Peanut Butter Coconut Cookies (vegan)

Growing up, I could always count on having cookies around Christmas. Even now, cookies are a must in the season. Naturally, I've made a few batches this season, and of course I had to share a cookie recipe. The best part is that I'm not only sharing these delicious peanut butter coconut cookies, but a bunch of other yummies as part of a virtual cookie swap. How fun is that?! You'll find those creative and delicious recipe links at the bottom of this post.

Of course, gingerbread is a natural choice for the Christmas season, but a friend inspired the combination of peanut butter and coconut and not long after, I found these scrumptious yummies coming out of my oven. I was slightly hesitant at first, but they have quickly become an official favourite in our house.

Peanut Butter Coconut Cookies
Makes: About 2 Dozen

what you need:

what to do:

1) Cream together the sugar, coconut oil and peanut butter.
2) Stir in applesauce and vanilla.
3) Mix dry ingredients separately and add. slowly to wet ingredients until all are mixed.
4) Chill dough 30 - 60 minutes.
5) While preheating the oven to 375 degrees F, roll dough into balls, and flatten gently with a fork.
6) Bake 10-12 minutes, until slightly brown.
7) Remove from oven and cool completely
8) Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil using double boiler.
9) Dip cookies into the chocolate and sprinkle with shredded coconut.

1/2 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup applesauce
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons organic shredded coconut (unsweetened) 

3/4 cup dairy free dark chocolate chips
1 tablespoon coconut oil
shredded coconut for sprinkling

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What are your favourite cookies during the holiday season? Try these and the recipes from the cookie swap below! Let me know if you've tried these with the hashtag #MapleAlps

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Speculoos Button Cookies via Katherine in Brooklyn

Chocolate Dipped Matcha and Ginger Shortbread Cookies via Madeline Marie

Walnut Pepita Chocolate Chip Cookies via Nommable

GF + Vegan Gingerbread Men via Soul and Spoon

Chocolate Peppermint Coconut Macaroons via Pumpkin & Peanut Butter

Almond Spritz Cookies via Flours In Your Hair

Coconut Peanut Butter Cookies (vegan) via Maple Alps

Flaxseed & Pistachio Shortbread with White Chocolate Ganache Glaze via Lyndsey Eden

Speculoos Coffee Caramel Slices via Les Filles de Madeleine

Salted Dark Chocolate Cookies via The Foodwright

Dark Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies via Seek Satiation

Pretzel & Caramel Drizzled Snickerdoodles via Hopeless Thunder

"Meaty" Black Bean Vegan Burgers

This weekend we celebrated Fall with a Fall Fest, complete with a hayride, veggie dogs and all the potato salad you could imagine. Now, we do love veggie dogs, but I think I've finally reached my limit for the year. Interestingly enough, we haven't had one burger bonfire, and I think next summer, we'll have to make that happen. Until then, I'll be experimenting with some patties, and sharing them with you.

In all honesty, these burgers are a result of wanting to use up leftovers in the fridge. Just goes to show, that your fridge can indeed be carrying treasures you didn't think of.

Beans are a serious staple around here. Once I started understanding how to prepare and keep them so that I don't have to buy cans of the stuff anymore (cheaper and healthier to buy dry!), life became so much easier. I had made some enchiladas with these beans. Since I had plenty left, I figured a burger would be the perfect project. 

I wanted something more "meaty" in texture, however; something a little chewier... That does sound strange now that I type it out, but I'm just going to leave that there. I decided to add some TVP and see what happened. 

Because the beans were already cooked, it cut down greatly on prep time for these delicious burgers! I even called a friend to come over for lunch, and did we feast! We topped them with fried onions and had sweet potato fries on the side.

What you need

1 ½ C black beans - cooked (you could use canned too)
2 C TVP
1 large yellow onion - caramelized
¾ C vital gluten flour
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp sea salt
BBQ sauce

What to do

1) Soak TVP in about 2C hot water for ten minutes and drain well
2) While soaking, caramelize your onion and set aside - low heat and slow cooking is the key!
3) Add back beans to food processor and pulse until almost smooth. Add caramelized onions and pulse until a paste forms.
4) Add paste, drained TVP and spices to large bowl. Mix well and then add vital gluten flour.
5) Combine and start creating patties out of the mixture. You will get 8-10, depending on the size.
6) Heat a bit of oil in the pan and place a few patties in to pan fry. Slather each side with BBQ sauce and flip. 
7) Serve with your favourite toppings and enjoy!

