Better Banana Nut Muffins
Chocolate-Glazed Peanut Butter Scones
the scones were perfectly scone like - kinda dry, just a pinch sweet. Even with the glaze, they weren't excessively sweet. Like all scones though, these got stale pretty fast. (fb)
Dried Fruit Focaccia
Golden Glazed Donuts
My first time making donuts. The dough came together pretty easily, rose quickly, and I just made donuts by making ropes into circles rather than cutting (so I got 8 donuts instead of 6 and donut holes). I fried them at 375 (she says "over 350"), and it took about a minute per side rather than two. The glaze didn't liquefy even with a hot donut on it, so I kept it warm, but it was still kind of hard to spread around. Still, I liked the glaze, and I don't care much for perfection on this end. I would make this again. The donuts wound up being somewhat chewy (it's worked/made like bread dough), and mildly sweet. They remind me more of Larsen's donuts than the cake type in the store (well, they're bread). Good stuff. (fb)
Graham Flour Fig Scones
These are hands-down the best whole wheat anything I have ever made. The entire scone embraced the fig flavor, and it was perfectly sweet & moist. I'm sad that I only made half the recipe. Also, I used all whole wheat flour (not pastry type or graham). (fb)
Oatmeal Raisin Rolls
I know one of the advantages of this recipe is supposed to be that it's quicker than cinnamon rolls, but I think I'd prefer just waiting for them to rise. I'm also not sure of how helpful yeast is if it's not rising (maybe flavor?). I didn't use raisins, just made the filling plain, which resulted in a more crispy and less gooey sugary filling... the raisins would probably make it gooey-er. I also added some cinnamon to the filling. I think if I were to make these again I would modify the recipe to be all yeast and to rise twice (once before rolling, once after), and use some margarine and flour in the filling like the Vegan Brunch recipe to get more of a cinnamon roll filling. However, if you want rolled pastries without the wait, this is worth the try. (fb)
Power Hungry Granola
I will say that it's very good, and I eat it for breakfast almost every day now. (Schmiggle)
Strawberry Love Muffins
Straight up- these are awful. Worst muffin that I've ever made.(intheend)
Sweet & Simple French Toast
I made this recipe side-by-side with the Fronch toast one from VWAW. This one burned a bit more easily (probably because of the sugar in the batter), but I also liked the flavor better (probably because of the sugar). It came out relatively greasy, but that's french toast for you. I'd make it again. It's pretty easy, pretty satisfying. (fb)
Zesty Cranberry Crumb Muffins

Almond Avalanche Bars
so rich and greasy. the crust is primarily almond meal, the topping basically almond butter, corn syrup, and chocolate chips. these are a great indulgent treat, ever so heavy, so it's definitely reasonable to make a 1/2 or even 1/4 batch. (fb)
Apricot Biscotti
Black & Whites
These were excellent. The dough was tasty and was just really a nice lookin' dough. The cookies baked well, and were a bit cakey (intentional, though, with baking powder and "sour cream" in the ingredients). Someone thought they tasted a bit like cornbread (?! the flax lends a sort of grainy texture). The chocolate portion of the icing was great (high quality chocolate works best!), the vanilla part was pretty darn sweet. I had to add a little extra soy creamer to each icing. Fun to make! (fb)
Black Bottom Blondies
These were not very blondie-like, but were otherwise fine (& the brownie section was good). I thought the extra grease in this recipe (it has double the amount as the butterscotch blondie recipe) might make it better, but no. I think the yogurt doesn't lend itself to blondie texture... the PPK recipe for blondies is better. (fb)
Butterscotch Blondies
These didn't turn out like the photo - they were cakey. The recipe only calls for 1/4 cup margarine, and I think a larger amount - maybe even 1/2 cup - will yield the dense result in the photo (I'm wondering if it's a misprint, but many recipes seem to be intentionally low fat). I'm glad I put chocolate chips in them... (fb)  
I just made the Butterscotch Blondies and they were delish! The cooking time was way off for me though. It actually took about an hour and five minutes. (intheend)
Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
