vegan desserts – The Vegan Love Project

Gluten Free Apple Pie with Cinnamon Crumble Topping

I can’t believe this crust, I can’t believe this pie, and I can’t believe I made it….It’s SO FRICKEN DELICIOUS.

Served topped with Coconut Bliss Vanilla Ice Cream.…to die for….

Gluten Free Apple Pie with Crumble Topping

Crust:

1T cold vegan butter

4T cold coconut oil

1-1/4c Bobs Red Mill GF All Purpose Flour, or your favorite GF mix.

1/4t pink salt

1/4c coconut sugar

4-6T ice cold water

Sift the GF flour, sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the cold butter and oil in 1T scoops and cut the oil into the flour using two knives or a pastry cutter. The end result should look like a sandy crumb or meal. There should not be any large chunks of oil; you want smallish bead sized bits of fat encased in the flour.

Add ice water 1T at a time using a wooden spoon to mix it in, grabbing the flour as you go. Only add as much water as you need to help it come together to form a ball.

With the soft dough, gently work it to form a ½ inch thick disc. Lay the disc into your pie dish or tartlet pans and gently use your hands to form it into the pan, working the crust up along the sides. Gently coax it from the center out working to get it the dough evenly spaced and as uniformly thick as possible all around on the bottom and sides- feel for thickness as you spin the pan. Work the dough up the sides of the pie dish. You can leave a straight no fuss edge or I like to make a curve design by pressing my knuckle in between the pie dough and my finger knuckle.

Place the crust into the fridge for 15-20 minutes to allow it to firm up.

Filling:

4 Pounds Firm Apples (8-9), peeled, cored, sliced

2/3c maple syrup

1 lemon, juiced

1 drop DoTerra Lemon Essential Oil– or food grade essential oil

3T virgin coconut oil

2-3T Bobs Red Mill GF All Purpose Flour

1T cinnamon

1/4t pink salt- more if desired

Mix all of the ingredients together; the apple slices, lemon juice, essential oil, maple syrup, coconut oil, cinnamon and salt and set aside.

*Do not put filling into the fridge just before spooning into the crust, as the oil will set up.

Crumb Topping:

2/3c Bobs Red Mill GF All Purpose Flour

2/3c coconut sugar

3T coconut oil- solid or chilled

1T cinnamon

1/4t pink salt

In small bowl mix together the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add the chilled coconut oil and cut in using a fork or two knives, mix until you have a course, crumb.

Assembly

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Make sure the oven is hot prior to adding the pie!!!

Take the prepared crust out from the refrigerator.

Using a slotted spoon, layer in the apples, heaping them in the center. Sprinkle all of the Crumble Topping over the whole pie. Using a solid spoon, ladle in all of the juices from the apples over the top.

Reduce the heat to 375 degrees

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the topping is golden browned and apple filling is bubbling.

Wait at least 30-40 minutes prior to serving. AMAZING with Coconut or vegan Vanilla ice cream.

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Fudge Peanut Butter Cookies 2015

Officially my new favorite cookie…I know I just said that the last time with the the Gluten Free Double Fudge Walnut Brownie Cookies but seriously, there is nothing like peanut butter and chocolate together….NO ONE WOULD NO NOTHIN about this cookie other than it KICKS TOTAL ASS. It makes a lot of these badass muthers so feel free to 1/2 the recipe so as not to eat THE ENTIRE batch on your own…Also think of the possibility of ice cream sandwiches….SERIOUSLY???????

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Fudge Peanut Butter Cookies 2015
makes 22-24 cookies

1/3c all purpose GF flour – I use Bob’s All Purpose GF Flour

1/2c rolled oats- to be buzzed
1/2c +2T cocoa powder
1/2c sucanat, maple or date sugar
3/4c vegan chocolate chips
1/2t baking powder
1/2t salt
—-
1/2c +2T maple syrup
1/4c +2T coconut oil, melted, cooled
1c crunchy peanut butter

1t vanilla
—

Preheat oven to 350º

—

Process the oats in a food processor until they are the consistency of coarse flour.

In a small bowl, mix all of the wet ingredients together, the peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla.

