Pumpkin Brownies

I bring you yet another pumpkin baked good. At this point, it's a miracle I haven't turned into a pumpkin. I saw these on Oh She Glows and wanted to give them a try. I refused to let these sit around my kitchen, tempting me with their dark deliciousness, so I brought some into work. Omni Mom did not like the texture, but just about everyone else said they loved them! And for what it's worth, I think they're pretty good, too. ;]

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Brownie Layer:

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, softened
• 3/4 cup white kamut flour (or white)
• 1.5 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp cornstarch (or arrowroot/tapioca)
• 1/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Pumpkin Pie Layer:

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 tbsp cornstarch (or arrowroot/tapioca)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp almond milk
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg)
• Shaved chocolate, for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a muffin tin.

2. For brownie layer: In a stand mixer or by hand, mix together the coconut oil, pumpkin, vanilla, and sugar until blended well. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking, soda, sea salt and mix until incorporated. Take about 2 tbsp of the mixture and place in muffin tin. Wet fingers and spread around evenly so it is smooth. I made 8 large cupcakes and 2 small ones.

Brownie batter.

3. For pumpkin layer: In a large bowl mix together the pumpkin, vanilla, and milk. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well until all clumps are gone. Now add approx 1.5-2 tbsp of the pumpkin pie mixture on top of each brownie in the pan. Garnish with grated chocolate (I used a lemon zester to grate the chocolate).

Layering the pumpkin.

4. Bake for 30 minutes at 350F. Remove from oven and cool for 20-30 minutes and then move to the fridge to chill for 1.5 hours.

Ready for the oven!

5. Serves approx 8-10. I made 8 large cupcakes and 2 small ones (for kids). Enjoy with vegan vanilla ice cream.

This is what I did at work the other day. I love working with pre-k, but especially around holidays. For some of my students, the activities we do, like carving pumpkins, are the first time they experience something like this. And for most of them, regardless of their previous experiences, this is when they start forming memories of this sort of thing. It's really fun to be a part of it, and seeing how excited they get over things like this makes holiday activities even more enjoyable for me. 

Pumpkin Spiced Donuts

Today has been a nice, lazy Sunday so far. I wanted a yummy breakfast with minimal work. These donuts fit the bill perfectly. The recipe comes from Oh She Glows, and yields 12 regular sized donuts. Mom, Matthew, and Mandi tried them, and everyone said they were yummy, too!

You'll need:

• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar (white vinegar may work)
• 6 tbsp non-dairy milk
• 1/2 cup fresh or canned pureed pumpkin
• 1/4 cup organic cane sugar (or white)
• 3 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tbsp lightly packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Earth Balance (or other non-dairy butter substitute), melted
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon + 1/2 tsp ginger, + 1/4 tsp nutmeg (or 1.75 tsp pumpkin pie spice)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

Cinnamon Sugar:

• 1/4 cup Earth Balance (or other butter sub), melted (approx estimate only)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease two mini doughnut pans or two regular sized doughnut pans with Earth Balance (or other butter substitute).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, milk, pumpkin, sugar, applesauce, brown sugar (sift if clumpy), and melted Earth Balance (or other butter sub). 
3. Sift in in the dry ingredients (baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt, and flours). Mix until just combined. I didn’t sift as I was lazy.
4. Using a ‘zip-lock’ baggie or pastry bag, spoon the batter into the bag and then secure it with the zip lock or rubber band. Twist the bag slightly and then cut off a hole at the corner to ‘pipe’ out the batter. Pipe the dough around the circle and gently flatten down with slightly wet fingers to smooth. Repeat.
5. Bake  for 10-12 minutes at 350F or until they gently spring back when touched. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully using a butter knife to remove. Place on cooling rack for another 10-15 minutes.
6. Cinnamon Sugar: Melt Earth Balance in a small bowl and dip the cooled doughnuts into butter one at a time. Transfer the dipped doughnut into a bag with the cinnamon sugar and shake until coated thoroughly. Doughnuts keep for 2-3 days.

In other, non-food news: meet Squirt!

Two friends of mine found three stray kittens under their shed yesterday. Most shelters were already closed for the day, and not sure what to do with them, they called me. Despite how insanely cute they were, I was unable to keep any. Luckily, though, Matthew took one. He's been looking for a kitten for several weeks now, so this was perfect! Squirt is super cute and sweet; I'll be sad to see him leave today.

S'more Pops!

The recent drop in temperature is a harsh reminder that summer is over, but instead of dwelling on the fact that it's so cold I feel like my toes might freeze off (see? I'm not just being a wimp), I like to think of my favorite things of fall: Halloween, apples, bonfires. In my mind, "bonfires" is synonymous with "smores," so when I saw this recipe for smore pops in facebook, I knew I had to veganize it. With a few simple substitutions, this is easily made vegan-friendly. And while I made this batch in my kitchen over my gas stove, I couldn't help but think of nights spent with friends, gathered around a fire and hanging out. I hope such a night is in my near future!

To recreate these, you'll need:
marshmallows (I used Dandies)
chocolate (I used Whole Foods vegan chocolate chips)
graham crackers, crushed
lollipop sticks
styrofoam block

The method could not be any easier:
1. Put two (or three, since they're tiny compared to non-vegan marshmallows) marshmallows on each stick.
2. Melt chocolate in bowl.
3. Lay out crushed graham cracker crumbs on plate.
4. Toast marshmallows over stove. Dip in chocolate, roll in graham cracker.
5. Let dry/set in styrofoam block.

