Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream Pie

My sister Emily and I used to have a pretty good system down for splitting slices of Dairy Queen ice cream cake: she'd eat both of our frosted vanilla ice cream layers, and I'd get the fudge-topped chocolate ice cream layers.  Fellow chocolate-lovers can surely understand why that arrangement worked for me.   

This ice cream pie recipe takes things to the next level, swapping out vanilla for peanut butter.  It starts with a chocolate graham cracker crust. Then, chocolate peanut butter ice cream filling is topped with chocolate peanut butter fudge and garnished with chopped peanuts.

Ice cream pie

Recipe:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream Pie

Crust:

• 2.5 cups vegan graham cracker crumbs (I crushed graham crackers in the food processor)
• 1 teaspoon honey (or agave)
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup shortening, softened

Peanut Butter Fudge Topping:

• 1/4 cup agave
• 1/4 cup honey (or more agave)
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup plain organic soymilk
• 5 ounces Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips

Filling:

• 1 heaping tablespoon arrowroot powder
• 3/4 cup plain organic soymilk
• 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 5 ounces Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 12 ounces vanilla flavored, coconut milk-based, vegan yogurt
• 3 pints So Delicious Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Coconut Milk Dairy-Free Frozen Dessert, softened

Garnish:

• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

First, make the crust.  Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, honey, cocoa powder, and shortening in a medium bowl until well-combined.  Pour the mixture into a 10-inch springform pan and press onto the bottom and most of the way up the sides of the pan.  Set aside.

Then, make the peanut butter fudge topping. Pour the agave and honey into a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 5-7 minutes.  The mixture should bubble and get a bit darker in color.  Remove from heat and add the peanut butter, soymilk, and chocolate chips.  Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.  Set aside and allow to cool.

Next, make the ice cream filling. In a medium saucepan, heat the arrowroot powder and soymilk on medium-low heat, whisking frequently, until simmering.  Remove from heat, and whisk in the cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and peanut butter until well combined.  Then stir in the yogurt.  Transfer this mixture to a large bowl, and add in the ice cream.  Use an electric mixer to beat the mixture until all ingredients are combined and the mixture appears light and fluffy. 

Now, assemble the pie.  Pour the filling into the crust, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze the pie for one hour.  After an hour, remove the pie from the freezer, remove the plastic wrap, and spread on the peanut butter fudge topping.  Top with chopped peanuts.

Allow the pie to chill in the freezer for another 8 hours (overnight) to set completely.

Remove the pie from the freezer at least 15 minutes before serving.  Run a knife around the inside of the spring form pan to loosen the pie, and then release the spring form ring from the bottom of the pan.  Cut the pie using a knife that has been run under hot water, and serve. 

Comments:

Taste:           

YUM.  This ice cream pie is a chocolate peanut butter lover's dream, even though the peanut butter flavor is somewhat subtle.  The rich, gooey, peanut buttery fudge topping is the star of the pie, in my opinion.  I also enjoyed the variety of textures throughout the pie: the crumbly crust, smooth ice cream filling, and crunchy peanut garnish complement each other well.  The only thing I'd change is the crust -- it was a bit too crumbly, but I think softening the shortening before using it (as I wrote in the recipe above) will help fix that.

Accessibility:         

This is an expensive dish to make.  Unfortunately, vegan ice cream is not yet fully mainstream; so, it's both difficult to find (we went to Whole Foods) and quite expensive.  We also had to get vegan yogurt at Whole Foods.

 Ease of Preparation:        

Each individual step in this recipe isn't too difficult, but it does take a long time to make (freezing overnight will do that to you).  At least you can lick the spoons/bowls used for preparation immediately!

Non-vegan friendliness:            

I haven't had an ice cream cake in years, so it's hard to compare this version to the "real thing." Simon says that it doesn't taste quite like ice cream, but it's still very good. 

Raw Brownies

It's no secret that I haven't been blogging much (at all) recently.  But, a couple nights ago I made something that inspired me to get my act together and write about it: raw brownies!

I've never gone out of my way to make a raw dish before.  To me, cooking/baking is half of the fun of eating, after all.  But, after I brought in a batch of my Fudgy Brownies to work several weeks ago (they received rave reviews, I'm happy to say), one of my coworkers passed along one of her favorite brownie recipes from My New Roots.  I thought I'd give it a try, and I'm glad I did!

