Shortening definitely has its place in vegan baking. From pie crusts, shortbreads and puff pastry, it’s a basic building block for texture. This solid fat is so integral to these types of desserts because it alters the way gluten is formed in baked items that utilize wheat-based flours. For more on the food science of shortening, check out my article on how to make vegan shortening.My original recipe for vegan shortening utilized a mixture of coconut oil and vegetable oil such as canola, light olive oil or rice bran oil. The coconut oil is solid at room temperature. When it’s mixed with a certain ratio of fats that are liquid at room temperature, a certain level of softness can be dialed in that makes it suitable to use as shortening. This recipe utilizes deodorized, also known as refined cocoa butter.

“I’ve never had a black and white cookie before” I mumbled to my vegan food friends, not thinking that it was that big of a deal. “Living in New York City, you’ve never had a black and white cookie?!” they desperately exclaimed. Right then, I perked up. What is it about these flat perfectly looking cookies that straddle the line between black and white so mysteriously? After all, this is New York City’s cookie. Does this cookie dare to celebrate chocolate and vanilla at the same time? What about the cookie part? Is it just a boring pseudo shortbread crust underneath or something special? I had to know more.

I decided to assemble Team Coconut: an all-star team of players dedicated to bringing in some serious coconut action. Like a Quiet Riot - Bang Your Head (on the Coconut) remix. Based on my Vegan Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, Vegan Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies boast toasted coconut flour, unrefined coconut oil, coconut sugar and shredded coconut that toasts during baking. Let’s do this.

I love how green tea has a subtle ability to refresh coupled with a slight hint of savoriness. I adore how vegan cupcakes can be a celebratory canvas for almost any flavor combination, that you get to just pick up and take a bite out of. But how do you infuse green tea into a baked cake product? Easy, right?

This Vegan Apple Pecan Granola recipe brings on the apple flavor with the help of both apple chunks and apple sauce. Cashew butter forms its base and packs extra protein so you'll have sustained energy throughout your morning. I go low on the sugar for this same reason and to give the other ingredients a chance to contribute flavor. Nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon work to highlight the apple. Chopped pecans toast during baking and add a welcome nutty crunch. Once you've chosen your preferred apples and baked this granola to perfection you can add it to ice cream, splash it on non-dairy milk or top it with a dollop of non-dairy yogurt.

Vegan Orange Icing is perfect for doughnuts, cookies or cakes such as Rosemary Olive Oil Semolina Cake. It features fresh orange juice that lends a bright burst of flavor, coconut oil to allow it to solidify properly and a touch of vanilla extract for depth of flavor.

Several years ago I ate at a world famous garlic themed restaurant in San Francisco and discovered to my excitement that caramelized garlic can be delectable spread on bread the same way as butter. I couldn’t believe how the garlic transformed from a spicy, harshness to a smooth, subtle butteriness with just the application of heat. In later years I became more familiar with this magical trait of garlic and decided to pair it with the creaminess of vegan butter here. Enjoy this Garlic Vegan Butter spread on your toast, baked into your hearth breads or use it as a base for something like puff pastry garlic knots. Either way, it’ll be able to stand up to the complexity of traditional butter.

Vegan Butter is designed to mimic real butter in vegan baking applications. Like real butter, Vegan Butter is more solid than tub margarine and not as spreadable. This is so it can perform optimally in vegan baking applications. If your goal is to have a conveniently softer, spreadable Vegan Butter, swap out 1 Tablespoon of the coconut oil with 1 additional Tablespoon olive oil.

Banana Vegan Butter doesn't utilize curdling so it's great for people looking to avoid soy. It can also be made raw. It has a smooth, subtle buttery banana flavor that's great for using as a butter substitute or for amping up desserts that already showcase banana. Try Banana Vegan Butter on pancakes or make banana croissants. Non-dairy butter is designed to mimic real butter in vegan baking applications. Like real butter, Vegan Butter is more solid than tub margarine and not as spreadable. This is so it can perform optimally in vegan baking applications. If your goal is to have a conveniently softer, spreadable Vegan Butter, swap out 1 Tablespoon of the coconut oil with 1 additional Tablespoon canola, light olive oil or rice bran oil.

As I progress in my vegan baking adventures I strive for quality ingredients that give me as much control as possible over the flavors and textures I'm trying to convey. I also love breaking foods down to their most basic components and building them back up again, learning and getting unnecessarily excited along the way. For some people it's TV. For me it's this sort of food hacking. 

I recently decided that I wanted to create a high quality vegan butter because I began to tire of the store bought yellow goop that I was so steadily relying on. What if I don't want all that diacetyl flavoring, beta carotene coloring, palm oil and who knows what else? My vegan butter experimentation ended up being more successful than I imagined. What if I made my own shortening?

I love caramel because it's the closest thing there is to food alchemy. Ok, maybe chocolate is close to this too but caramel involves a few basic non-exotic ingredients and a simple process. The end result is something that's truly extraordinary and more than the sum of it's parts. One of the great things about caramel is how you can just swap in certain fats and sugars to create caramels with amazing layers of flavors. The more I experiment with working with caramel this way, the more surprised I am. 