PS: If you prefer something gluten-free, try these Juicy Smoked Chickpea Burgers

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We love these topped with fried onions and with sweet potato fries on the side!

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The Best Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Those who know me well, know that I love pumpkin pie. In the fall, I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and never get tired of it. I've always loved eating it, but it was only a few years ago I started making pumpkin pies with my aunt. She has a delicious recipe and so we'd make it all the time from scratch. When I say "from scratch," I really do mean, we buy a pumpkin and we buy some flour and by the end of the day, it's a pie. I wish I could grow the pumpkins and the wheat, but this girl can't be all the kinds of awesome. 

A while back, I saw the first pie pumpkins of the season in the store, and I knew it was time. I snatched that pumpkin up so fast and ran home. The result was the pie I will be sharing with you all today!

This post contains affiliate links

To be clear, I’m not one of those people who eat pumpkin pie all year round - though my husband definitely would love that (he likes it even more than me!). However, I do look forward to pumpkin season every year. It makes Fall, well, Fall.

I recommend you use your own puree for this recipe - and pretty much every other pumpkin recipe you bake this season. It adds a richness and sense of accomplishment that opening a can doesn't quite have!

The puree is really simple to make: just cut open and clean your pumpkin, drizzle some olive oil on it and bake in the oven till tender. Then scoop it all out into the food processor and process until very smooth.

I usually freeze the extra puree so that I can have all sorts of pumpkin snacks (not to mention a bonus pumpkin pie sometime in the year!) later.

The best part about this pie is that it comes together quickly, once all the more tedious ingredients (the puree and the crust) are prepared. I didn’t include a pie crust recipe, but they are easy to find. For a non-traditional crust, you could use the nutty crust that I use for my chocolate dream pie!

For the non-nut lovers, there is a nut-free version of this recipe too! It takes a little longer to get firm, but is still delicious!

Vegan Pumpkin Pie | Maple Alps
Makes 1 pie

what you need

2 C homemade pumpkin puree
¼ C maple syrup (or more depending if you want it sweeter)
¼ C brown sugar
⅓ C almond milk
1-2 TBSP Arrowroot powder
¼ tsp each: cinnamon, ground ginger, cardamom, nutmeg (optional: cloves)
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ cup cashews (soak for 10 min in boiling water)
1 recipe for pie crust - unbaked

what to do

1) Make pumpkin puree by cutting open and cleaning your pumpkin. Drizzle some olive oil on it and bake in the oven till tender. Remove from oven, scoop out the flesh into the food processor, and process until very smooth.
2) Prep pie crust
3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
4) Mix soaked cashews, almond milk, pumpkin puree and arrowroot powder in blender and blend until there are no cashew pieces left.
5) Transfer to a bowl and mix rest of ingredients in well.
6) Put filling into prepped pie crust and bake for 55-60 minutes

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How do you like your pumpkin pie? I like mine cold and with some coconut whipped cream!

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Vegan Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls: An Apple Challenge

It's Canadian Thanksgiving, but that's not the only reason I'm happy! For today, I have collaborated with two of my blogging friends, Beth of Vegan D'lites and Crystal of Crystal Whitlow Design to bring you a fun fall challenge! We chose a fall ingredient and each have brought a recipe to the proverbial table for you to try! The ingredient? Apples.

Today, you will be handed three amazing apple recipes to try. I'll be sharing one here, and stick around, because at the end of the post, you'll get the links to Beth and Crystal's recipes as well. 

Apples are delicious. My favourite is a cut apple wedge with peanut butter on it. Oh me oh my. Delicious. I also can appreciate a warm apple pie or a fresh apple crisp. Something about apples screams "FALL," and I love it. 

I decided to make an apple pie cinnamon roll. I love a good cinnamon roll, and just telling you about it now is making my mouth water. Extra points if the roll is warm and moist! As I mentioned, I also love apple pie, so I was curious to see what would happen if I combined the two. The result was delicious. So delicious, that you need to try it too!

I chose not to glaze these guys. They're delicious as is (not to mention sugary enough). Trust me, I tried 3 different times, just to make sure. 

If you really wanted to, I'm so certain that a simple cream cheese frosting would really add to it, but I'm uncomplicated and like to keep things simple in Fall. The rolls already scream, "CHRISTMAS IS COMING!"

These babies are soft, moist, and delicious; seriously melt-in-your-mouth good. Best part? Easy to make and ready in two hours!