In a separate, larger bowl, place all of the dry ingredients; sucanat, and the chocolate chips. In the same bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Sifting isn’t absolutely necessary but it insures there won’t be clumps of flour or worse, chunks of salt, in the batter.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and with a spatula mix until everything is well incorporated.

Using a 1 ounce ice cream scoop or two spoons, scoop out a generous heaping tablespoon of batter onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Scoop or spoon out onto baking sheet with space in between. Gently flatten out each cookie with the bottom of a dry measure or glass. Using a fork, create the traditional crosshatch on top of each cookie.

Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the pan (s) and continue to bake for another 5 minutes or until crisped around the edges. Let cool for at 2-3 minutes on the pan and then remove them to a cooling rack.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge. They are delicious both cold and room temperature,

Perfect Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie

This pie is DELICIOUS. I mean, seriously good. Serve it up with some Coconut Whipped Topping or a side of vegan vanilla ice cream…..I love love love this pie. Happy Holidays!!!!

Perfect Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie

The Filling:

1 1/3c pumpkin puree (1 15-ounce can or cooked pumpkin puree)

1/4c maple syrup

1/4c maple sugar

1/2c unsweetened cashew cream (1/4c cashews/ 1c water blended)

1T coconut oil

2t pumpkin spice (or choose a mix of allspice, clove, ginger, cinnamon & nutmeg)

2T Kudzu root (blended in the cashew milk)

2”piece of fresh ginger

1/2″ piece of fresh turmeric

1T fresh lemon juice (omit if fresh is not available)

1/4t pink salt

1t vanilla

—

The Crust:

3T cold vegan butter

3T cold coconut oil

1-1/4c Bobs Red Mill GF All Purpose Flour, or your favorite GF mix.

1/4t pink salt

3T maple sugar

4-6T ice cold water

Prepare the Pie Crust:

You can make both the filling and the crust ahead of time- the crust you can make a day or two in advance and keep in the fridge. If you are preparing in one day, make the crust, chill it and then prepare the filling. Your dough should be ready to roll out after about 30 minutes in the fridge.

Add ice water 1T at a time using a wooden spoon to mix it in, grabbing the flour as you go. Only add as much water as you need to help it come together to form a ball.

Once a loose ball of dough is formed, transfer onto a piece of plastic wrap and work gently with your hands to form a ½” thick round. Wrap firmly and chill for a minimum 20 minutes, you can prepare and store for up to 2 days. Let it warm back up a little before using but not quite to room temp. You don’t want it too warm or it can get too soft to handle.

I uniformly press the hell out of it into the pie plate and then let it set for 10 minutes prior to filling.

Prepare the filling:

In a blender or vitamix, make the cashew cream (1c water/ 1/4c cashews) and pour 1/2c of the cream into a small glass.

Add the kudzu root and mix with a spoon until most of the root is dissolved. Add this into the blender with the rest of the ingredients.

In the same blender, add the all of the ingredients including the kudzu cashew cream slurry. Blend until completely smooth and creamy- taste it and adjust the flavors (more vanilla, more sweet, more ginger, more spice etc.). Set aside and roll out your dough.

To roll out the crust, unwrap the disc and place it between two sizable layers of wax paper (plastic wrap will work OK, but is a little more difficult to work with). Use a rolling pin to gently roll it into the shape of your pie pan. It will crack, don’t worry, you will mostly be pressing this into the pie plate with your hands- you just want to get the dough as thin as possible before hand. Any holes or cracks you can patch with no problem.

To transfer the crust, remove the top layer of wax paper and gently lay the pie dish face down on top of the crust and use the support of the wax paper to quickly but carefully flip it as center as possible over the pie pan.

Once in the pan, gently use your hands to form it into the pan, working the crust up along the sides. Try to get the pie up as uniformly as possible all around. You can leave a straight no fuss edge or I like to make a curve design by pressing my right knuckle in between the pie dough and my left pointer finger knuckle and thumb.

Pour the filling into piecrust and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until it smells and looks done. The crust should be golden brown and the filling will still be just a bit soft and have beautiful cracking on the top. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before transferring to the refrigerator to set. Refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours, preferably overnight.