Fruits, nuts, and chocolate -- in brownie form.

The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity.  As you can see below, it calls for just five ingredients.  I slightly altered the ingredients list from the original version by swapping out almonds for hazelnuts, so here's my version.

Recipe:
Raw brownies

• 2 cups walnuts
• 1 cup cocoa powder (I used a blend of Dutch cocoa and black cocoa)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2.5 cups Medjool dates, pitted
• 1 cup chopped hazelnuts

First, line a baking dish with parchment paper or lightly grease the pan (any size dish will do -- a larger dish will yield thinner brownies, and vice versa).

Then, place the walnuts in a food processor and blend until they are finely ground. Add the cocoa and salt, and pulse until combined.

Next, while the food processor is running, add the dates one at a time through the feed tube.  Blend until combined.  The mixture is ready when it looks crumbly, yet holds together when pressed between your fingers (if it's too crumbly and won't hold together, add more dates).

Finally, using a spoon or your hands, mix together the chocolate mixture and the hazelnuts in a large bowl.  Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.  

Store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve. Yields 1 pan of brownies. 

Comments:

Taste:           

These brownies have the rich, chocolatey flavor we all look for in a good brownie, while having something else to offer: a subtle, fruity sweetness. The dates provide for a fudgy, moist texture, and the nuts add a nice crunch to each bite.  Also, I want to point out that people who are unfamiliar with dates shouldn't shy away from this recipe!  I can't remember the last time I ate a date, but I do know that I enjoyed these brownies.

Accessibility:               

Between the nuts and the Medjool dates, these brownies aren't cheap.  However, my coworker who's made these brownies a few times emphasized to me the importance of using high-quality dates. Luckily, I was able to find Medjool dates at the store.

 Ease of Preparation:        

As long as you have a food processor or blender, these brownies are a piece of cake to make.  There's nothing better than whipping up a batch of brownies and being able to eat some right away.

Non-vegan friendliness:             

The only reason I give these a low carrot rating is because they couldn't really pass for typical, baked brownies.  For example, Simon commented that the brownies' texture reminded him of the inside of a fig newton, and as a result, he wasn't as enthusiastic about them. So, I wouldn't serve them as a replacement for baked brownies -- instead, I'd serve them in all of their raw, vegan goodness.  I bet any raw or vegan food skeptic would be shocked to learn that these rich brownies are both dairy- and heat-free!

Frozen Peanut Butter Banana Whip

I've been looking forward to trying out this recipe for banana-based "ice cream" for some time now.  (Click here for the recipe, which I followed as written.)  It contains just two ingredients: bananas and peanut butter.  It turns out that bananas have some pretty amazing properties when frozen--properties that are perfect for creating naturally-sweet frozen treats! 

A bowl of whip.

Comments:

Taste:           

Unfortunately, this banana whip did not live up to my expectations in a couple ways.  First, the peanut butter flavor was definitely overpowered by the banana flavor.  The banana flavor is nice, but it's not what the recipe promises.  Second, I thought the texture of the whip was a bit gummy, or almost too thick.  If I make this dish again, I might blend in a tiny bit of soymilk to make it a bit lighter. 

Accessibility:            

It's hard to beat a recipe with just two ingredients--especially when one of the ingredients is old fruit and the other is a pantry staple! 

 Ease of Preparation:      

This recipe requires a bit of advanced preparation and takes a while to make, although most of that time is inactive.  Before making the banana whip, which simply requires food processing (or blending), you need to freeze the bananas for an hour or two. 

Non-vegan friendliness:           

The original recipe authors call this dish "ice cream," but I'm calling it a "banana whip."  As a frozen banana treat, it's decent; but, as a vegan version of ice cream, it doesn't make the cut. 

Despite my mediocre review of this recipe, I might give it another shot.  I'm curious to see if I can find a way to incorporate some chocolate into the whip.  Chocolate makes everything better. 

