I use white whole wheat flour all the time now that it’s finally available here, and it works very nicely in heavier baked goods like cookies. Maybe because of all the sugar and a touch of vinegar, these blondies don’t taste whole-wheaty at all, quite the opposite – not that whole-wheaty is necessarily a bad thing, just not what I usually aim at when making dessert. Peanut butter is just a slight side note in the taste – I am not a huge fan of sweet peanutty things, but here it adds a little something important. These were good right after baking and excellent straight from the fridge later on.

The Dry:

• 2 and 1/2 dl white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

The Wet:

• 3/4 dl coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 2 dl whole cane sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar

The Egg-Replacer:

• 2 tablespoons gram (chick pea) flour
• 3 tablespoons soy milk

The Chocolate:

• a handful of chopped dark chocolate, 85%

First I preheated the oven to 175 degrees Celsius, chopped the chocolate, and sprayed a glass baking pan with a bit of olive oil. I used a small, 15 X 20 cm baking pan, and the result was fudgy and kind of sticky in the center. Very delicious, but a larger pan would yield more of the caramelized edges that were probably my favorite part of this dessert.

To make the batter, I first mixed the wet, the dry, and the egg-replacer ingredients in separate bowls. The chickpea flour is a bit lumpy so it’s important to mix well. Now, I combined everything and stirred with a fork just so that there were no dry lumps visible. I folded in the chocolate, poured the batter in the pan, and baked for 25 minutes. For the last 5 minutes I covered the pan to prevent too much browning – it might be wise to check after the first 15 minutes and cover when necessary.

There’s only enough batter there to keep things together, letting all the nutty goodness really shine. We munched on these from the fridge for more than a week and the flavors just kept on getting better. I used a cayenne-flavored dark chocolate for the topping, but regular would be fine – maybe sprinkled with a bit of extra cayenne for more spicy kick. I also used whole cane sugar and agave as sweeteners, but to simplify things I’m sure using just one or the other would work as well.

Here’s what I used:

• 2 and 1/2 dl assorted nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, and almonds)
• 1 dl raw coconut flakes
• 1/2 dl chick pea flour (gram or besan)
• 1/2 dl whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 dl coconut oil in room temperature
• 1/2 dl whole cane sugar
• 2 and 1/2 tablespoons agave syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy yoghurt
• 60 grams (cayenne-flavored) dark chocolate, chopped

First, I preheated the oven to 175 degrees Celsius, covered my baking dish with parchment paper, and sprayed it with a bit of olive oil. I also chopped the nuts and the chocolate – the nuts quite coarsely, dividing them only in 2-3 pieces each.

To make the batter, I mixed the dry ingredients except nuts and coconut flakes (chickpea flour through cayenne) in one bowl, and the wet ingredients (coconut oil through soy yogurt) in another. Now I poured the dry into wet and stirred with a fork just enough to mix. Then I poured nuts and coconut flakes in the batter bowl and stirred until they were evenly coated with the batter. There should be just enough batter to coat.

Now I spread the mixture in the baking dish and baked the squares for 15 minutes, until nicely browned. I turned down the heat in the oven, sprinkled the chocolate evenly over the nutty layer, and then placed the baking dish back in the oven for 1 minute to melt the chocolate. I removed the dish from the oven and spread the chocolate evenly with a butter knife, then let the whole thing come to room temperature, and refrigerated for a few hours before cutting into small squares with a sharp, unserrated knife.

The cherry chocolate I used for decoration was a nice addition, and I’m thinking fresh cherries might work as well – although they’d have to be very ripe and sweet not to be overshadowed by the flavor of the mousse itself. I’d actually added a dash of cinnamon in my coffee before brewing it, and while not really noticeable, it might have added a hint of depth to the flavors.

The Chocolate Mousse (serves 4):

• 350 grams (one package Mori-Nu) firm silken tofu
• 3 tablespoons very strong and cold coffee (stove-top espresso with a bit of cinnamon)
• 3 tablespoons whole cane sugar
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
• 150 grams nice semi-sweet chocolate
• chocolate shavings for decoration, optional

I mixed the tofu, coffee and sugars with our immersion blender until very very smooth, absolutely no lumps were visible. Meanwhile, Heikki melted the chocolate in a water bath. Then he ladled the chocolate in the tofu bowl and I whisked away until thoroughly combined.

We poured this mixture in 4 ramekins and refrigerated for an hour, and I decorated two portions with cherry chocolate shavings, which added a a bit of textural contrast as well. The two remaining ramekins were saved for the next day and were even better.