Perfect Gluten Free Crust

So I used an all purpose GF flour that usually has a bitter taste to it- I am telling you- you can not tell that this is a GF crust- it is certainly not the same as a crust made with traditional pastry flour HOWEVER…this shit is BOMB. I mean, the taste was yummy, it was crunchy, it didn’t get gummy…I LOVED IT! Because there is no gluten in the dough, you don’t have to be so precious with it, don’t man handle it for Christ’s sake but you don’t have to worry about your dough toughening up if you over work it.

Perfect Gluten Free Crust

3T cold vegan butter

3T cold coconut oil

1-1/4c Bobs Red Mill GF All Purpose Flour, or your favorite GF mix.

1/4t pink salt

3T maple sugar

4-6T ice cold water

Sift the GF flour, sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the cold butter and oil in 1T scoops and cut the oil into the flour using two knives or a pastry cutter. The end result should look like a sandy crumb or meal. There should not be any large chunks of oil, you want smallish bead sized bits of fat encased in the flour.

Add the ice water, 1T at a time using a wooden spoon to mix it in, grabbing the flour as you go. Only add as much water as you need to help it come together to form a ball. Don’t smash the dough, think of it more as collecting it into a ball.

Once a loose ball of dough is formed, transfer it out onto a piece of plastic wrap and work it gently with your hands to form a 1/2 inch thick disc. Wrap and chill for 15-20 minutes. If not using right away you can store it for a couple of days tighlty wrapped in plastic wrap. Let it warm back up a little before using but not quite to room temp. You don’t want it too warm or it can get too soft to handle.

To roll out the crust, unwrap the disc and place it between two good size layers of wax paper (plastic wrap will work OK, but is a little more difficult to work with). Use a rolling pin to gently roll it into the shape of your pie pan. It will crack, don’t worry, you will mostly be pressing this into the pie plate with your hands- you just want to get the dough as even and thin as possible before hand. Any holes or cracks you can patch up with more dough with no problem.

To transfer the crust into your pie dish, remove the top layer of paper and gently lay it over the pie dish face down on top of the crust- use the support of the wax paper to quickly but carefully flip it as center as possible over the pie pan.

Once in the pan, it is mostly about evenly distributing the dough. Gently use your hands to form it into the pan, working the crust up along the sides. Try to get the pie up as uniformly as possible all around. You can leave a straight no fuss edge or I like to make a curve design by pressing my right knuckle in between the pie dough and my left pointer finger knuckle and thumb.

I uniformly press the hell out of it into the pie plate and then let it set for 10 minutes prior to filling.

For a pre-baked crust, put this into a 350 degree preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. If you are making a pie where the recipe calls to bake the crust and the filling together, pour the filling into pie crust and bake for anywhere from 30-40 minutes, depending on the filling.

Wheat-Free Pumpkin Crumb Cake

This is a delicious way to use up some of the fall loving pumpkin that is everywhere in every recipe October-November! It has a perfect sweetness that is delicious served with tea or a cup of your favorite something hot. I tried using coconut oil for the entire cake the first time making it but because of the nature of the oil, it spread out more than I wanted, losing the crumb. It is also possible because I was rushing and didn’t melt the oil prior so it broke down when it hit the heat. For the next batch I used safflower oil and it came out exquisitely- perfect little cinnamon clusters of yum all over the top. I didn’t add ginger to this recipe- I am sure it would be fantastic but I was feeling for something more low key in flavor- not to compete with the traditional cinnamon kick. You could easily sub out the flour for unbleached pastry flour to give it that traditional two tone look- for me, I like to maintain any nutritional value when possible and in flavor, it is definitely not missed.

Pumpkin Crumb Cake

Crumb Topping:

1/3c+1T barley flour

1/4c + 1T maple sugar or coconut sugar

1T cinnamon

1/4t pink salt

3T safflower oil or melted coconut oil

1/4c chopped walnuts

Cake:

1-1/2c barley flour

3/4c maple sugar

1t baking soda

1t baking powder

1/2t salt

1T cinnamon

1/4t nutmeg

1/2t allspice

–

1/4c coconut oil

3/4c pumpkin puree

2” fresh ginger- grated *optional

3/4c nut milk

1t vanilla

1 lemon- juiced

—

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 8×8 pan or 6 muffin tin/ containers.

