Category Archives:  Desserts

Coconut Basil Ice Cream

If you like basil… and you like coconut, try this ice cream. Since I’m from the sticks, I very rarely get the treat of eating “gourmet” vegan ice cream.  So, I realize that this flavor may very well be played out… but this is some tasty stuff!

Yesterday I was thinking how a mango/basil sorbet would be killergood for lunch (yeah, it’s been one of those weeks), and it clicked. Basil ice cream! No frills, just pure and delicious basil-y goodness hyped up with a little coconut milk. Then I googled it and saw that a few other folks had thought of that one already. But, it’s a really good idea! Maybe even classic? I think it’s my new favorite flavor.

Or not. Nothing will replace vanilla bean in this gal’s heart… but a close second? Yeah, I’ll give it that.

This ice cream has just the right amount of oomph from the peppery and minty basil, and a dash of coconut flair to make it shine. Perfected with a drizzle of chocolate on top.

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Raspberry Pecan Tart

This humble little dessert turned out to be quite a big hit with my family. There’s just something about toasted pecans and tangy raspberry jam that make for a delectable combo. My husband likened it to an extremely delicious (and much more appealing) nutra-grain bar. Yeah, I can get behind that.

It’s easy to toss together, and even easier to eat much more than intended. This is some addictive stuff; serve with caution.

By the way, there are some incredible double milled GF flours available from Authentic Foods. I was first introduced to the ‘superfine brown rice flour’ by the wonderful Julie Hasson (accompanied by raving reviews of the stuff by miss Kittee). But you guys, guess what? The fine folks at Authentic Foods also make a superfine sorghum flour (oh yes, my dreams have come true!)… and it’s the bees knees. For serious. I have been using it in everything lately, and I really enjoyed the results when I used it in this tart. I highly recommend trying it out if you’re up for a superfine splurge. Otherwise, just stick to regular sorghum flour for this recipe–it won’t hurt anything.

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Chocolate Hazelnut Crispy Treats

I’ve been on a chocolate hazelnut butter kick lately.

Honestly, I don’t foresee that going away anytime soon. And yes, I realize I’m like ten years late on all the hype… but now I definitely get what all the fuss is about. That sh-tuff is goooood.

It’s been making its way into so many things in my kitchen (mostly a spoon and then my mouth, but hey).  My favorite so far: rice crispy treats. These don’t even need the chocolate on the outside they are so hardcore delicious. But, the silky smooth coating puts these babies over the top.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Tartlets

If you peruse the archives of Manifest Vegan, chances are you will find a ton of recipes calling for chocolate and peanut butter. That’s because both chocolate and peanut butter are easy winners in my book. The combo of the two makes for an undefeated champ; add pretzels and you have yourself a legendary dessert.

After I secured myself a nice bag of Glutino brand pretzels the other day (so excited as I hadn’t eaten pretzels in over a year!), I knew they would be the perfect crust for a pb & chocolate tart. If you’re gluten free and you haven’t tried these pretzels, look for them at your next grocery outing. They are so good!

If you too love a good choco-butter combo, make these tarts… your taste buds will forever thank you.

And, if you are feeling not so adventurous with the tarts, feel free to put the filling into small cups and garnish with crushed pretzels… still excellent!

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Triple Chocolate Pancakes

As I sit and type this post bright and early in the morning , I can honestly say that I have no desire to eat these pancakes for breakfast. Ever. Nothing at all against this recipe–in fact–I believe it to be a very good one. But these pancakes… are much more like “cakes” than your typical flapjack. The chocolate chips and ganache may or may not exaggerate this inherent quality.

Stacked up, they actually make a pretty decadent chocolate cake. With a moist and tender crumb, dark chocolate bits strewn throughout, and covered in thick silky ganache… it is definitely my kinda flapjack.

But, fair warning: eat these for dessert, not first thing in the morning. Unless you are some sort of hardcore chocolate devotee (in which I enthusiastiacally applaud you), you won’t find these very appealing with a glass of OJ. A tall glass of chilled almond milk, on the other hand, washes them down perfectly.