Making this Easy Vegan Granola recipe is only slightly harder and much more fun than scooping it out of the bulk bins at the local health food store. It features almond butter for its base, rolled oats, cinnamon and nutmeg and just the right amount of walnuts and pecans to round out the crunch. A touch of raisins add a welcoming sweetness. 

I prefer to not overload with sugar in the morning so my granola recipes tend to err on the side of reduced sweetness which is a contrast from most store-bought granola. If you like your granola sweet then you may consider adding a few Tablespoons additional sugar. The reduced sweetness allows other flavor nuances to come through. The almond butter toasts during baking which brings on a rich flavor. A small amount of unrefined coconut oil increases flavor complexity further. Use this granola recipe as a base for future granola recipes. Enjoy it with non-dairy milk, top it with non-dairy yogurt or crumble it over ice cream.

Let me just say, I'm a vanilla girl. Don't get me wrong, chocolate is great! But when I had to give up gluten & dairy I really just missed good old vanilla cupcakes. I tried a lot of recipes but they were too dry or too grainy or too plain or too... well, gross. So I got to work! It took me awhile to perfect but I'm SO proud of this Gluten-free Vegan Vanilla Cake recipe and I really think you'll love it. So far I've gotten great feedback from my "taste testers" (most of whom aren't gluten-free OR vegan). Enjoy!

I glanced over at my fruit basket yesterday and found four moldy looking apples at the bottom. They had been languishing there for over a week, with no one paying them any attention. Now, I'm a bit of a purist with my apples. I only like them tart and crunchy with faint green veins running through their flesh. Bruised apples with brown spots go straight on my list of foods I most hate to eat. Still, something had to be done with those apples, and without much of a plan, I peeled, cored, and chopped them up. 

Then I spied a jar full of demerara sugar that I'd bought recently, and inspiration took form. I decided I'd bake an apple bread. The principle would be the same as banana bread, only since apple has a higher water content, I could consider lowering the amount of fat in my recipe, and under bake slightly, so my cake would remain moist. A small quantity of vinegar provides just enough acid for leavening, and the baking soda helps it rise. This bread bakes up dense.

This Vegan Garlic Tarragon Bread Spread recipe features extra virgin olive oil, onion, garlic, fresh tarragon and just a touch of white wine vinegar to evoke a complex buttery flavor with a sharp cheese inspired finish.

Holiday dinners at my Godparent's house was always a special occasion. The food was inspirational but the the one dish that my brother and I looked forward to all year was the simple but perfect implementation of garlic bread. This consisted of a store-bought flute of San Francisco sourdough, sliced but leaving the bottom crust intact so the slices could be torn off as the loaf worked its way around the table. This loaf was buttered between the slices, wrapped in tin foil and warmed in the oven. Buttering the slices while leaving the loaf intact had the advantage of ensuring both sides of each slice was buttered. Wrapping the loaf in tin foil had the benefit of allowing the entire loaf to be saturated with buttery aromas and flavors during its time in the oven and the tin foil could be folded back over the loaf in between servings to keep the bread warm while it was on the table. Brilliant!

Traditional flour is ground endosperm powder which is the result of the flour mill removing most of the hard pieces and hence, nutrition from the wheat berry. I'm a huge fan of whole sprouted grains because they're more flavorful and contain significantly more nutrients than bread made with traditional flour. This Flourless Sprouted Whole Wheat Bread recipe utilizes sprouted wheat berries that are then ground into a purée. This requires a substantially hardy food processor. If you're not sure if your food processor is powerful enough, look on the bottom. It should say at least 6.5 Amps or "6.5 A". 

This bread was difficult to design due to the nature of the wheat berry. This hardy seed contains the germ which is the heart and soul of the seed. The germ is the embryo of the plant in its dormant state. It's accompanied by the starchy endosperm which acts as fuel for the germ when it sprouts or germinates. This package is encased in a firm fibrous shell called the bran. This protects the seed kind of like an egg shell protects an egg. 

Fruits become extra special when they're dehydrated. Many of their sugars slightly convert into acids during a subtle fermentation and their flavors become concentrated into a irresistible tartness with subtle sweetness accompanied by intense fruit flavor. This wildly complex cherry flavor is what I wanted to capture in this Raw Vegan Cherry Almond Bar recipe. Cherry notes are further enhanced by almond flour and agave syrup. Just a bit of lemon zest and salt to bring foundation to the whole flavor package. Finally, cacao nibs add a nice contrast featuring a slight bitterness and delectable crunch. Feel free to buy dehydrated cherries or dry your own if you have a food dehydrator. I recommend Bing cherries for these bars but you should be able to get great results with any other variety.

Strawberry and rhubarb are joined together in holy matrimony with orange zest and a touch of sugar in these Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Pancakes. I opted to not make these pancakes too sweet because I like real maple syrup or a liberal topping of strawberries to drive the sweetness. If you like your pancakes sweet you may want to consider adding a couple Tablespoons more sugar. Or top them with sweetened vanilla yogurt for a new take on strawberry shortcake. I repeat: you can con your friends into enjoying something really close to strawberry shortcake for breakfast! Either way it’ll be a breakfast to remember.