The cheesecake filling is tasty, but it was a little too liquidy - I used cornstarch instead of arrowroot, so that might be the reason. But, after standing overnight, the filling wasn't nearly as liquidy. The crust was shortbread-like, not like a graham cracker (it wasn't very sweet, and was only 1/2 graham flour), and making the wells correctly took a bit of skill. The dough itself was a bit too try - I added 3 Tbsp water and still had to press the dough together to form a ball - and it's tricky creating (and keeping!) wells big enough to accommodate all the filling (I had extra). These are a neat idea, but ultimately I think I'll just make a whole cheesecake. (fb)
Coffee Break Shortbread
These were quite shortbread-like, and the espresso flavor wasn't too overpowering. Not too sweet. (fb)
Crumb-Topped Brownies
These came out great and fudgey. Like I mean real-fudge-brownie-fudgey. *and* the crumb topping is totally great. With this particular recipe, though, I'd use a vanilla or plain soy yogurt than the black cherry one suggested, which is a pinch too sour IMHO. (fb)
Lace Sugar Crisps
these didn't work out so well for me. they're pretty much candy, so i think proper oven temp and the right equipment is key. First I used a silicone liner, and the cookies stayed soft and pliable in the middle with fully cooked edges. I figured the silicone might be insulating them too much, so I took it out for the second batch and just used the greased cookie sheet - the cookies baked much quicker (too quick!) and stuck to the sheet. Sigh. I'm kind of crappy at making candy though, so I can't really blame the recipe. The silicone-baked ones were pretty good though, very much like the florentines/lace cookies they're imitating. I might give this one another go, using the silicone, and make them into florentines. (fb)
Maple Pistachio Cremes
Very rich cookies - especially the pistachio creme. I made these smaller than suggested - I used 1 Tbsp per cookie, and I could only manage to eat one sandwich cookie at a time. The maple cookie is more like shortbread, and maybe could use a teency bit more moisutre. Neither part is overly sweet. (fb)
Nut Case Cookies
Orange Hazelnut Biscotti
Party Mix Bars
Peanut Butter Bombs
I made this with strawberry soy yogurt rather than plain (it was all I had, but it goes with chocolate + pb pretty well). These are soft cookies, in fact they're almost brownie-like - rich and thick and chocolatey. I kept them in the fridge on account of the yogurt (technically it shouldn't matter, but I did it anyway). The only problem I had with this recipe (not really a problem, but would be if I were serving these to others) is that the cookies don't come out picture-perfect - I think you'd have to press the edges of the layered cookies to get it smooth (they don't melt a whole lot in the oven), and the peanut butter leaves a bit of a bump. If I were to serve these, I'd smooth out the pb filling into more of a disk and press the edges of the cookie together. (fb)
Peanut-Plus Cookies
Surprisingly really good. The dough definitely has a beany taste to it thanks to the lentils (and wasn't very sweet), so I was kind of afraid of the end result. But, the baked cookies themselves had absolutely no bean/lentil taste, and were just soft, chewy peanut butter cookies. The ground lentils adds a nice/interesting crunchiness that works for a pb cookie. I was pleasantly surprised, as this is the first wheat-free dessert I've made. (fb)
Pfeffernusse
I've never had pfeffernusse, vegan or otherwise, so I can't say if this is the "real deal." It's a somewhat soft, kind of molasses-y/licoricey spice cookie. It's kind of like chai or gingerbread with anise flavor added. I normally dislike licorice-type stuff, but the anise flavor isn't so strong that nothing else can be tasted. Also, these dry out pretty quickly. (fb)
Sesame Oatmeal Cookies
I had a mind to make these for a while since they seem so interesting, but never got around to it until now because they also seem weird. Well, they're not weird at all - they're like a chewy pb cookie. I'm used to tahini in savory recipes, but it works so well in this, it makes me wonder why I thought it would be weird - it's just another nut/seed butter. These come out chewy and just a touch healthy tasting, thanks to the oatmeal. The banana and applesauce isn't really noticeable; it's like 3/4 sesame flavor and 1/4 oat. I think anyone who likes black sesame pastries/sweets would like this, and probably peanut butter fans too. (fb)
Strawberry Spirals