Oh! I almost forgot to mention that today is the last day of Pancake Week (thanks Marly!)… did you know? Kind of a bummer that I was only able to catch the tailend of the celebration, but it’s a good thing the internet is around to preserve the past week’s pancake contributions indefinitely. I intend on spending the day engaged in some serious pancake appreciation.

Cheers!

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Yeasted Mocha Muffins

These baked morsels are somewhat difficult to classify. On one hand they taste like a muffin, and on another, a sweet yeasted bread–yet they are so versatile, that by adding some mix-ins and a frosting, you could even get away with calling them a cupcake.

I personally think they taste like bread. My son voted cupcake. My daughter said “cookie” (okay, her 2 year old vocabulary isn’t very extensive and she calls anything sweet a cookie). I am positive my husband will think they taste just like a normal muffin.

I actually intended on doing something else, something more bready with this dough… but my plan was foiled since I didn’t have the ingredients handy to make what I originally intended.  One of those last minute “oh no!” moments.

So these muffins were born!

I decided to make them slightly mocha flavored (because I am a coffee fiend), but some fresh berries, nuts, or even chocolate chips would fare well in these. Heck, you could even halve the sugar, leave off any toppings and have a basic dinner roll!

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Thin Mintz

Recently I have been hearing mentions of it being “girl scout cookie time”, and although now I obviously abstain, I still get a little nostalgic thinking about my short lived years peddling those things. I was a girl scout for just five years… but in that time, I easily ate hundreds (no thousands) of girl scout cookies. I mean, I had to spend my allowance on something, right?  The flavor I loved the most was thin mints… by a long shot. I could crush an entire packet of those things in one sitting, without a single complaint from my belly. That’s like 30 cookies at once. We had a very serious relationship, thin mints and I.

Happily, I found my love re-kindled with a homemade version of the classic cookie. When I was making the ice cream sandwiches last week, I was thinking that the dough would make an excellent crunchy wafer if baked a little longer. Then I thought about how I could easily slip some minty flavor in there, dip it in chocolate and re-create my childhood cookie love. The rest is history.

These babies taste pretty damn good and authentic, if I do say so myself. No hydrogenated oils, gluten, or animal products needed.

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Banana Cream Pie

This recipe is a combination of this cheesecake I made a while back + an insatiable craving I’ve been having lately for some banana cream pie.

It is not at all what I remember my mother’s banana cream pie to taste like (I’m pretty sure she included shredded coconut and jello pudding in her version), but it certainly hit the spot. With cashew cream, walnuts, bananas and almonds… it has all the fixins for a proper pie.

Did I mention it practically makes itself?

Okay, it definitely gets a little help from a food processor. Still, it is very easy to make if you have one of those aforementioned fancy gadgets, and a little extra time to spare.

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Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sammies

I don’t think that this post needs a sentimental explanation as to why I actually wanted to create this recipe… because to me, it’s pretty self explanatory. Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches.  Nuff said.

Although, I will say that I have been cranking out some ice cream lately (yes, it’s still snowing here in Ohio), and I fell head over heels with this PB version I came up with. Smooshing the ice cream between two chocolate wafer cookies seemed like a logical evolution.

You can easily just make one of the recipes listed below, rather than combine them both, and still have an easy nostalgic treat.

Whether you go for the peanut butter ice cream, the chocolate wafer cookies, or both (and I highly recommend both) you will most certainly have a happy tummy.

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Almond Thumbprint Cookies

These cookies are as simple to make as they are beautiful.

Use any flavor of preserves you’d like in these…. I happen to really love the amber glow of the apricot preserves. A thicker jam or fruit preserve is key to having a uniform color puddle in your cookies. Sprinkle with a touch of confectioners sugar for the ultimate eye-popper.

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Vegan & Gluten Free Twixx

A few days ago, I got this hankering for a twix bar… or more likely a hankering to create a vegan and gluten free version of the popular candy that I grew to love as a child. I distinctly remember there being three varieties offered for sale in my small midwest village grocery store: peanut butter, cookies and cream, and caramel. I always loved each one for their own uniqueness… but for some reason, the caramel variety was my favorite.