I am often shocked when I read egg replacing tips written by other vegans, because chickpea flour never seems to be there. While my go-to egg replacer used to be ground flaxseeds, since discovering chickpea flour I have never looked back.

Chickpea flour is readily available in health food shops, along with Indian, Italian and French grocers. It is also known as besan, chana flour, gram flour, cici flour and garbanzo bean flour. You can even make your own out of whole, dry chickpeas if you have a grain mill or very powerful food processor.

These nutrient dense Raw Lemon Cupcakes with Pistachio Nuts are quick and easy to make! You don't need an oven to do these, only a food processor and a fridge. They contain exciting super foods that work wonders for you body! Eat them without guilt.

This moist, rich Vegan Olive Oil Rosemary Semolina Cake showcases how olive oil can make a great combination of sweet and savory when it's paired with fresh rosemary. Early on in the design of this cake recipe I was really liking where this cake was going but I knew I cold take it further. I remembered how olive oil tends to go seamlessly with pasta dishes so why not use the same type of flour for an olive oil cake?

These Vegan Power Puffs are so puff-tastic! I highly recommend them. I have never used millet before and I will certainly be using it more often. It’s fluffy, light and has more protein than puffed rice. These little power puffs are a perfect snack with a hot cuppa joe. You can easily cut this recipe in half if you aren’t trying to feed an army. These are so good that my husband brought them to his Tai Chi class this morning and vanished with a request for more next week…I highly suggest you give these a whirl.

“What's an apple cider doughnut?”, I asked at my recipe club meeting. I think my friends were as surprised as I was that I didn't know of it's existence, let alone any vegan versions. Come to find out, I've learned that many other West Coast (USA) natives are unaware of this cake doughnut that's infused with a hint of apples. This is because apple cider doughnuts are mainly a Northeast (USA) phenomenon. In colonial times, doughnuts were served during the Fall months in the Northeast when exotic dough recipes for beignets, imported from France and Holland, started to evolve and the seasonal butchering provided enough fat to fry things. Combine this with the apple harvest being at its peak in the Fall and you have a food collision course in the making.

Where Easy Vegan Caramel Sauce is good for a quick caramel fix, Vegan Golden Caramel Sauce is the no-holds-barred recipe where flavor and consistency are top priorities. Traditional caramel sauce relies on heavy cream which allows the sauce to be thick and rich due to the solids present in the cream. This vegan caramel sauce recipe relies on cashew cream to supply the extra cream factor and solids, resulting in a silky smooth golden caramel that's perfect for drizzling on ice creams, baking into pies or tucked into brownies. Substitute the vanilla extract for bourbon, rum or brandy if you want an extra layer of flavor complexity.

The secret to making great focaccia involves using an herbed olive oil to lend an array of herb flavors, allowing the dough to ferment in a refrigerated state for at least 12 hours which allows complex bread flavors to develop and baking a wet dough at a very high temperature which ensures a soft, spongy texture and a crispy crust. Fresh herbs are paramount to infusing the right intensity of flavors in this focaccia recipe. Feel free to use any combination of fresh basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, savory or marjoram. A long, refrigerated fermentation allows naturally occurring enzymes within the flour to break out more sugars from the starches for the yeast to ferment. These extra sugars allow the yeast to built more flavor, sweeten the focaccia and caramelize under heat which contributes a multitude of enhanced flavors.

When working on this Vegan Double Chocolate Fudge recipe I learned that in order to master fudge, you need to thoroughly understand caramelization. Luckily, after dozens of fudgy failures, I now understand caramelization well enough to the point of where I can proudly share my recipe for all to enjoy, because you, dear reader, are worth more than marshmallow fluff. This recipe is easy as long as you follow it closely. 

This Vegan Vanilla Icing recipe is a great companion for drizzling on Vegan Cinnamon Rolls, danishes, or Vegan Pop Tarts. It features confectioners sugar as its base and just a touch of non-dairy milk and vanilla extract to bring it all together.

This Vegan Rum Spice Icing recipe is a great companion for drizzling on spiced versions of Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, danishes, or Pop Tarts. The vegan icing features powdered sugar for its base, dark rum, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves to move the spice factor forward. Feel free to cut back on the rum or eliminate it completely if you're concerned about alcohol consumption.

This Vegan No Knead Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread is now my go-to vegan bread recipe because it's simple to make and is a great example of how wet doughs can create wonderfully light and spongy breads. The higher water content allows the gliadin and glutenin in the flour to align into tight gluten bonds over time so you can forget about all that kneading drama. The result is a fluffy, chewy loaf that's perfect for sandwiches. Feel free to use this bread as a starting point and substitute a ½ cup of the flour for things like wheat germ, wheat bran or oat bran. It's important to note that due to the wetness of this dough it's only suitable for baking in a loaf pan.

This Vegan Hazelnut Coffee Ice Cream recipe takes advantage of hazelnuts, also known as filberts for its base and to enhance coffee flavors. Early trials of this vegan ice cream used toasted hazelnuts which brought out slightly deeper hazelnut flavors but left minuscule granules in the ice cream which affected creaminess. If you have a VitaMix, go ahead and toast them. If you have a regular blender leave the hazelnuts untoasted so creaminess isn't affected. The ice cream will be delightful either way, especially when topped with Vegan Double Chocolate Sauce.