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Today is my five-year vegan anniversary!  Five years ago, while I was a freshman in college, my roommate and I decided to try out veganism together (remember that, Danielle?).  I was driven by a desire to reduce the impact of my eating habits on the environment, although any search on the Internet will offer numerous other compelling reasons to eat less meat.  Today, I am convinced that the most significant impact my diet has on the world comes not from my own consumption patterns, but rather from the conversations I have with others about veganism.

In order to celebrate my veganniversary, Simon and I made chocolate peanut butter cups!  Forget those leftover Reese's from Halloween that are lying all over our apartment: now we have delicious, homemade, vegan peanut butter cups, too! 

I love the ridges on the outside almost as much as the peanut butter on the inside.

Thank you, Dad, for passing along the original recipe.  We made several modifications, so here it is:    

Recipe:     
Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons "pretzel flour" (pretzels crushed up into a powder)
• 1 - 12 ounce bag Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips

First, line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners; set aside. 

Then, prepare the peanut butter filling.  Combine the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and pretzel flour in a small bowl.  Mix until smooth and well-incorporated.  Then divide the mixture into 12 even portions and roll each one into a ball.  Place the balls on a cutting board or plate and press them down with your fingers, forming flattened discs.  Place the plate in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

Next, melt the chocolate.  You'll need a medium saucepan and a medium glass bowl that can rest on top of the saucepan to create a double boiler.  Place about two-thirds of the chocolate chips in the glass bowl and reserve the rest for later.  Then fill the saucepan about halfway with water and bring to a simmer.  Once the water comes to a simmer, turn the heat down to low and place the glass bowl with chocolate on top of the saucepan.  Stir the chocolate as it melts and becomes smooth.  Use a candy thermometer to ensure that the chocolate gets to 115 degrees Fahrenheit and then turn off the heat. 

 

Remove the bowl from the saucepan and set it down on a potholder or towel.  Add the remaining chocolate chips and stir constantly as the chocolate melts together.  Bring the temperature down to about 82 degrees; then return the bowl to the saucepan and bring the temperature back up to 90 degrees (turn the heat back on if you need to).

Pour or spoon enough hot chocolate into the bottom of each cupcake liner to cover the bottom.  Then remove the peanut butter filling from the refrigerator and lightly press one disc into each cup.  Spoon or pour the remaining chocolate evenly on top of the peanut butter filling.  Finally, tap the pan to remove air bubbles and level off the tops.  

Refrigerate the peanut butter cups for at least an hour, or until the chocolate is set. 

Yields 12 chocolate peanut butter cups.  Store the cups in the refrigerator and serve cold (so they don't melt).

Comments:
Taste:           

The only problem with this recipe is that it only makes 12 peanut butter cups!  If I had my way, I'd eat one of these cups every day.  The chocolate has a nice snap when you bite into it, and the smooth filling inside really does taste like a Reese's. 

Accessibility:          

With only four ingredients, this recipe makes me wonder why Hershey's needs 13 ingredients for Reese's cups.   

  Ease of Preparation:    

The major downside to this recipe is that it is a bit complicated to carry out.  Using the double boiler prevents the chocolate from burning by allowing it to melt over moderate, consistent heat, so I do recommend that you use this method.  On the other hand, I'm not sure if the temperature alteration is absolutely necessary.  Tempering the chocolate gives it a shiny finish and creates the nice, snappy crispness that's ideal for candy; in practice, I'm sure these cups would have a similarly wonderful flavor if you simply melted the chocolate.  So, if you don't have a candy thermometer or just want to cut down on time, I'd still give this recipe a try.  

Non-vegan friendliness:           

These rich, smooth chocolate peanut butter cups will be sure to please anyone.  I do want to note, though, that these are no M&Ms: they melt in your hand, not your mouth.       

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies

Q: What's better than peanut butter cookies?
A: Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.

Q: What's better than peanut butter chocolate chip cookies?
A: Peanut butter chocolate chip pretzel cookies! 

The last two cookies.  It was sad to see them go.

While the classic combination of chocolate and peanut butter will always have a special place in my heart, I must say that the salty crunch in these pretzel-filled cookies adds a nice twist.

Recipe:     
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies

• 1.25 cups flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegan butter at room temperature
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg equivalent (I used Ener-G Egg Replacer Powder)
• 1 tablespoon soymilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1.5 cups Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1.25 cups chopped (not crushed) pretzels
• Salt, for sprinkling (optional)

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. 