I used dried apricots instead of dried strawberries, and all margarine instead of part margarine and part shortening. They came out well - spread a little, browned a little bit, basically soft shortbread. Rolling and cutting them was pretty easy (I was worried the dough might crack or would be too sticky). They're enjoyable, but I like the shortbread from VCIYCJ better, I'm not sure why. These would be fun to make for a party or something, but I'll probably be too lazy to make these for myself again. (fb)
Turtle Shortbread Wedges
Why did I wait so long to make these? Sooo goood. The proportions/baking times are perfect. Some modifications: I subbed 1/3 (1/4 cup) of the margarine with oil, and for the caramel I used evaporated cane juice and soymilk instead of soy creamer. Also, I was going to sub hazelnuts for pecans, but then my hazelnuts tasted stale so I left them out (just chocolate shortbread and caramel). I thought the caramel would be gooey, but it hardens up (but not so hard that it can't be chewed). It's really a good combination of flavors, and the shortbread isn't too sweet, so the caramel works well to that end. A nice treat for when I need it (fb)
Whoopie Pies
I didn't have whole wheat flour, so I just used all white flour. The cookie dough was excellent, the cookies were excellent. The filling was just kind of what I expected - nothing remarkable but certainly not bad - and I didn't have too much of a problem with filling oozing out. Except when biting into fresh ones. The measurement for the cookies (I think 1/4 cup per cookie) is too much in my opinion - those ones were huge - so I used 2 Tbsp (1/8 cup) per cookie instead. (fb)

Apple Spice Cake
I made this because I had extra apples. I made some changes:
half the recipe, in cupcake form, baked 20-25 min
I used apple juice instead of concentrate, plus 3/8c sugar (or 3/4 c for the full recipe)... I thought it said 'apple juice' in the ingredients until I started making it.
It came out pretty good, even though it's pretty healthy (ww flour + oats + sugar from fruit source). I brought to my class, and every one really liked them and even asked for the recipe. It came out more like a sweet muffin, so this is more like a loaf cake than a cake cake.The spices are spot on. (fb)
Bananas Foster Cake
We liked this. It's not completely different than banana  bread - just a bit cakier and sweeter. I didn't make the frosting. (fb)
Canine Cake (dog food... but I guess you could eat it too)
The dog wasn't like "OMG GIVE ME SOME!" but he did eat it when we left it in his dish... but he's a picky guy. Oh, and while I was waiting for it to cool my mom "sampled" it thinking it was human food, and she thought it was carrot cake that tasted too healthy. But that doesn't matter. (fb)
Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake
This was good, but the cooking times seemed to be totally off - both layers needed longer in the oven, and the caramel sauce (considering how little is made) shouldn't be cooked so long. But despite this, it was still 100% tasty. I have no idea if it tastes like a "caramel macchiato," though, since I've never had one... (fb)
Very tasty but the cooking time was off again. I cooled this in the fridge, made the caramel which also cooled, and then put it on top. It still ended up pooling which was disappointing. (intheend)
Chai Cheesecake
I think I might have messed up the spices on this one. I baked this at a friend's, and I didn't want to bring along the whole chai-spice collection so I measured them out into a zip bag to take... and I don't recall if I added the cinnamon ('cause my friend has cinnamon). SO I measured the mixture of spices, and it seemed that I had added the cinnamon already... but it came out kind of bland. I totally didn't expect that, considering the hefty amount of coriander (kind of an unusual spice for chai) and ginger. Still, it was perfectly sweet (not too much) and baked well... but I'll have to adjust the spices. More cardamom and cinnamon? (fb)
Cookies and Creme Pound Cake
This is a total fail. Good luck if you try to make this- I tried twice and both times it was inedible. It was not cooked in the center and the cookies on top completely sunk in. (intheend)
This didn't fluff up as much as I thought it would, but then again I never get much fluffiness out of recipes with a lot of soy yogurt. Anyway, we really liked it. I used the chocolate-creme filled Joe Joes, and made crumbs by separating the cookies to smash, and just mixing in the centers. It's a little bit dense, but not chewy or weird in any way (kind of like banana bread texture). I'd like to make it again with a different sandwich cookie flavor... could be interesting.