This Vegan Double Chocolate Brownie Chunk Ice Cream recipe was going to be called Triple Chocolate Brownie Chunk Ice Cream due to it's use of two different types of chocolate and brownie chunks mixed in. Then I realized that things were starting to get out of hand and I had to look out the window and count to ten. Its still full of chocolate though; This Category 1 chocoholic wouldn't lie. It's a great way to use up those extra Ultimate Vegan Brownies you have lying around that you've desperately been trying to eat. Wishful thinking, no? Drizzling some Double Chocolate Sauce over the top is highly recommended.

This Vegan Sourdough Pizza Crust recipe has a little more oomph in the form of the flavors produced by wild yeast fermentation, also known as sourdough. The wild yeast isn't enough to leaven the dough completely on it's own so it's spiked with some bread yeast to help it along. This vegan crust is great for cheeseless pizzas or other pizzas where you're not using intensely flavored toppings and you'd like the crust to contribute more flavor to the pie. It's also a great way to use the sourdough starter you've been keeping in your fridge. You do have a resident starter in your fridge right?

The sweetness of apricots and the earthiness of 100% rye flour complement each other, especially when accompanied by molasses, cardamom and espresso powder in this Vegan Apricot Rye Muffin recipe. Rye flour contains a low amount of gluten compared to wheat based flour so in order to enhance binding, the batter is mixed for 1 minute to allow the starches in the flour to become activated. The pectin in the apricot preserves also acts wonderfully as a binder in these vegan muffins.

This Sprouted Wild Yeasted Whole Wheat Bread recipe is a nod to how the first breads probably got their start. Wheat berries were probably softened with water, ground and left out in the elements where they were then populated by airborne yeasts and bacteria, causing the dough to rise slightly. Placing this dough on hot rocks in or near a fire probably resulted in a fine vegan treat like nothing else available at the time.

This Vegan Sourdough Pancake recipe is one more reason to keep a sourdough starter in your refrigerator at all times. They're wild yeasted which gives them a fascinatingly complex flavor not normally found in either vegan or traditional pancakes. They require advance preparation of a sourdough starter that is used as the foundation of the batter. If you already have this batter around, these pancakes will be even easier to make than Easy Vegan Pancakes. If you keep your starter in the refrigerator, it doesn't need to be removed several hours before using as it does in bread baking. Feel free to mix 1 cup of berries or ½ cup chopped nuts into the batter before pouring. Top them with maple syrup and/or a dollop of almond butter.

This Vegan Maple Roasted Peanut recipe makes an addictive snack. Once I was on a San Francisco Muni train and was in the process of getting busted for both sneaking on without paying and eating while on the train. As the Muni cops closed in, I clutched my container of Maple Roasted Peanuts tightly.

This Vegan Vanilla Cupcake recipe makes light and airy vegan cupcakes that have a soft, tender crumb due to the addition of arrowroot flour as well as apple cider vinegar. Vanilla extract and a touch of almond extract tie it all together. These cupcakes utilize the quick bread method which involves mixing your dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls, then mixing them both together at the end. This is a really easy way to make great cakes that have tender and spongy qualities. The drawback of this style is you have to be careful if you adjust the amount of sugar; more sugar will tenderize the batter, negatively affecting rise. These cupcakes are a little under sweet for my taste but if you're going for an elaborate frosting job no one will notice. If you increase the sugar in this quick bread method by even 1 Tablespoon, the cupcakes won't rise enough so it's not recommended. Use these cupcakes as a base for other flavor variations by switching out some of the flour and/or flavoring extracts. If you're looking for a cupcake that's a little bit more sweet and full flavored check out the Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes - Cream Method.

Crepes unlock huge brunch and dessert option potential depending on wether you make savory or dessert crepes. This Vegan Buckwheat Crepe recipe is pretty foolproof as long as you use the right pan described below. If making savory crepes fill them with things like tofu scramble, seitan and beans or wild rice and mushrooms. If making sweet crepes fill them with bananas, chocolate and coconut; peanut butter, maple syrup and walnuts or caramel, pecans and apples topped with a drizzle of Cashew Cream. Buckwheat lends an earthy, nutty richness to these vegan crepes, which are based on Easy Crepes but factor in buckwheat flour's ability to absorb slightly less liquid than all-purpose flour due to it's smaller amount of gluten.

Carrot cake is my all-time favorite dessert so I adapted it into a heartier quick bread in the form of this Vegan Carrot Cake Muffin recipe so I could justify having it for breakfast. It's pointless to resist carrot cake goodness in it's new quick bread form so don't even try. A dollop of almond butter on top contrasts nicely with carrot cake flavor and adds extra nutritious oomph to power your day of world domination.

One of the reasons marzipan goes back ages is because it's extremely versatile. It can be used for anything from cake decorations, fillings in cookies and pastries or in this case, a center in this Vegan Bonbon recipe. A touch of almond extract brings out some extra flavor so it can compete on the same level as the chocolate. This recipe uses a chocolate mold. If you don't have one, place the marzipan balls in the freezer for an hour or so, roll them in melted chocolate, then place them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet before returning them to the freezer for about another hour.