For the Crumb Topping:

In a bowl sift the sugar, flour and spices together until they are well incorporated. Add in the nuts if using. Using a knife or a fork, drizzle in the the oil and loosely create clumps of sugar until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs; set aside.

Prepare the dry ingredients by sifting them into a large mixing bowl: the barley flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, spices, and maple sugar.

In another small bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients; the pumpkin, oil, *grated ginger, nut milk, lemon and the vinegar.

Mix the wet into the dry and pour into a well-oiled pan. Mix only until just incorporated- do not over mix.

Sprinkle the Crumb Topping over the entire surface of the pan and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan and continue to bake for another 5-10 minutes. Don’t let the Crumb topping burn!

Let cool in the pan on a rack for at least 15 minutes to 30. Once cool, cut into squares.

**You can bake this as a loaf. Layer in ½ of the batter then sprinkle in about 1/3rd of the crumb topping. With a knife swirl it into the bottom layer (I make an S and then rotate the pan and make another S) and then cover it with the remaining batter. Sprinkle the top with the remaining Crumb. It will take longer to bake- 35 minutes, rotate and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes. Let it cool completely before slicing into it.

Banana Walnut Bread

TO DIE FOR.

Banana Walnut Bread

wheat-free

1-1/2c barley flour

1/2c maple sugar

1/2c walnuts

1t baking soda

1t baking powder

1/2t salt

1T cinnamon

—

1T safflower oil

3T coconut oil

2 super ripe bananas, diced

3/4 nut milk

1t vanilla

1t brown rice vinegar

1t red wine vinegar

—

Topping:

3T maple sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a loaf pan or 6 muffin tin/ containers.

Prepare the dry ingredients by sifting them into a large mixing bowl; the barley flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and maple sugar. Add in the chopped walnuts.

In another small bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients; the bananas, oils, nut milk, and the vinegars.

Mix the wet into the dry and pour into a well-oiled pan. Mix only until just incorporated- do not overmix.

Sprinkle the maple sugar over the entire surface of the loaf and bake for 35 minutes. Rotate the pan and continue to bake for another 8-10 minutes.

Let cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes and then remove the loaf entirely to the rack to let cool. Once cool, you can place it back into the loaf pan.

For the loaf, let it cool thoroughly before attempting to slice into it.

RAW Lime Cashew Cheesecake with Local Blackberries (crustless)

I was just in the mood for the lime cheesy part so I chose to forgo the crust and pile fresh/ frozen blackberries from this summer on top instead. I have given the nut crust which really makes it SUPER awesome but is really not always necessary!

RAW Lime Cashew Cheesecake

1 1/2c raw cashews

1/4c raw honey or raw agave

1/4c coconut oil

1/4-1/3c water

2T cocoa butter

1/4t salt

Juice and zest of two limes

1t vanilla

Optional Nut crust

½c dehydrated raw almonds

2T raw agave

1T coconut oil

1/4t cinnamon

Prepare the Nut crust:

In a dry food processor or blender, whizz the nuts until a fine meal, turn out into a bowl and mix the other ingredients in. The mix should be moist, and hold it’s shape when pinched. In your serving dish, press the nut mix into the bottom and up the sides of the dish/pan. Set aside.

Prepare the filling:

In the same blender, add all of the ingredients for the filling and process until very smooth. Add 1/4c of water to start, more if you need to make it run smoothly. *If you’re mix is not entirely smooth, pass through a fine mesh sieve to remove any bits of nut.*optional

FRUIT TOPPING:

ANY fresh fruit slices!

Kiwi, Strawberries, Blueberries ETC

Pour the mixture into the prepared crust/dish/pan. If layering with fresh fruit, have the fruit ready to be arranged on top. Can also be served with fresh fruit at the time of serving.

Macerated berries- top the cake and swirl in before the set up.

Blackberries for Raw Cheesecake

1c frozen blackberries

1T Agave syrup

½ lemon, juiced

pinch salt

1/4t vanilla

—

In a bowl, combine all ingredients and let sit. Slightly mash with the back of a spoon.

Let stand and macerate for at least one 1/2 hour.

For a smoother finish, this can be placed in the blender or even partially blended.