On another note, I have noticed that the author always seems to have vinegar be the last thing to add in recipes that contain it, sometimes to the extent of whisking in the vinegar rapidly after all the other ingredients have been mixed in. I've always mixed vinegar with the soymilk/other liquids first (I think I got this from VCTOTW), and I think this works better. Mixing it into a complete batter probably wouldn't be uniform, and would probably not do its magic as well. (fb)
Decadent Almond Cake
Lemon-Lime Sunshine Bundt
I halved the recipe and made it into cupcakes. Also, I didn't have the lemon zest, but I added a flavor extract instead (fiori di sicilia). It made 12 overfilled cupcakes, and they never really browned or anything (but passed the toothpick test) when they were done (at 25 min). They're more like the texture of poundcake (dense in a good, decadent way) than cake cake. i like them ^ ^ (fb)
Lychee Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting
Marshmallow Mud Cake
This was delicious but the marshmallow topping just kind of pooled all over the cake plate so only a thin layer was on top of the cake. I guess it might be a good idea to try and cool it just a bit- if you cool it too much it'll be way too hard to work with. (intheend)
Mini Icebox Cheesecake
Yesss. Not too sweet, eatable frozen, melts completely at room temp, easy to make, pretty rich. (fb)
Mocha Devastation Cake
i made the mocha devastation cake for my sister's birthday, and it was by far the best vegan cake i have ever made in my life. it was a bit time consuming but well worth it, everyone who tried it LOVED it. (charissahf)
I just have to say, I love this cake. The cake itself doesn't taste very strongly of coffee (but rather just chocolate), but the frosting has just the right amount of espresso powder. I made a half batch (but still split it into two pans), so it didn't sink at all like it was supposed to (not a bad thing, I guess?). The ganache is pretty liquidy at first, but it spreads out very nicely. The cake stays moist for days. I'll definitely make it again. (fb)
Not Nog Cupcakes
Orange Dreamsicle Snack Cake
This cake came out looking EXACTLY like the one pictured. Cool. Anyway, it's kind of a dense cake, I guess like a loaf cake. I made half the recipe (it would have been a crazy amount of cake otherwise!), and was good for breakfast. It tends to dry out, but I think that's to be expected with the orange juice in the batter. (fb)
Peach Melba Layer Cake
Pina Colada Mini-Bundts
Plum-Good Crumb Cake
I think this needs more baking time, or maybe it's just the pan I made it in (one of those waxed paper bake-and-give type), because it totally sank after I took it out of the oven and, for the most part, was undercooked. The crumble was delicious, and so was the undercooked cake. It's too bad I didn't leave it in longer. My omni mom liked this 5x more than I did too. (fb)
Pomegranate Ginger Cupcakes
Weird experience here. First off, I didn't make the glaze for the top of these - not sure if that would have altered the outcome. Anyway, it came out pretty rubbery and dense... it seems like I have a problem with overmixing whenever there's an acidic/juice ingredient in cake, considering the trend. Anyway, the weird part was that the cake went from a pleasant purple/pink to green (!) after baking. Which isn't like the photo... Not sure what happened there. I used the 16 oz bottle of 100% pomegranate juice from TJs. As a side note, I'm not sure that this recipe needs the vinegar... pomegranate juice is probably plenty acidic for the baking powder. In fact, this stuff was reacting plenty as soon as I started mixing it, which is probably why the cake came out the texture it did. (fb)
Poppy Seed Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling
These were interesting. The cupcakes didn't rise/stay risen as much as I had hoped, which meant after I cut the tops off, there wasn't much room to cut out shapes (I just filled them and put the top back on). The taste of the cake itself was pretty mild, but it stuck to the liners (they didn't seem overbaked, but I baked it for the max time, so maybe they were), but then released once refrigerated. Also, they had lots of even bubbles... like a crumpet. I've never had this happen before, so I'm blaming it on the poppy seeds (never baked with those before). The lemon curd itself was pretty awesome. We were kind of suspicious of using instant mashed potato flakes, but after blending it and cooling it in the fridge, it came out right. However, a lemon curd connoiseur that we gave a cupcake to did not approve of the texture. Whatever.