This Vegan Chocolate Orange Bomb bonbon recipe packs a seductive orange one two punch: They involve candied orange peel pureed with a kiss of Grand Marnier, mixed together with chocolate, then enrobed in a chocolate shell. This is a great vegan bonbon to have on hand when assembling your own box of chocolates for a special occasion.

Marzipan is almond meal that's been added to caramelized sugar which makes it similar to frosting in consistency. It's origins come from present day Iran or Spain according to theory but its true origins, as well as where the term 'marzipan' originated from are shrouded in mystery. It's extremely versatile, making a fantastic filling for cookies and pastries, a center for chocolates like Marzipan Truffles or rolled into stollen. It can be colored, flavored and formed into candies or used in cake decorating. You can even use other nuts besides almonds like macadamia nuts, cashews or brazil nuts. Marzipan can also be mixed with fruit and served in squares. In the vegan recipe below I didn't remove the skins of the almonds so it came out a light brown.

The more I use yeast instead of baking powder for quick breads such as Yeasted Vegan Banana Bread, the more I notice that yeasted breads produce far better flavor results. How did we get into this bad habit of chemically leavening our sweet breads with baking powder and baking soda? One word: convenience. Yeasted breads take about 3 times longer to make because we have to wait for the yeast to do it's thing. Yeast leavened breads are usually considerably more flavorful than chemically leavened breads because as the yeast ferments and spits out C02 that rises the bread, it also produces a multitude of complex flavor compounds. This is not the case with chemically leavened breads where few flavor byproducts are produced during the chemical reaction between acid and alkalne that produces the C02. Yeasted Vegan Banana Bread is now my go-to vegan banana bread recipe.

I used to get so grossed out at the mere thought of accidentally eating orange peel while eating an orange. Then I had candied orange peels and appreciated their candy form and created this recipe. Candied orange peels are a very versatile delicacy. Use them in Panettone, Stollen, Hot Cross Buns, pair them with almonds and cover them with chocolate or mince them and use them for topping on ice cream. Feel free to use other citrus peels in place, or in addition to orange such as lemon or lime. Just be sure to use organic peels because non-organic ones often have high concentrations of pesticide residues.

This Vegan Parsnip Cake recipe is carrot cake's long lost brother, featuring parsnips which are slightly spicy and astringent. Parsnips are teamed up with pineapple, golden raisins, non-diary yogurt and a touch of cardamom to make a vegan cake that's lighter and spicier than carrot cake but every bit as tasty. Like carrot cake, Vegan Parsnip Cake should be liberally frosted with Easy Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting or a variant thereof for best results.

Use this Easy Vegan Caramel Sauce recipe to bring another dimension to vegan cheesecakes, ice creams, pies, brownies or pretty much anything. Caramel is one of those rare taste miracles that's in the same realm of chocolate sauce and maple syrup; it would probably make cardboard taste delectable. It's liquid gold. This is an easy to make sauce that utilizes coconut cream for rich flavor. Coconut contains flavor compounds called lactones which are among the same compounds that give dairy products like cream their signature flavors. Want to turn up the flavor level to eleven? Replace the vanilla extract with 1 Tablespoon bourbon, rum or brandy.

When this Vegan Sweet Potato Pecan Ice Cream recipe is mentioned to passerby one of two things usually happens: people either express great joy or wince and convulse. Sweet potatoes are pumpkin 2.0 people! They have a much more complex flavor than pumpkin so I just cut to the chase and paired them with candied pecans to make this vegan ice cream. You could substitute pumpkin purée if you really wanted to but it's not recommended unless you're stuck on a dessert island with nary a single sweet potato in sight.

This Cherry Candied Almond recipe is an excuse for me to combine two of my most favorite flavor combinations: cherries and almonds. I used brown sugar and olive oil for a more complex sweetness profile and just the right amount of almond extract to bind the cherry and almond flavor in holy matrimony. Try these as a relatively guilt-free vegan snack, add them to salads or sprinkle them on your ice cream.

This Vegan Cornmeal Spelt Pizza Crust recipe is one of the fastest, easiest crusts around because it doesn't need lots of kneading and it doesn't require yeast. Although it's not gluten-free, it does have very low amounts of gluten which is good if you're trying to cut back on it due to food allergies. This recipe makes a vegan crust that is 12 to 14 inches. This dough can also be refrigerated for later use.

These chewy Vegan Pecan Caramel Chews are reminiscent of those little caramels you used to get from trick or treating when you were little, except they're packed with pecans and dipped in chocolate! Be sure to use a candy thermometer with this vegan caramel recipe for best results. If you like your caramel extra soft or extra hard, adjust the caramelization temperature 10F (6 C) lower or 10F (6 C) higher respectively.