I wrapped up mine and brought most of them to work. I didn't want to be responsible for eating all of them. Several of my non-vegan co-workers tried them and agreed that these were super tasty!

Birthday Cake in a Jar

Two of my favorite co-workers share their birthdays, and I wanted to make them this insanely cute cake in a jar. Much to my dismay, the coloring didn't quite turn out like I'd planned. The flavor was fantastic, and the centers of the cake were wonderfully colorful, but the outsides weren't too cute. See?

Delicious? Yes. Cute enough to gift to two friends? Absolutely not.

I tried again, going to painstaking lengths to ensure beautiful and even layering... and yielded similar results. So I gave up, make a double batch of vanilla cupcake batter from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, added some sprinkles and dyed buttercream frosting, and called it a day. The cake turned out decent enough to give them away, but I'm hellbent on getting that rainbow cake right... Any suggestions, fellow bakers?

I had enough leftover to pack a tiny one for my lunch, too!

Now it's time to get ready for the weekend, hooray! I'm going to Gettysburg to visit a friend from high school. On the way to work this morning, it occurred to me that Julie and I have been friends for about 10 years now, which just seems crazy to me. I'm looking forward to seeing her, and we've got plans for pumpkin penne and an apple festival!

What are your plans for the weekend? Headed out anywhere? Hanging around the house? Whatever you do, I hope your weekend is fun and safe!

Double Chocolate, Single Chin Brownies

My vegan readers will understand what I mean when I say finding a good vegan brownie is a damn miracle. Too often I've had terrible, dry, hard brownies that warranted a few choice words, especially on days when I just wanted a warm, chocolately, moist, soft brownie.

This recipe from Peas and Thank You isn't exactly the same as non-vegan brownies, but it satisfies my three requirements: soft, moist, chocolatey.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Rice Krispie Treats

This recipe comes from Avery over at Love Veggies and Yoga. All I can say in response to this picture is nomnomnom.

Labor Day Wrap Up

Hello! I hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend, and found yourselves doing nothing resembling laboring. I took full advantage of summer's final weekend (in my mind), and my last free weekend until December 21. Between Labor Day and now, I've attended one class and looked at the syllabus for the other (Labor Day postponed the first day of my Monday class). All I can say is this semester is going to be intense. But let's not spoil the mood by thinking of these boring and laborious tasks (har har).

Instead, let's revisit my relaxing and fun weekend. I had a family cookout on Saturday. Getting together at my aunt's house for grilling, pool time, and some volleyball is a pretty typical weekend activity, and Labor Day was no exception! Remember when I talked about my big, fat Jones family? Getting to see everyone is the #1 reason I love said cookouts.

I planned to make cake pops and veggie kabobs, because I love food on a stick. Putting together the veggie  kabobs was so easy, and the marinade was really yummy. And when it came time to grill them, my fabulous uncle put down foil to accommodate his vegan niece. Thanks, Uncle Jimmy!

The cake pops, however, did not turn out so well. The cake was quite moist, and the coating was too runny. The problem may have been that I didn't cool the cake long enough. I'm impatient, sue me. Or, the problem may have been that I dropped a sizable hunk of cake on the floor and had to chuck it. The problem may also have been the fact that I misread the amount of coconut oil required for the coating. 

Frosting...

...to be mixed into the cake.

Looking moist and questionable.

I forged ahead with the cake pops, and then the coconut oil incident happened. After the second cake pop refused to cooperate, I gave up the idea of eating cake on a stick. 

Rebellion!

So I ended up just drizzling on the coating and sprinkling them that way. People loved them, and I got lots of, "OMG, these are vegan?!" comments. I guess that's a good sign. But these are so darn cute, I refuse to accept defeat. Expect an attempt at redemption in the near future.

Dakota thoroughly enjoyed her weekend, too. She got to visit her favorite person, my dad. I like how he is the favorite, and yet I pay all her bills, walk her religiously, spoil her rotten, and pick up the poop. I brought her to the cookout, too, and she had the best time getting all the pets and rubs she could ever dream of. 

o hai mama!

I spent Sunday at the Pax River Naval Air Station where the Blue Angels performed. My camera died before they performed, so I was only able to capture some pictures of the other acts. Still, it was neat to see the different stunts and spend time with my family. And I was able to get some sun on my otherwise glow-in-the-dark white skin.

Baby brother!

He only wore sunglasses to protect his eyes from the glare off my skin.

You should probably grab a pair, too.

How did you spend your Labor Day? Any end-of-summer traditions for you? I want to hear about them! As much as I love summer, I'm looking forward to cooler weather, fall produce, and one of my favorite holidays: Halloween!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

If you're expecting a Labor Day-related post right now, I'd say that's a reasonable expectation. Unfortunately, I have no brain power to put together that post. Instead, I bring you a post that I've been holding onto for more than a week. Please forgive me.

Ocean City is a popular vacation destination in Maryland, and one of the first things I think of when I think Ocean City is "Candy Kitchen," featuring the most delicious fudge, salt water taffy, and other confections.

I obviously haven't ventured into a Candy Kitchen in about three and a half years, but I had a serious hankerin' for fudge a couple of weekends ago.

So I indulged.

The base for the fudge. 

Approximately 238 pounds of confectioner's sugar,

with some Earth Balance and soymilk.

Setting the pb while I made the chocolate.

After setting for about two hours.

It came out really, really yummy. The texture and flavor was almost identical to (how I remember) Candy Kitchen's fudge, which made me wonder, "Do they use this much sugar when making fudge?"

But I don't really care. And neither did Omni Mom, who also thought this was tasty. Find the recipe here!