Vegan Holiday Desserts

Vegan they are. Tasteless they aren't. And, soy-free!

These dainties are sure to make jaws drop (and water) purely because they are that tasty.

These yummy recipes replace milk, eggs, and soy with ingredients like almond or rice milk, and apple sauce.

Though these desserts carry all the taste, and plenty of calories yet they cut down on fat by ditching the dairy.

Also, if you are lactose-intolerant or allergic to soy, look no further!

Now, time to plug in the mixer, and heat up that oven.

1. Apple Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies- What are the holidays without some cookies and apple-based confections?

The scent of warm apples and cinnamon are sold as air fresheners and scented candles year-round for a reason. Yet, nothing beats the real thing. Well, here comes the apples as these cookies exude that familiar, Autumn & Winter-time smell, while being simply gooey and delicious..

Ingredients:

2 cups of flour (**Unbleached if possible – refer to bottom of the article for explanation)

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups sugar (**Unbleached if possible)

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup vegan margarine (**Smart Balance makes awesome vegan margarine that is available in just about all commercial grocery stores in the diary/butter area!)

1 tsp vanilla or almond extract

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

1/3 cup chunky or smooth apple sauce

3/4 vegan chocolate chips (Ghirardelli Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips)

Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). In a bowl, stir the baking soda, salt and flour together; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, blend the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla or almond extract, margarine and apple sauce together with a mixer until nice and smooth. Add this mixture, and the chocolate chips to the flour mixture and stir/blend together well.

On a greased cookie sheet (i.e. spray Pam or oil it up) drop a tablespoon of dough onto the sheet (An ice cream scooper is good for this as it makes consistent drops.). When all dough is used, bake cookies for 8-10 minutes. Makes 24 cookies.

Glazed Orange Cake- Apple or pumpkin may come to mind when thinking of Thanksgiving or Christmas. But, this orange cake is rich, dense, and a good change amidst all the apple and pumpkin pies. More like a pound cake, this decadent dessert is best served warm with a little vegan (or normal) whipped cream.

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups of flour

3 tsp of cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp baking powder

1 cup of brown sugar

3/4 cup of apple sauce

1 cup of orange juice

1/2 cup of water

3/4 cup of canola or safflower oil

Glaze-

1 cup of powdered sugar

1 tbsp orange juice

1/4 tsp orange extract

1 tbsp almond or rice milk

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).

Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, brown sugar and cinnamon together. Separately, mix oil, apple sauce, orange juice and water in a bowl. On low speed, combine all ingredients and place into a Bundt or pound cake pan.

Bake for 40 minutes or until a knife/toothpick comes out clean. To make the glaze, mix all its ingredients together. Pour over cake when cake is completely cooled.

Apple Spice Squares- These chewy squares are full of chunks of fresh apples. Warm some apple cider and relax on a cool autumn night.

Ingredients:

4 cups of apples (Golden Delicious, Macintosh, Fuji...sweet apples) peeled and cubed (1/2 cubes) (4 Medium Apples)

1 3/4 cups of sugar

2 cups of flour

1/2 cup of canola oil

1/2 tsp dried or fresh lemon peal (chop coarsely if fresh)

1/2 cup strawberry or currant jelly

1/2 tsp of almond extract

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg or ginger

1/2 tsp salt

powdered confectioner's sugar (Sprinkled on top when finished)

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). Grease a 12 by 8 inch baking pan and set aside.

In a bowl, combine the apples, lemon peal, and sugar. Let it sit for 15 minutes.

To the apple mixture add the oil, jelly, vanilla and almond extract. Stir until the jelly is fully dissolved. In another bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger, baking soda and salt together. Mix gradually into the apple mixture and pour into the baking pan.

Cook for 45 minute or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool then sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Slice into squares.

Chocolate Marble Pound Cake- This dessert will fulfill any chocolate cravings, during the holidays or not. This pound cake is rich and moist, and the marble effect is as visually appealing as it is tasty.

*By the way, if you are worried the apple sauce may be an odd flavor in this cake, don't worry. You can't even taste it, yet it thickens and moistens the cake beautifully.

Ingredients:

11 tsbps of vegan margarine (Smart Balance)

2 cups of flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup almond or rice milk

1 cup apple sauce

1 1/2 tsps of vanilla extract

3 tbsps of unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup of vegan chocolate chips (Ghirardelli Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips)

Heat oven to 350 F (175 C). Grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.

Mix the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder together.

Beat 8 tablespoons of the margarine in a mixer until light and fluffy. Then, slowly beat in the sugar. Add the apple sauce and combine.

Now comes the nifty part. Transfer 2/3 of the batter to the loaf pan. Add cocoa powder to the remaining batter and blend. Afterwards, add in the chocolate chips and stirs.

Drop the chocolate batter over the white batter in the loaf plan. With a spatula, fold the batters over to marbelize. Even when wet, you can see the marbling when you fold the two types of batter over each other.

Bake for 70 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Wait for it to cool than pop it out.

All recipes have been baked and tasted by the author; the photography are the end results.

Happy holiday baking~

**Bleached flour and sugar are chemically bleached with chlorine, AND animal bones to name a few. Some vegans choose to use unbleached since it is not chemically altered or bleached with animal bones. It does not affect the taste of the baked good.