I know that one day I won't have access to my favorite bagel place on Bedford ave in Brooklyn on my way home from the bars to grab a late night snack. This Vegan Everything Bagel recipe will hopefully keep me content in those times. Enjoy these vegan bagels with Tofutti cream cheese, Creamy Vegan Cashew Cream Cheese, my more involved Vegan Cashew Cream Cheese or whatever else floats your fancy. I've designed these bagels in the authentic NY style which uses barley malt, also known as malted barley. Barley malt is highly recommended but if you don't have it just use an additional one-half Tablespoon sugar in its place. Be sure to allow ample time for this recipe- it takes about two hours. If you live further than two hours away from New York City, this recipe will be easier than flying there for the flavor.

Ganache can be a very versatile base for a recipe. It can be adapted to anything from frostings to truffles to fillings. Just adjust the Soy or Cashew Cream in this Vegan Dark Velvet Ganache recipe plus or minus up to 2 Tablespoons to get the thickness that suits your needs. For example: 2 more Tablespoons Soy Cream, Cashew Cream or non-dairy milk will make this ganache solidify into a soft frosting-like consistency at room temperature. 1 cup of Soy or Cashew Cream yields ganache that is perfect for cakes. You can even customize it further with things like Grand Marnier, Chambord, espresso or mint extract.

There's no such thing as a drop-in replacement for cream but this Vegan Cashew Cream recipe comes pretty close when you need it for a substitute for baking. It can be used as a vegan base in custards, ice creams, sauces, cakes or anywhere else you'd like to add richness. Cashew cream is also soy-free and can be made raw if you obtain raw ingredients.

These Balsamic Candied Pecans are great for salads, ice cream or just random munching. It's one of those examples of how balsamic vinegar can mysteriously elevate certain foods to food crack status. This vegan recipe also features a touch of molasses and salt that work behind-the-scenes to enable proper texture and complex flavors. Don't like molasses? Too bad! Or should I say, "please add it. Pretty please?" It's essential for allowing the proper texture and flavors come through. You shouldn't be able to taste it in the finished product. Oh and here's a little secret: Put these babies in your next pecan pie for a secret candy coated weapon that's sure to wow your pie eating brethren.

Peanut butter and maple syrup have this amazing relationship. I think they might be in love with each other. This Vegan Peanut Butter Maple Fudge recipe is really easy to make and you have the option of adding chocolate chips if you want to crank up the flavor/passion levels even more.

One wonderful summer in lovely Northern California, I had the pleasure of camping with one of my favorite people ever (who I'll just call Alf). That night he introduced me to something I'll never forget...Banana Delight! Serve with some quality sipping whiskey and good friends.

I used to own a vegan baking company called Enchanted Oven Baking Co. This Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookie was one of the cookies I sold, individually packaged, to health food stores around the San Francisco Bay Area around 2003-2005. Here it is in all its glory. This recipe has been modified from a 200 cookie batch so please excuse the wonky measurements.

Brown rice syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and just the right amount of chocolate chips really brings out the best in these dense, chewy peanut butter cookies.

Most people won't be able to guess that these Vegan Chocolate Covered Date Bonbons are just chocolate covered dates if you don't tell them. One thing that they will know is that they're amazing. You can tell them that you spent 13 hours making the filling in this vegan bonbon recipe and just leave it at that.

This Vegan Chocolate Coconut Magic Bar recipe is quite possibly the only good thing I got from going to church as a youngster. Sundays were free-for-all sugar fests that kept the kids coming. This vegan dessert in particular often inspired me to secretly infiltrate the church kitchen with ninja-like abilities so I could get to it first while the church service was still in session.

Magic Bars are also known as Seven Layer Bars because they often involve seven alternating layers of things like walnuts, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips and shredded coconut that are bonded together with a liberal drizzling of condensed non-dairy milk. I opted to forego the peanut butter chips and butterscotch chips due to their near-impossible vegan availability and because they usually push the sweetness envelope a little too far. I then made up for their lack of flavors by opting for Golden Vegan Caramel Sauce or Easy Vegan Caramel Sauce instead of Vegan Condensed Non-dairy Milk in the binding department. The result is a sticky gooey mess of a great thing.

This Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Granola recipe brings possibly one of the best flavor combinations known to man to the granola world. This allows this vegan granola to be extremely versatile, being equally good for breakfast, sprinkled on top of ice cream or enjoyed all by itself for a mid day snack.

This Vegan Blueberry Beetnik Muffin recipe takes advantage of baked beets which harbor wonderful butter caramel flavors when their sugars caramelize. The vegan muffins are then complimented by the tartness of blueberries and just the right ratio of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. Lemon juice enhances flavor while allowing the beet purée to retain its vibrant reddish color during baking. This is because acids reduce the oxidation of plant-based compounds called anthocyanins, which are responsible for the red color in foods like beets and raspberries.

This Vegan Protein Power Granola recipe is great for a hearty first meal of the day because it's low in sugar, high in protein and high in flavor. It gets the bulk of its protein from hemp protein powder. It then utilizes natural sweeteners like maple syrup, chopped dates and raisins for a complex sweetness profile that won't send blood sugar levels through the roof, if you don't drown it in maple syrup anyway. Walnuts and pecans round out the crunch department in this vegan granola while providing a tasty contrast with the hemp powder.

This Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Granola recipe is a great way to start the day due to its bright lemony sweetness and crunchy almonds that go perfectly with the non-dairy milk of your choice.

This Hearty Vegan Waffle recipe makes light and fluffy vegan waffles sporting a nice crispy exterior and a soft, moist interior due to the use of toasted cornmeal. They're delightful topped with a touch of almond butter, fruit and/or real maple syrup.

Growing up, my Dad would make pancakes every Sunday. On the rare occasions he made waffles, I knew he was pulling out all the stops for Sunday breakfast. Inspired by the waffles I grew up with, I created this Vegan Multigrain Waffle recipe that features rolled oats, whole wheat flour and your choice of toasted corn meal, oat bran or wheat germ. Top it with real maple syrup or fresh organic berries to be transported back to my dining room circa 1985.

This recipe for Poached Pears in Red Wine is perfect for last minute dinner parties because its easy to make and can be quickly made onsite. It features red wine enhanced with orange juice, sugar, lemon zest and cinnamon. The pears are then simmered in the mixture causing the sugars in the pears to caramelize and generate a multitude of wonderful flavor compounds that generally translates to "mmmmm". Oh and they taste awesome dolloped with vegan whipped cream or soy yogurt too.

This vegan Apple Cake recipe utilizes applesauce and a touch of apple cider vinegar, brown rice syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice to bring out the best apple flavors. It pairs perfectly with Cream Cheese Frosting or Creamy Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting.

These Vegan Pecan Bonbons are beautifully simple because they're made up of just dates, cinnamon, almond butter and coconut blended to perfection. It's just an effortless, fruit-sweetened treat.

This Heavenly Vegan Hot Chocolate recipe is great when it's cold outside and you need a nice warm friend. Two different types of chocolate really amplify the cocoa notes which are further enhanced by coconut sugar, a bit of espresso powder and a touch of cayenne. Coconut sugar lends an additional layer of complex richness but if you don't have it, granulated white or turbinado sugar works too. It's then simmered to allow everything to meld together. Feel free to customize it by adding a splash of coffee, mint extract, Kahlua or enjoy it on its own.

Omitting the almighty egg in recipes can lead to serious baking disasters. It's rumored that the Romans put eggs in their concrete to improve its strength. Vegan Egg Replacer Powder is a very effective egg substitute that's great for replacing eggs in most vegan baking recipes where heat is involved. It's an important piece of weaponry in your vegan baking arsenal. When I ran my baking company, Enchanted Oven Baking Co, I used this egg substitute recipe extensively with my cookies to make them soft, dense and chewy.

This binding powder consists of a blend of starch, vegetable gum and a leavener. Arrowroot is used as the starch because it performs well and is one of the most tasteless starches. Baking powder is used to mimic the slight leavening properties that an egg would contribute. Guar or Xanthan gum improves emulsification of fats and oils much like an egg would. Use Egg Replacer Powder as a more affordable direct replacement for Ener-G Egg Replacer. 

This Vegan Pumpkin Buckwheat Pancake recipe features pumpkin enhanced with barley malt syrup, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Buckwheat flour then lends an earthy, nutty richness. They're delightful topped with a touch of almond butter, fruit and/or real maple syrup to brighten up any morning.

This Vegan English Muffin recipe features just a touch of lemon juice and sugar to enhance its yeast-induced flavors. They're awesome fresh out of the toaster with a little Vegan Butter, jam or whatever your preferred muffin topping is. I've been known to use these as burger buns too. They're not loaded with preservatives and dough conditioners like their store-bought cousins but they'll still keep in the freezer stored in a plastic freezer bag for several months.

This Vegan Ginger Carrot Raisin Pancake recipe isn't your conventional vegan pancake recipe because it features carrots for a subtle butteriness, raisins for a little extra bonus sweetness and ginger for a hint of spicy finish. it's a great combination of flavors that is further enhanced with a drizzle of maple syrup or Agave Maple Syrup.

This Vegan Blueberry Buckwheat Pancake recipe features blueberries and buckwheat flour which lends them a tart sweetness along with an earthy, nutty richness. You also have the choice of adding either oat bran, wheat bran or wheat germ. These vegan pancakes are delightful topped with a touch of almond butter, additional fruit and/or real maple syrup.

This easy to make Vegan Banana Walnut Pancake recipe features both banana purée and banana slices for maximum banana flavor. Walnuts add an earthy complexity. Top these vegan pancakes with a touch of almond butter, fruit and/or real maple syrup.

This Ferocious Vegan French Toast recipe utilizes the creaminess of cashew butter and just the right combination of tahini instead of the usual eggs. These nut butters get slightly toasted during cooking which adds a complex savory richness that's further enhanced by cinnamon and nutmeg. It's a delicious vegan take on the old classic.

A Thai classic, this Sweet Sticky Vegan Rice Pudding (Kao-Niew-Moon) recipe is simple to make and wonderfully creamy due to its use of coconut milk, sugar and a touch of salt. Topping this gluten-free vegan pudding with sliced mango is highly recommended.

This Strawberry Sorbet recipe is simple to make because it features just strawberries, sugar and just the right amount of lemon juice. Try it with some balsamic vinegar drizzled over it. Sorbet will never be the same again.

