I Wanted A Krispy Kreme Donut...

...so I purchased a Babycakes Donut Maker for $9 at my grocery store. Why the heck is it so high on Amazon?

Sometimes I have cravings for non-vegan food. That's life. 

Brandon (my 8 yr old) has a gluten-intolerance, so I stopped baking desserts for a while.  The idea of vegan and gluten-free desserts just didn't sound very appealing to me.

The craving wouldn't let up, so I googled and came across a recipe on Bonappetit for the BabyCakes cookbook. I saw several recipes during my search but this one looked the most promising.

I needed ingredients like potato scratch, xanthan gum, garbanzo bean & rice flour and arrowroot and spent over $40 on gluten-free ingredients. $40!

The verdict? They taste nothing like Krispy Kreme donuts (I didn't expect that) but they did come out pretty light and delicious.  They reminded me of a pancake but Eric said they just "taste like a lemon-glazed donut." The boys loved them and we've made the recipe a few times since (posted a pic on Facebook the other day).

Since I have all these ingredients, you can expect more gluten-free baking in the future.

I covered each donut with a simple powdered sugar and lemon glaze. 

Have you experimented with gluten-free baking? What do you think so far?

Vegan Butterfinger Recipe

While my kids are begging me to make yet another batch of Snickers, I'm thinking about this Butterfinger recipe instead.

Can Cara achieve that unforgettable Butterfinger crunch with this simple recipe?

Yes, she can!

This vegan Butterfinger version still captures the crispety, crunchy, peanut-buttery flavor and texture that we all love.  As an added plus, you don't have to slave in the kitchen for hours to achieve this goodness. Making this candy took about 40 minutes and half of that time was spent waiting for it to cool.

This is before I put them in the freezer to set 

Watch me make the recipe below and get the full details from Forks & Beans.

Be sure to update me if you try this recipe and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more recipes, vlogs, reviews, and lifestyle videos. 

Song playing while I worked on this recipe...

Corinne Bailey Rae-Choux Pastry Heart

Vegan Butterfingers

by Fork & Beans

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. light corn syrup
• 1/2. c. water
• 1 c. vegan sugar
• 1 c. peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 – 1 1/4 c. vegan chocolate chips (Enjoy Life chocolate chips is a goof brand)

Instructions

Line a 9×13 pan (or a baking sheet will do) with parchment paper.

In a medium/small saucepan, combine the water and sugar together on medium heat and stir until sugar has dissolved.

Add the corn syrup and stir until combined.

Add candy thermometer (make sure it does not touch the bottom of the pan!)

DO NOT STIR UNTIL IT REACHES 310 DEGREES! (The 2nd time around, this only took about 10-15 minutes, if that).

While the sugar is boiling, mix together the peanut butter, vanilla and baking soda separately.

Remove sugar from heat once it hits 310 degrees and add peanut butter mix. Stir until completely smooth.

Pour onto parchment paper lined pan. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then take a knife and cut into desired small pieces (mine were approx 2″x1″). Do not cut all the way through–just almost.

Allow to cool for 20 minutes (or even less), then completely cut through the candy.

Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments, stirring at each point, until completely smooth (about 1 min 30 sec).

Dip candy into chocolate, place on wax paper and using the back of the fork, form little peaks on top to give an “official” look of the candy bar.

Allow to set for several hours (you can even place in the freezer).

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Vegan Snickers Recipe

Who else used Snickers as a meal replacement in high school and/or college?

I fell head first into the marketing ploy of "Hungry? Grab a Snickers." *shaking my head*

Just like the Reese's peanut butter cups I veganized the other day, conventional Snickers aren't vegan. 

No worries! I have a recipe for that. 

Cara at Forks and Beans put her all into this Snickers recipe.  There are multiple steps to achieve this sugary goodness, but it's well worth the effort. The taste and texture is very similar to regular Snickers.

