 lb. package.)

Cream the above ingredients until super fluffy.

Fauxstess Cupcakes

Originally known as Six Minute Chocolate Cake from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home.

Barbara served these yummy cupcakes at Book Group and we were blown away by how delicious and "Hostess-cupcake-like" they were! I took it a step further and have experimented with stuffing them with a bit of buttercream, cream cheese frosting, or (gulp) some Marshmallow Fluff for true Hostess-y goodness.

Please note that the cake is vegan and the ganache can be, too. This recipe only makes 12 cupcakes, which is kind of nice/appropriate, unlike lots of recipes that make 24.

 Next time I make these, I am for sure going to pipe on the little loop-de-loops.

Cake:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup cold water or coffee (I keep "high-quality" instant coffee granules in the house for recipes)

2 tsp vanilla

2 tbs vinegar

Preheat oven at 375.

• Sift together dry ingredients into a bowl.
• Combine liquid ingredients (except for vinegar) in 2 cup measuring cup and pour into dry ingredients mixing with a fork or small whisk. When batter is smooth, add the vinegar and stir quickly until evenly distributed.
• Distribute evenly into a 12-cupcake pan, lined with cupcake papers.
• Bake 20 minutes.  (If you're out of cupcake papers and desperate for chocolate and need to make this as a cake, bake for 25-30 minutes in an ungreased 9x9 or 9 in round pan.)
• Optional, but really very important, step: Cool cupcakes completely. Use a melon baller or small spoon to scoop out a little depression in the top of each cupcake. Fill with Fluff or frosting of your choice. Cover with icing.

Icing:
1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate

1/4 cup hot water, milk or 1/2 and 1/2

1/2 tsp vanilla

For the icing just put all the ingredients together into a measuring cup and heat in in the microwave until you can whisk them together to make a smooth glaze. Spoon it over the cooled cupcakes and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.