Next, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

Then, in a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, and sugars until smooth.  Add the egg equivalent, soymilk, and vanilla and beat again until well incorporated.  Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.  Then, using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips and pretzels.

Drop the dough by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets and lightly sprinkle each cookie with salt, if desired.  Bake for 10-11 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly brown on the edges. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets for a couple minutes before transferring them to a wire rack or paper towel.

Yields approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Comments:
Taste:           

These cookies are soft, crunchy, sweet, and salty, all at the same time.  The chocolate, peanut butter, and pretzel flavors balance each other quite well, with no single flavor taking over.  The only flaw I can find with the cookies is that they were a bit fragile, but that didn't stop us from devouring them.  

Accessibility:        

Aside from the egg replacer powder, everything should be easy to find at the grocery store.  The good thing about egg replacer powder is that it can sit in the pantry for a long time without going bad.

 Ease of Preparation:         

There's nothing out of the ordinary in this cookie recipe: mix, bake, cool, and serve. 

Non-vegan friendliness:         

I look forward to serving these to non-vegan friends and family! 

Butterscotch Blondie Bars with Peanut-Pretzel Caramel

Butterscotch Blondie Bars with Peanut-Pretzel Caramel: sounds delicious, right??  Not the way I made them, unfortunately.

Looks can be deceiving!

I tried out this recipe from Epicurious with the intent of serving the bars at Rachel's birthday party, but things did not go according to plan.  I substituted a combination of unsweetened apple sauce and egg-replacer powder for the eggs, and I used coconut cream (the thick layer that rises to the top of a can of coconut milk) in place of heavy cream.

Even though the bars had a solid consistency and looked great, they didn't taste great.  The blondie bottoms were neither very sweet nor very flavorful (yet they were probably the best part of the bar).  Meanwhile, the caramel tasted slightly burnt.  Caramel is difficult to make, so I may have cooked it for too long or made some other mistake.  But, many Epicurious recipe reviewers also had trouble, so the recipe might need some tweaking, too.  I'm not going to write out the recipe here, but feel free to view the original.

In the end, I whipped up a batch of fudgy brownies instead of serving these blondie bars at the party.  If you do make these bars and you're successful, please let me know how you do it!  I believe they have the potential to be incredible.

Chocolate Oreo Cake

Happy belated birthday, Rachel!  My roommate turned 21+2 last week, so I made her a birthday cake that combines some of her favorite things: chocolate and Oreos.  The result was one scrumptious cake.
 

A slice of cake.

It's scary how quickly a whole cake can disappear...

Recipe:     
Chocolate Oreo Cake

Chocolate Layer Cake

• 3 cups flour
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
• 2 cups water

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Lightly oil two 9-inch round cake pans and set aside.

Next, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix with a whisk until thoroughly combined.  Create a well in the center of the bowl and add the wet ingredients.  Whisk until just combined and then pour the batter evenly into the two cake pans.

Bake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each pan comes out clean.  Cool the cakes completely on a wire rack before frosting.  Once the cake is nearly cool, begin making the frosting. 


Chocolate Oreo Frosting

• 1 cup vegan butter (at room temperature)
• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 cup soymilk, plus more as needed
• 2/3 package double-stuffed Oreos, crushed

In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter until smooth.  With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar and beat for two minutes.  Then add the cocoa powder, vanilla, and soymilk and beat on high until combined.  Continue to beat, slowly adding more soymilk as needed, until the frosting becomes very smooth and fluffy (since you'll be adding Oreos, you want the frosting to be less stiff at this point than you'd like it to be at the end).  Finally, mix in the Oreos by hand.  

Once the cake is cool, you're ready to frost and assemble the layer cake.  Run a knife around the inside of each pan to loosen the cake.  Then turn one of the cake pans upside-down onto your cake plate or platter and tap the pan until the cake releases.  Remove the pan and frost the top of this layer of cake.  Then invert the second cake pan on another plate and tap the pan until the cake releases.  Re-invert this cake layer on top of the frosted cake layer and frost the top and sides of the cake. 