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Vegan Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls

For the Dough

• 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast

• 1 C unsweetened plain almond milk

• 3 TBSP vegan butter

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 3 C unbleached all purpose flour

• 1 TBSP organic cane sugar

For the Filling:

• 4 TBSP melted vegan butter

• 6 apples, peeled, cored, and diced

• 1/2 cup organic cane sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 2 TBSP ground cinnamon

• olive oil

What to do:

1) In a large bowl, heat the almond milk and 3 Tbsp Earth Balance until warm and melted (in the microwave at 30 sec increments). Remove from heat and let cool to the temperature of warm (not hot!) bath water.

2) Sprinkle on yeast and let activate for 10 minutes. Add the 1 Tbsp sugar and the salt and stir.

3) Add in flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring as you go. When too thick to stir, transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until it forms a loose ball.

4)Rinse your mixing bowl out, lightly oil, and add your dough ball back in. Cover and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).

5) While dough is rising, prepare your filling by adding prepped apples to saucepan with the melted butter and organic cane sugar. Sauté until the apples are slightly caramelized. Set Aside.

6) Mix brown sugar and cinnamon.

7) On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a thin rectangle. Brush almost to the edges with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle cinnamon/brown sugar mixture on top

8) Add the apple filling and spread evenly

9) Starting at one end, tightly roll up the dough (lengthwise) and lay seam side down. With a serrated knife, cut the dough into 2 inch sections (should make about 12) and position in a well oiled pan. 

10) Cover pan and allow to rise - about an hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

11) Bake 20-22 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes and then serve immediately.

Optional: Serve with a simple glaze of about 1 C organic powdered sugar and 1 TBSP almond milk. I bet that caramel sauce from the scone recipe would be AMAZING with these as well! 

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As I promised, enjoy these links to two more delicious apple recipes for you to try this fall!

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Chocolate Beet Cupcakes with Avocado Frosting (vegan + gluten free)

Have you ever had a chocolate beet cupcake? What about frosting made with avocado? Intrigued? So was I when I decided to try!

Once in a while, I'll get bored or curious, and find myself in the kitchen making something really random. These beet cupcakes are definitely a product of that. I had heard of people putting beets into everything, and so I figured, why not a cupcake? There is only one problem with cupcakes in our house: nobody eats them. The husband doesn't care for them, and I prefer to go on long runs. 

I am now taking applications for new guinea pigs to cook for...

Despite all of this, these turned out better than I expected in the sense that I ate one, my husband ate one, and we both liked what we tasted. They weren't too sweet, nor did they taste "too healthy," even though they are vegan and gluten free. The frosting is sweetened with a little bit of maple syrup, and has no refined sugar in it. 

I am always a little weary of gluten free experiments especially, but these rose wonderfully - which I attribute partly to the baking powder added into the mix. The tops even had that perfect crinkle to them. I'm not going to lie, I ate one still warm, and it was heavenly. It was so light and so fluffy I almost died.

Did I taste the beets? Well, no, not really. The gluten free flour has a very distinct taste to it, however, so that may have overpowered it. I almost used regular all-purpose, but the gluten free mix was calling to me - it really was. 

The avocado frosting, I made the next day, just before serving. It's best fresh on the day of. Again, it doesn't taste like avocado, which is cool.

Though I personally preferred the cupcakes still warm, they were fine the next day. This was all that was left by the time all was said and done:

Chocolate Beet Cupcakes with Avocado Frosting

For the Cupcakes:

• 1 cup all purpose gluten free flour

• 1/4 cup ground almonds

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 small roasted beet, diced

• 1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar

• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

• 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted

For the Frosting

• 1 very ripe avocado

• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• pinch of sea salt

• 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

What to do:

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F then grease or line a muffin pan for 10 cupcakes. 

2) In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients

3) Stir together the almond milk and the apple cider vinegar in a blender or a food processor and allow to curdle. Add the roasted beet, cane sugar and vanilla extract. Blend on high until a smooth liquid forms.

4) Pour the liquid into the bowl with the dry ingredients then add the melted coconut oil. 

5) Fold together, making sure there are no lumps. 

6) Fill each muffin cup about 1/2 full to make 10 cupcakes. 

7) Bake for 20 minutes, or until cupcakes pass the toothpick test.

8) Make the frosting by combining all of the ingredients in a blender or a food processor and blending until smooth. 

Notes:

* Make sure cupcakes are completely cool before frosting them. 
* Icing is best fresh!
* Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days (if they last that long).

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Are you going to give these a go? Let me know if you do!

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