Everybody loved the combo of tart cranberries and melty dark chocolate, and the vanilla ice cream magically transformed the cookies into a real dessert. This makes 8 large cookies – pictured here are the two survivors on the day after.

The Dry Mix:

• 3 dl spelt flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

The Wet Mix:

• 1 dl dark syrup
• 1/2 dl muscovado sugar
• 1/2 dl canola oil
• 1 tablespoon soy yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add-Ins:

• 1/2 dl dried cranberries
• 1/2 dl chopped chocolate (72 %)

First I stirred together the wet and dry mixes in separate bowls, added the wet to the dry, and stirred with a fork until almost combined. I poured in the cranberries and chocolate and kneaded them in, and then refrigerated the dough overnight in a zip-lock bag.

After our dinner the next day, I pre-heated the oven to 175 degrees Celsius, and divided the dough into 8 equal portions. I rolled them into balls and flattened slightly on a cookie sheet, and then baked for 11 minutes.

The cookies came out of the oven still soft, but after about 10 minutes they had nice crispy edges and chewy centers – quite perfect served with a scoop of ice cream and a dessert fork.

Adding wheat bran to cookies is a good way of making you feel like you’re baking something almost healthy without compromising flavor. This batch yields about 10 medium-sized cookies, and they keep very well in room temperature for a few days at least.

The Dry Ingredients:

• 1 dl whole spelt flour
• 1 dl wheat flour
• 1/2 dl wheat bran
• 1/2 dl dark cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

The Wet Ingredients:

• 1 dl muscovado sugar
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

I first mixed the dry and the wet ingredients in separate bowls, and then combined in one of the bowls. The dough was dry-ish but kept together when pinched between two fingers.

I then proceeded to cover a baking sheet with baking parchment and rolled the dough into 10 balls. I flattened the cookies slightly – they only spread a little in the oven, so this is an important step. Then I baked them in 175 degrees Celsius for 8 to 9 minutes, when still soft but just slightly browned on the underside.

These cookies had a good crunch, but also a nice and chewy center – there is a risk of overbaking these, so good care should be taken.

Heikki and I liked the chocolate that was sprinkled with both cardamom and pink peppercorns most, and the nutty chocolate did have a nice sugary crunch to it as well. Next time I might just add our favorite spices right into the melted chocolate and then sprinkle with nuts, although it was nice to have a variety of flavors to taste and compare this time.

Sugar-Coated Nuts:

I didn’t actually caramelize the nuts for this chocolate bark – they only got a thin coat of whole cane sugar, more brittle than the solid caramel you’d get by boiling the sugar for a longer time. This is a lovely treat by itself and we munched the leftovers from the chocolate-making in no time at all.

• 4 tablespoons whole cane sugar (rapadura)
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 2-3 teaspoons water
• pinch of salt
• 2 dl pecans, chopped
• 2 dl cashews, chopped

First, I mixed the sugar, oil, water, and salt in a cup to make a smooth-ish paste. Then I chopped the nuts coarsely with a heavy non-serrated knife, and toasted them on high heat until fragrant and just very lightly browned. I lowered the heat and poured the sugar mixture in the pan, stirring with a wooden fork, and it started bubbling right away.

I let it boil for a minute or two, until the water had evaporated and all the nuts were coated with the sugar. Then I spread the mixture on a piece of baking parchment, separating the bits from each other, and let it cool.

Making the Chocolate Bark:

• 200 g (or more) chocolate
• crushed pink peppercorns, ground cardamom, crushed peppermint candies, sugar-coated nuts, cinnamon, etc.

I used a bunch of different “leftover” chocolates for this one, most of them about 70 % cocoa solids. I divided the chocolate bars in small pieces, and melted them in a water bath (first boiled the water, then took the pot off heat and placed the chocolate bowl in the pot). Then I poured the chocolate on a piece of baking parchment in smaller and larger mounds, and spread them a little bit until about 3 to 4 millimeters thick.

Now I sprinkled the chocolate with my favorite things: pink peppercorns alone and combined with cardamom or cinnamon, mint candies, and the sugary nuts from above. I let the chocolates sit in room temperature until settled, for a few hours I’d say.

The flavor of these cookies is rather complex and surprising. The earthy fruitiness of the red wine syrup and the licorice undertones from the whole cane sugar match very well with the dark chocolate in my opinion. These might not be a crowd-pleaser I would bake for a birthday party,  but I’d be proud to serve these for a small group of friends whose tastes I know well – and definitely to myself on a day when I need a lift of spirits!