Yields one 9-inch layer cake.

Comments:
Taste:          

We all loved this cake.  It's incredibly rich and chocolatey, and the Oreos add a really nice, subtle crunch to the frosting.  Simon described the frosting as almost fudge-like.  The cake was a little bit crumbly, but I think that's because I left it in the oven just a minute or two too long.    

Accessibility:        

No fancy ingredients here! 

 Ease of Preparation:         

Making a cake takes a bit of time, but there's no way around that.  The only place I ran into trouble was when I was frosting the cake: my frosting was a bit too thick to spread easily once I added in the Oreos (that's why I stressed making the frosting a bit thinner before adding the Oreos). 

Non-vegan friendliness:         

Seeing as I made this birthday cake for my non-vegan roommate, I'd say it's quite non-vegan friendly.  Plus, it's customizable!  You could use peanut butter Oreos, or birthday cake Oreos, or mint Oreos, or......

Chocolate Whoopie Pies

I had my first whoopie pie at an extended family gathering in rural Pennsylvania.  I can't tell you why a whoopie pie is called a whoopie pie (it's more like a mix between a cake and a cookie) and I can't tell you where whoopie pies come from (apparently Pennsylvania, Maine, and New Hampshire all claim to be the original creators of this dessert); all I can tell you is that whoopie pies are big, sweet, delicious desserts.

Whoopie!  It's so big and sweet and good!  (And yes, it's blurry. And a little uneven.)

Recipe:     
Chocolate Whoopie Pies

Chocolate "Pie" Halves

• 1 cup organic soymilk
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup vegan butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1.5 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer powder
• 2 tablespoons water

Vanilla Filling

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegan shortening
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1.5 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon soymilk, as needed

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to make the pie halves.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the soymilk and vinegar and allow to sit for five minutes to curdle.  Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Set aside.  Then, using a stand or hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about two to three minutes). Scrape down the side of the bowl and mix for one more minute.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the egg replacer and water.  Add this to the sugar mixture and stir.  Then add the dry ingredients and the curdled soymilk to the wet ingredients and stir together until just combined.

Scoop mounds of dough about 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets.  For large pies, create 24 mounds; for small pies, create 48.  Then bake the pie halves, rotating the pans once during baking, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean (about 8 to 10 minutes).  Once out of the oven, let cool completely on the pans.

While the pie halves are cooling, make the vanilla filling.  Using a stand or hand mixer, mix together the butter and shortening until well combined, scraping the side of the bowl at least once during mixing.  Then, while mixing on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar.  Finally, add the vanilla and soymilk and mix on low until a smooth, spreadable filling is formed. 

Now it's time to assemble the whoopie pies.  Fill a pastry bag (or use a ziplock bag with the corner cut off) with filling and pipe a dollop of filling onto half of the pie halves.  Top those with the remaining pie halves and press down slightly. 

Yields 12 large or 24 small whoopie pies.

Comments:
Taste:          

This is a fun and delicious recipe.  The pie halves are rich and chocolatey, while the filling is light and sweet.  There were two issues with the pies we made, though.  First, the pie halves were a bit crumbly.  Be sure not to over-bake them.  Second, the filling was a bit stiff and difficult to work with.  I usually like my frosting to be thick, but this filling needs to be malleable and easy to work with.  With those two changes, they'd surely earn a four-carrot rating.

Accessibility:      

I recommend Earth Balance shortening and butter, but those aren't sold everywhere (try Whole Foods). 

 Ease of Preparation:        

If you have a spring-loaded ice cream scoop, now is the time to get it out!  An ice cream scoop would have been really helpful to use when forming each half of the pie, making them flat on the bottom and round on top—and symmetrical.  If you're like me and you don't have one of those, a small measuring cup will do! 

Non-vegan friendliness:        

It's always a good sign when people go back for seconds.  There was a lot of that going on when we brought these over to a friend's house for dinner.  Whoopie!

Magic Bars

In my experience, there are a few non-vegan foods that just can't be replicated.  Cheese is one of them, and I tend to steer clear of eating vegan "cheese" if I can.  Sweetened condensed milk is another one...or so I thought.  This sweet baking ingredient is one of the key components of magic bars--a dessert I hadn't eaten since becoming vegan. 