Since the cake itself isn't lemon flavored, I think next time I might just make the vanilla cupcakes from VCTOTW and add poppy seeds, since I know those rise beautifully. (fb)
Root Beer Float Cupcakes
I didn't have rootbeer extract, so I just used extra vanilla, and I used margarine instead of shortening for the frosting. These cupcakes came out really fluffy and not super sweet. It didn't have a really strong root beer flavor (and they were lighter than the picture) because of the lack of the root beer extract, so I think even if I didn't like rootbeer I'd like these. They were pretty popular. The frosting wasn't very firm (not enough to pipe), so I added more powdered sugar, but this was probably because I was using margarine instead. I'd make these again! (fb)
Self-Frosting Peanut Butter Cupcakes
These are some fine cupcakes. The 'frosting' part is quite rich and sweet, but is a nice pb/chocolate combo. The cupcake itself is a bit lighter with the peanut butter than the pb VCTOTW recipe. also, I had to fill up my liners all the way, and so these were more muffin-sized (but the baking time is correct). I served these to others and they liked them too. (fb)
Silken Chocolate Mousse Cake
It is delicious. Very smooth, creamy and chocolatey. I did add some changes to the recipe though. I baked it for 30 min at 350 degrees. I also used ground hazelnuts for the crust, which I thought were way better than plain old almonds. I also added a little over a tablespoon of strong rum flavoring and reduced the vanilla to 2 teaspoons. (wassernixe)
Triple Threat Chocolate Cheesecake
Good gawd this is good. I halved the recipe because I was using a store-bought chocolate pie crust (the recipe uses a 9" springform pan, which holds a lot more than a pie crust). The bottom (most chocolatey) layer of the cheesecake was seriously rich - it reminded me of a brownie. Of course the rest of the layers were good. I've already got another request for this one. (fb)
Wasabi Chocolate Cupcakes
Oh man are these good. I decided to go soft on the wasabi and put in 1 tsp (the recipe says 1.25-1.75 tsp) just in case it was strong (I had originally intended to add little by little once the batter was complete, but the wasabi seemed really insoluble, so I did this). I also used 1 c chocolate chips instead of the stated 1/2 cup. I could taste wasabi in the batter, but it wasn't spicy (just the herbal-ish/mintyness of wasabi, but no heat, if that makes any sense). Once baked, half of us said they could taste the wasabi and half not - I think the recipe's amount is really safe (none of us has any tolerance for wasabi either). I also didn't make the icing/glaze, though I WANTED to, but my friends wanted to eat the cupcakes right then and there more. So anyway, these are super chocolatey and rose beautifully. I had to give an extra 3-5 minutes to the baking time, though. I think this will be my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe (sans wasabi) now... much better than the VCTOTW chocolate cupcakes, dare I say. (fb)

Autumn Harvest Pie
Baklava Tart
Cashew Creme Pear Tart
Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
This is some PMS fodder right here. It's like chocolate chip cookie dough, except with less flour and more chocolate chips. I think I'd rather have a softer version (like a giant cookie).  It comes out pretty crunchy and sweet, kind of like a chocolate-chip-cookie-version of the Turtle Shortbread. It's hard not to feel guilty eating this, but I managed to anyway. There's no need to grease the pan with this one. (fb)
Coconut Custard Pie
I made half of this, skipped the crust and instead used crumbled hob nobs. Now this was some good pie. Seriously rich, not super sweet, but man, that coconut milk makes it decadent. It's kind of a pudding pie. And the hob nobs that I used are a really good compliment. (fb)
Ginger Dream Pie
I liked this. It came out a little darker than the photo, and a little more gingery than I expected. It was enough to taste a little spicy, but not to the point of spicy gingerbread. I made it in cupcake liners, and I was worried it would taste too tofu-y, but it didn't. (fb)
Mexican Chocolate Tart
(I only made the filling and used a pre-made crust, and didn't make the pralines). Whoah, this is some good stuff. I was unsure of how well the filling would set considering it was pretty much just soy creamer and chocolate, no cornstarch or tofu. It set up fine! It has a good proportion of cinnamon/chocolate, and I added less cayenne, but I definitely could have added more. Very, very rich pie, and so I found out it lasts well over a week in the fridge. (fb)
Mont Blanc Tart
Pink Lemonade Tartlets
Pumpkin Pecan Pie