This Raspberry Sorbet recipe is simple to make because it features just raspberries, sugar and just the right amount of lemon juice. Try it with some balsamic vinegar drizzled over it. Sorbet will never be the same again.

This Orange Sorbet recipe is simple to make because it features just orange juice, sugar and just the right amount of lemon zest. Because it's so much better than frozen orange juice.

This Fresh Lemon Sorbet recipe is simple to make because it features just lemon juice, sugar and just the right amount of lemon zest. It really hits the spot on a hot summer night.

This Vegan Banana Walnut Ice Cream recipe makes wonderfully creamy ice cream due to its extensive use of bananas and cashew butter This vegan ice cream is further enhanced with non-dairy milk, walnuts and a touch of vanilla extract.

The subtle buttery flavor of zucchini and intensely sweet flavors of pineapple collide with delicious chaos in this Vegan Zucchini Pineapple Muffin recipe. Flavors are further enhanced by the addition of vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg. Just the right ratio of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour is used to give these vegan muffins the optimum level of fluffiness.

This Vegan Pumpkin Spice Muffin recipe has a wonderful warm, buttery flavor that is enhanced by barley malt syrup, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger and a touch of cloves. Pecans add flavor complexity and a delightful crunch. These vegan muffins are equally good with baked sweet potato purée substituted for the pumpkin as well.

Orange chunks and dried cranberries make a perfect combination of sweet, tart flavors in this Vegan Orange Cranberry Muffin recipe. Lemon zest further unifies the orange and cranberry and just the right amount of vanilla extract ties it all together.

Pear chunks, pear purée and ginger come together to compliment each other in this tasty Vegan Ginger Pear Muffin recipe. Lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg further unify flavors and a touch of vanilla extract brings it all together.

This 100% fruit sweetened Vegan Date Spice Muffin recipe features the satisfying malty flavor of medjool dates puréed with cinnamon, ginger and a touch of vanilla extract. These vegan muffins also feature pecans and raisins for an irresistibly earthy flavor complexity and texture.

This Vegan Carrot Bran Muffin recipe features carrots which lend sweet, buttery notes. These flavors are further enhanced by just the right amount of molasses and your choice of wheat germ, wheat bran or oat bran. Raisins are added for additional sweetness and flavor depth and a touch of vanilla extract ties the flavors together into a dense and hearty muffin.

This Vegan Buttermilk Biscuit recipe makes great vegan dinner rolls that pair well with American feast-style dinners on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. They feature just the right amount of tahini and lemon juice to accurately impart buttermilk flavors.These biscuits are also great served as a snack with a smear of margarine or almond butter. Serve them warm.

There's something about bananas and walnuts that just makes a perfect quick bread. This Vegan Banana Walnut Muffin recipe delivers it to your tastebuds thanks to the help of cinnamon, nutmeg a touch of vanilla extract. A slice of these vegan muffins topped with almond butter is a great thing.

This Vegan Apple Pecan Muffin recipe has a wonderful apple notes enhanced by maple syrup, lemon juice, allspice and cinnamon. The addition of pecans adds a welcome flavor and texture contrast and a touch of unrefined coconut oil makes you not miss the fact that they don’t contain any butter. Using tart apples like Granny Smith is preferred for maximum apple flavor.

Almost any vegan non-dairy milk can be condensed with this recipe such as soy, rice, nut or coconut. Making vegan condensed non-dairy milk involves adding sugar and reducing it to about half its original volume. This can take several hours and can be inconvenient if you need it for a recipe. In this case be sure to make this beforehand and store it in the fridge so you have it handy on bake day. The effort is well worth it, especially if you're making Chocolate Coconut Magic Bars or Dulce de Leche.

When I was little, I noticed my Mom eating cake. When I asked what kind of cake it was she replied, “you won't like it, it has carrots in it”. Later in life I realized that she said that so she could horde the best type of cake in the world all for herself! (Don't think I forgot about that Mom) Just to make sure that doesn't happen again, I designed this vegan carrot cake recipe which features carrot enhancing ingredients such as pineapple, molasses, cinnamon, cardamom with just the right amount of raisins and walnuts for optimal flavor contrast. It's great slathered with Cream Cheese Frosting. I also have a vegan carrot cake recipe for 8 inch cake pans.

This Vegan Carrot Cake recipe is similar to the one here but it's designed for 8 inch cake pans. It's loaded with carrot-forward spices such as pineapple, molasses, cinnamon and cardamom. A touch of raisins and walnuts give this vegan cake a slightly more complex flavor and texture that is sure to please. Try it slathered with Cream Cheese Frosting.

This Vegan Banana Walnut Cake recipe is a staple birthday cake in my family. Nutmeg, walnuts, and a touch of vanilla extract really brings out the banana. It pairs perfectly with Chocolate Frosting or Ganache.

This Vegan Tropical Paradise Bar recipe makes perfect vegan energy bars for sporting events, a nutritious snack for people on the go or just for dessert. These gluten-free bars feature a cashew butter base that's sweetened with agave syrup, brown rice syrup then studded with pineapple chunks, macadamia nuts and shredded coconut.