Vegan Banana Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips

While on the phone with my sister the other day, she told me about this wonderful concoction that she made for breakfast.  Into her regular oatmeal, she mixed some banana and chocolate chips.  I suddenly got very quiet on my end of the phone.  After a few seconds, I proclaimed, "I can make that into a cookie!"  

The recipe has very little sugar or fat.  It is mostly held together with the bananas which keep the cookies quite moist.

Ingredients

3 mashed bananas (approximately 1 ¼ cup)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup shortening (Crisco)

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cup rolled oats (old fashioned or quick oats)

1 cup vegan chocolate chips

 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the mashed bananas, vanilla, and water.  Incorporate the shortening to the banana mixture.
3. Slowly incorporate the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until blended. 
4. Stir in the oats, followed by chocolate chips.
5. Rest the mixture for about 10 minutes to allow the rolled oats to soften.  If you are using quick oats, you can skip this step.
6. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes.

 Makes approximately 18 medium-sized cookies.

Vegan Spiced Chocolate Brownies

3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons milled flax seed
1 ¼ cups sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup espresso or strong coffee
 ½ cup vegan chocolate chips

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup wheat flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line an 8”x8” cake pan with greased parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the milled flax seed and water and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

To the flax seed mixture, add the sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla.  I used a spoon to combine all of my ingredients.  The batter gets a little thick so it was easier to use a spoon than a mixer.

Combine the hot espresso and the chocolate chips in order to melt the chocolate chips.  Add the espresso/chocolate chip mixture to the wet ingredients.  Melting the chocolate chips in this way makes the brownies extra fudgy.  

Sift together the cocoa powder, spices, baking soda, salt, and flour.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  The mixture will be quite thick.

Spoon out the batter into the lined baking cake pan.

Bake for 25-28 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  (Since it is vegan, you can underbake them just slightly to make the brownies a little more moist)

Vegan Chocolate Covered Espresso Bean Brownie Recipe

I have been making so many cupcakes lately that when I typed the name of this recipe, I accidentally typed "cupcakes" instead of "brownies", and that is the type of experience you have to look forward to when you make this recipe.  It's packed full of chocolate, sugar, and caffeine, but it isn't all bad because it has flax seeds and flax seeds lower cholesterol.  That makes them healthy, right?

I may not sleep tonight, but rest assured that these brownies are delicious.

Yeah, ok, maybe I should just go ahead and post the recipe before this stream of consciousness rant turns into some sort of manifesto.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons milled flax seed
1 ¼ cups sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup espresso or strong coffee
 ½ cup vegan chocolate chips

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt

½ cup chocolate covered espresso beans (cut into pieces if they are large)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line an 8”x8” cake pan with greased parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the milled flax seed and water and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

To the flax seed mixture, add the sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla.  I used a spoon to combine all of my ingredients.  The batter gets a little thick so it was easier to use a spoon than a mixer.

Combine the hot espresso and the chocolate chips in order to melt the chocolate chips.  Add the espresso/chocolate chip mixture to the wet ingredients.  Melting the chocolate chips in this way makes the brownies extra fudgy.  

Sift together the cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and flour.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  The mixture will be quite thick.

When the wet and dry ingredients have been incorporated together, add the espresso beans.

Spoon out the batter into the lined baking cake pan.

Bake for 28-32 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  (Since it is vegan, you can underbake them just slightly to make the brownies a little more moist)

 


Eat the whole pan and never sleep again!

Vegan Rum-Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

In my efforts to incorporate more booze into my life, I made cornbread muffins with a hint of bourbon.  This time I went for dark rum in a chocolate cupcake.  They are delicious.


Cupcake Ingredients
1 cup demerara sugar*
1/3 cup coconut oil (or veg oil)**
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup rice milk***

1/2 cup dark rum
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup golden raisins, raisins, or chocolate chips (or a combination)


Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan paper baking cups.

Beat together the coconut oil and sugar. Mix in the rice milk, cider vinegar, dark rum, and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, combine the cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour.  When all of the dry ingredients have been combined, slowly add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients.

When the wet and dry ingredients have been incorporated together, mix in your raisins/chocolate chips.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan.

Bake for 18-22 minutes.

I topped mine with buttercream to which I added the zest of four small limes and the juice of one lime.

*I think that demerara sugar adds a richness to the recipe.  If you don't have demerara sugar, use 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of white sugar.

**I use coconut oil because I like the texture and body that it adds to the recipe, but canola or vegetable oil would also work. 

*** You can use any milk substitute for this.  I use rice milk because it's what I use on my cereal.

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Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegan butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening (I used Crisco)

3 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine, shortening, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the water and vanilla.  Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Add the chocolate chips.

Shape the dough into walnut-sized balls and place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet. 

Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes.

Makes approximately 45 cookies.


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