Even though having a candy mold would have made the process easier (and my candy prettier), I'm so glad I couldn't find one at any of my local stores. My waistline doesn't have time for weekly Snicker sessions. lol

My tips:

*I used a 7x11 brownie pan because I don't own the suggested 8x8 size

*I think you can get away with using half of the measurements because the nougat and caramel are both stretchable and very sweet.

*I used the full measurements in the video and was able to make about 18 small bars. OMG! Sugar heaven. I put most of my batch in the freezer.

*I melted 3 cups of chocolate chips-used half on the bottom layer and the other half on the top

Watch me make the recipe below and head over to Forks & Beans for measurements and other details.

Tell Cara I sentcha! :-)

Subscribe to my Youtube channel for cooking videos, vlogs, reviews, and more.

Song playing while I cooked...

Maroon 5-Moves Like Jagger

Veganize it! Peanut Butter Cups

Unfortunately, most of the popular brands of chocolate candy in the grocery store aren't vegan. Many contain milk and other non-vegan ingredients.

Since Halloween is fast approaching, I've decided to veganize some of those popular candies. Even if you don't partake in the Halloween festivities, you can still have fun making your own sweet treats right at home.

You only need 4 ingredients to make this chocolate & peanut butter deliciousness - Coconut oil, cocoa powder, agave nectar, and peanut butter.

Very important: You must use unrefined or "raw" coconut oil in this recipe. If you don't, your peanut butter cups will be an oily mess. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why I couldn't get this simple recipe together, then realized it was all because of the coconut oil. *shaking my head*

Also, be sure to store in the refrigerator until you're ready to eat because the candy will melt at room temperature. 

All three kids agreed this candy is a winner and even asked me to make it again.  I guess all the candy they ate while I experimented wasn't good enough. lol I love my little guinea pigs. :-)

If you try this recipe, please update me and let me know what you think. 

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

by Brown Vegan

Ingredients (7-8 cups)

• 3/4 cup UNREFINED coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup cocoa or cacao powder
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (I use an organic peanut butter with sugar already added)

Instructions

In a bowl, whisk together coconut oil, cocoa powder and agave nectar.

Put cupcake liners into a freezer safe dish. Spoon 2 tbsp of the chocolate mixture into each liner.

Freeze uncovered for 10 minutes.

Afterwards, spread the peanut butter on top of each chocolate piece.

Then spoon 2 tbsp of chocolate sauce on top of each cupcake liner and freeze for 10 additional minutes.

Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Enjoy!

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On Wednesday I'm veganizing Snickers, so be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel below. 

Song playing while I uncooked.....

Easy Chocolate Pudding

All I need in this life of sin is a bowl of anything that includes chocolate. 

You know what annoys me about food blogs? When a recipe claims to be easy but has a trillion steps and a trillion more fresh ingredients that need to be chopped. I love to cook and don't mind the extra work, but even I look at some of these recipes and find that language so darn condescending.  It's like me saying this cinnamon roll recipe is easy.  Easy to who?

Anyway...I can say with confidence this chocolate pudding recipe is easy and guess what else? It's pretty darn good, too. 

All you need is 4 ingredients and a blender.

The avocados don't initially give the pudding an overwhelming flavor, but after 24 hours the taste is bitter (likely from the combination of avocado & cocoa powder) and the avocado flavor more pronounced.  

Be sure to update me when you try the recipe and watch me make it below on Youtube. 

If you have some leftovers avocados, a banana, and olive oil around make yourself a facial mask to moisturize your situation. 

Chocolate Pudding

by Brown Vegan

Prep Time: 10

Keywords: dessert vegan

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 5 avocados-peeled & pitted
• 1 cup of raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
• 1 cup of agave syrup
• 1 cup of almond milk (you may want to start with 1/2 cup and increase as needed)

Instructions

Add all ingredients into a blender and mix well. Add a little more almond milk (1 tbsp at a time) if your blender needs help combining the ingredients.

Eat immediately or serve chilled a few hours later.

Best if enjoyed within 24 hours

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Song playing while pitting the avocados...

Pleasure P-You Did Me Wrong

Y'all know there's always a song playing  :-)