Today, I barely remember what the darned things taste like… but I get the gist: a crunchy vanilla-ish cookie, creamy caramel, and a thin chocolate coating.

Easy enough, right?

Eh….

This recipe does take a little patience, finesse… and an even temper. But, it’s definitely worth a go if you too miss twix bars like I do *whether you are gluten free, vegan, or both*.

Not exactly the same, but close enough to be worth the little bit of extra effort.

(updated— the amazingly rational Kittee came through in the comments with a stellar idea to make these super easy! She had a ridiculously good suggestion to pipe on the caramel sticky filling using a piping bag and flat tip. Genius!) see * below

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White Chocolate Orange Blondies

So, if I’ve never told you all about my undying devotion for white chocolate, I figure this is a good place to begin. And if you are a newbie to white chocolate, this is a great recipe to get you turned on to it.

Ever since I can remember, I have been a white chocolate fanatic. Many people don’t particularly care for the stuff. But me? Oh, I’ll do just about anything for it; this includes spending $6 per slab on sub-par waxy white forgery. Recently though, I decided to put an end to this madness and just make my own damn white chocolate bars.

For starters, I ordered about 20 oz of 100% food grade cocoa butter. Not exactly cheap, but worth every penny.  Once I received my order, I promptly whipped up a giant bar of white chocolate, using a recipe by the insanely talented Hannah Kaminsky. It was simple and blissful…

Even though dark chocolate- with its smooth ebony skin and robust coffee and red wine-like aromas- is very very enticing, there is just something so pure and honest about a delicate bar of white chocolate. It’s like a superb vanilla ice cream with nothing to hide. No cover ups, no mix ins- white chocolate delivers just pure sultry cocoa butter flavor.

I also happen to be quite a devoted blondie fan; like the candy bar mentioned above, I prefer my brownie sans chocolate. I know you all probably think I am crazy.  But seriously, try this blondie and tell me if it is not the most glorious gluten-free & vegan blondie your tastebuds have ever encountered.

Well, that may be stretching it a tad, but I sure think these babies are worth their weight in cocoa butter.

They are perfectly chewy and blanketed with a paper thin layer of crunch that collapses delicately with each and every bite.  A touch of orange rind adds a little zing. Continue reading →

Vanilla Bean & Rum Ice Cream

Since it is two days before the new year, and most of us are already overwhelmed (and feeling sick) with all the holiday eats & treats that we have indulged in over the last few weeks, I am going overboard and uncorking an ice cream recipe. Boozey ice cream at that…

My husband really surprised me with a fancy-smancey ice cream maker this past weekend… for which I am completely psyched.  Ever since Sunday I have been using Cuisinart’s alchemy to turn all sorts of things into creamy deliciousness. My favorite so far has been a simple vanilla bean with a touch of rum. Because of the added alcohol, it doesn’t get quite as hard as a typical ice cream at first; but it does firm up nicely if given time.  Not suitable for the kiddos… but definitely a good reason to break out the sprinkles.

Or, if you are less insane than I… go ahead and stick this one in your Rolodex for when Summertime shows its beautiful face. Right now, the taste of coconut and rum is enough to send me into a pretend tropical paradise… freezing cold or not.

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Snickerdoodles

Although not a traditional holiday cookie, Snickerdoodles have long been a favorite of mine to bake once the ground becomes smothered with a heavy blanket of white snow. Every year I make these cookies (usually just once) and they are always a hit among the folks who are eating them.

Since shunning gluten last December, I hadn’t yet found the perfect opportunity to try my hand at a gf Snickerdoodle.

Until today.

I giddily awoke to a snow shower producing a hefty amount of snow which was quickly covering up another hefty amount of snow that had fallen a few days ago. Now it seemed like the perfect weather for a Snickerdoodle.

And so it was. Using a combination of millet and sorghum flours, I’d have to say that they turned out pretty darn well.

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