Enter Chef Cloe's Beach Cookies recipe, passed along to me by my coworker.  These beach cookies (magic bars, layer bars) do justice to the bars I remember, even without sweetened condensed milk.  Victory!

Slightly blurry; wholly delicious.

Recipe:     
Magic Bars

• 1/2 cup vegan butter, melted
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I bought vegan graham crackers and used a food processor to create crumbs)
• 1 cup coconut milk, mixed well before measuring
• 1/4 cup real maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1.5 cups sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 - 12 ounce package vegan chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (ideally toasted)

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Get out a 13x9" nonstick baking pan.

Next, pour the melted butter into the bottom of the pan, making sure the bottom is completely covered.  Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs into the pan to create an even layer, and then use your hands to press down the crumbs to create the crust. 

Whisk together the coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and cornstarch in a small bowl.  Carefully drizzle the mixture as evenly as possible over the graham cracker crust.  Sprinkle the coconut across the pan as the next layer, followed by layers of chocolate chips and walnuts.  Finally, use your hand to lightly press the walnut/chocolate chip layer a bit into the rest of the bars. 

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the edges appear lightly browned. IMPORTANT: Let the bars cool and then refrigerate for a few hours before eating.  Really, these bars are much better when they're cold! 

Yields 1 pan magic bars.

Comments:
Taste:         

These bars really hit the spot as a sweet summertime treat.  They're chocolatey and nutty without being heavy or too rich, and the coconut flavor is nice and light.  The crunchy, perfectly sweet ingredients contribute to a very satisfying bite.  Thank you, Chef Cloe.

Accessibility:      

This recipe is a bit on the expensive side, as walnuts and maple syrup certainly aren't cheap.  But, everything should be very easy to find, and it will be worth it once you do.

 Ease of Preparation:        

These bars are quite easy to make.  Lots of sprinkling and layering, which is hard to mess up.  If you don't have a food processor or some other way of crushing graham crackers into crumbs, you can always buy pre-made graham cracker crumbs. 

Non-vegan friendliness:       

While I must admit that it's been many years since I've had non-vegan magic bars, I am confident that these taste just as good.  Rachel noted that nothing seems "off" about the bars.  In fact, coconut milk works quite well given the inclusion of coconut flakes, anyway.  I'm sure we'll be making these again sometime soon. 

Summer Squash Bread

Although I haven't yet figured out how to cultivate a garden in my apartment, I was fortunate enough to receive two home-grown summer squashes from my parents' garden.  Thank you, mom and dad, for enabling me to make Summer Squash Bread! 

A sweet, fragrant loaf of squash bread.

Recipe:     
Summer Squash Bread

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups grated summer squash
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey or another liquid sweetener
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 1 carrot, grated
• zest of 1 lime
• 1.5 cups Ghirardelli chocolate chips (optional)

First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place 12 muffin cups in a muffin tin and set aside.  Lightly grease a loaf pan and set aside. 

Next, mix together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.  Form a well in the center of the bowl and set aside.  In a separate medium bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients (except chocolate chips).  Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  Then fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full with batter; then pour the remaining batter into the loaf pan.  Bake both pans for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center of a muffin comes out clean.  Once the muffins have been removed, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the loaf for another 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Once the muffins have cooled for a few minutes in the pan, remove them to cool completely on a wire rack. 


Yields 12 muffins and 1 loaf.

Comments:
Taste:        

I'm not sure there are many more delicious ways to eat squash.  This spiced bread is moist and dense, yet springy.  I'd say it's almost more of a cake than a bread.  The chocolate chips are optional--and the bread would be great without them--but for the chocoholic like me, they do add a little something special.  

Accessibility:     

This "bread" recipe makes use of a healthy number of fruits and vegetables (pun intended!), so it's probably best made in the summer. 

 Ease of Preparation:        

If you have a grater attachment on your food processor, this is a good time to use it.  Once the ingredients are ready to go, the method is quite simple.

Non-vegan friendliness:       

I brought the muffins in to work and they were a big hit!  My vegan/gluten-free coworker and I are slowly but surely exposing our office to the joys of vegan baking.