I didn't make the crust, and didn't add starches to the pumpkin crème (thought it might taste starchy without firming up). Instead I used crumbled Hob Nobs for the crust. Anyway, the pumpkin part is great, especially in that it's a tofu-less pie filling and doesn't taste like it's missing anything. Maybe without the tofu it couldn't be a pie by itself (maybe not firm enough?), but it at least works as a layer in this pie. I like the spices in it, and I might reduce the sugar in this part next time. When I made Brianna Clark Grogan's pecan pie recipe, it was WAY too sweet for me, but the pecan pie part in this recipe was perfect. It solidified fine (without any starches!) and was not super sweet. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to use raw or roasted pecans, and went with raw and it was fine... they came out a bit candied. The pumpkin creme never solidified enough to pipe on, so I just sort of dolloped it on. It's pretty sweet, but it probably needs that much powdered sugar just to get to the texture it has. I might try adding the starch next time and heating it on the stove if necessary. All in all, this is a good pie, and would probably be a crowd-pleaser. (fb)
I also tried the Pumpkin Pecan Pie today and followed the recipe exactly. I had the same issue that faunablues did- my pumpkin creme did not set even after being in the refrigerator for about 3 hours. I think fauna might be right about heating it. It has enough cornstarch and arrowroot so maybe that's what I will try next time I make this. (intheend)

Brilliant Berry Parfaits
So here's the deal - I thought that by itself, the blueberry/tofu/sugar/lemon mixture was thick enough to pass as mousse, and would probably have firmed up by itself in the fridge. The arrowroot didn't seem to lend any thickening-ness and just made it have a starchy texture (doesn't it have to be heated to gel, like cornstarch?). And then there was the agar - I got that gooey business into the cuisinart as soon as possible, but it still hardened and remained as little unpleasant bits. What's more, I think agar is unnecessary anyway as a thickening agent. I tried straining the pudding to remove the agar bits, and it worked to a degree... but some still remains. I think in the future I'll stick to chocolate mousse anyway - I'll eat my blueberries fresh. (fb)
Cherry Chocolate Truffles
Cocoa Crumble
Five-Minute Coconut Fudge
Flaming Hot Peanut Brittle
Green Tea Freezer Pops
These were good and not too sweet, but the matcha was awfully hard to mix with the rest of the ingredients. I think next time I'll pre-mix the matcha with the powdered sugar and cornstarch to help it along. I had some trouble getting these out of the molds, and I found letting it thaw a little bit first was better than the book's suggestion (dunking the mold in warm water - it thawed too much and got pudding-y).
Green Tea Tiramisu
I made half the recipe (so I baked the cake portion in a loaf pan and still sawed it in half), and used vegetable oil in place of the margarine in the cake. The cake portion turned out well, and actually reminded me of lady fingers from days of old (rather than sponge cake). Inevitably, the matcha was hard to mix into the sake syrup, but it worked fine enough. The proportion of the syrup:cake is perfect, and I friggin LOVE the green tea/cashew butter mixture for the cream. It's a very rich cake, so I'd say the full recipe is more like 16 servings than 8. Also, though the recipe says to serve withijn 2-8 hours, it was perfectly good two days after (after three, the cake part started to dry out, but I didn't have plastic wrap on it). I loved it (but I love matcha), but my boyfriend who (supposedly) hates everything green tea flavored liked it a lot too. (fb)
Hazelnut Ravioli
I had some leftover phyllo dough, so I decided to give this a shot. First of all, I like how simple the handling of phyllo is in this recipe. It doesn't get as brown as in other recipes where you're brushing oil over every surface, but it's still crunchy and satisfying. The filling was really, truly great - very thick and rich, and a good blend of chocolate and coffee flavors. It wasn't as hazelnut-y as I expected, but if you used a flavor extract or liqueur, that would probably do the job. I'd make the filling again just to use as a nutella-type spread. I didn't make the chocolate sauce. (fb)
Matzah Toffee
Orangettes
My orange peels wound up being very soft and never really crystallizing well. I'm not experienced enough in candy-making to know how to fix that, so I'm not sure what could have gone wrong. Regardless, it was pretty tasty (not bitter at all). Just messier than expected. (fb)
Pumpkin Toffee Trifle
The pumpkin cake is great, but a touch dry. The flavor proportions are all right though, and is pretty strong in the spice department (which I like, and probably works with the pudding combo). I kept the pudding separate since I wasn't serving this, and the pudding is very rich and has a lot of vanilla. It separates in the fridge though pretty quickly, so the author's right to say it should be served within a day. I didn't make the toffee... too lazy, not necessary when not "entertaining." (fb)
Sesame Chews
Trigona