The Cookie Dough (makes 10 cookies):

• 1 dl red wine (table wine, but nothing you wouldn’t drink)
• 1 and 1/2 dl whole cane sugar
• 2 dl wheat flour
• 1/2 dl good cocoa powder (Green & Black’s)
• 1/3 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 dl canola oil
• 35 g dark chocolate (70%, to fill the cookies with)

I placed the red wine and the whole cane sugar in a small cooking pan and heated them on medium heat until they started to boil. Then I let the mixture boil until it had thickened into 1 dl of thick syrup, for less than 10 minutes. Boiling the syrup for too long will make it too stiff when it cools – be careful, you don’t want to caramelize the sugar too much.

After reducing it, I poured the syrup in a small mixing bowl, mixed in the canola oil and the vanilla extract, and set it aside to cool down. Then I mixed the dry ingredients (wheat flour through white sugar) in another bowl, and set the oven to 175 degrees Celsius. When the syrup mixture had cooled down – it was still warm but not hot – I poured it in with the dry mix, and stirred with a fork until combined.

I took a small chocolate bar and divided it in 10 pieces. Then I rolled the dough into 10 round balls, and then folded a chocolate piece inside each ball, like so:

Now I placed the cookies on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, flattened them a little bit, and baked them in 175 degrees Celsius for about 8 minutes, when they had spread a bit and the tops looked nice and crackled. This way I got soft cookies with just a little bit of crispiness on the outside – for a thoroughly crispier cookie, 1 to 2 minutes longer should work. After baking them I removed the cookies from the baking sheet to cool on a rack.

I especially love the melted chocolate in the heart of each cookie, so it’s a good idea to serve these warm even on the following days. We also tried a few of these cookies spreaded with some organic raspberry jam that has no added sugar in it, and that was a heavenly match!

The agave syrup in the custard caramelized around the edges, which gave it a very nice burnt sweetness.

The Custard Topping:

• 175 g (half a package Mori-Nu) silken tofu
• 2 dl oat cream (or soy creamer, or any other vegan cream)
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
• 4 tablespoons agave syrup
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons tapioca starch
• pinch of salt

I combined all the ingredients and blended until completely smooth.

The Brownie Batter:

• 70 g vegan chocolate (semi dark)
• 60 g margarine
• 1 dl plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 2/3 dl dark cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/2 dl plain, unsweetened soy yogurt
• 1 and 1/2 dl raw cane sugar
• 3 tablespoons soy milk
• 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar

First, I preheated the oven to 175 degrees Celsius, and melted the chocolate and the margarine in a water bath. Once melted, I let them cool down while preparing the other ingredients.

I mixed the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a small bowl. Then I placed the soy yogurt, the soy milk, vanilla sugar, and raw cane sugar in another bowl, and whisked them for about 3 minutes. I wanted the sugar to dissolve, so at this point I took the time to prepare my baking dish.

I covered my baking dish (26 X 18 cm) with parchment paper. Then, I whisked the cooled down chocolate-margarine mixture together with the other wet ingredients, and then added the dry ingredients in the bowl. I stirred with a wooden fork to combine, and poured the batter to the baking pan, spreading it evenly.

Then I spread the custard topping over the brownie batter. The original recipe advices to swirl the brownie with a knife for a marbled effect, and that’s what I did. However, since these vegan brownies are leavened with baking powder, the end result is very different – well, if you look at the picture you see what I mean! But I think our brownies came out pretty too, especially after I decorated them with some cocoa powder, and this way you get nice custardy caves in the brownie layer.

I baked the brownies in 175 degrees Celsius, on the lower rack of the oven, for about 35 minutes, when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake came out cleanish (with only some custard topping stuck to it). Then we let the brownies come to room temperature and refrigerated them for a few hours before eating.

Well, actually we had a little bite before refrigerating, but I strongly suggest serving these fridge-cold – it improves the texture immensely!

I baked these for the birthday party of a niece, and a diabetic nephew was also present, so I replaced some of the sugar with fructose (which has a lower glycemic index, making it a better option). While I must admit that decorating free-style with my non-existent piping skills didn’t produce the most stylish cupcake, the birthday girl did turn 5, so I think the sprinkles were the main attraction for her anyway…

The Batter:

• 3 dl whole spelt flour
• 3/4 dl cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 and 1/2 dl plain soy yoghurt
• 1 dl muscovado sugar
• 1/2 dl fructose
• 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
• 1/2 dl canola oil
• oven-proof apricot preserves for the filling

I first preheated the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

To make the batter, I first mixed the dry ingredients together (flour through salt), then mixed the liquids in another bowl (soy yoghurt through canola oil), and then mixed the two together with a fork. Now, I added one tablespoon of batter in each cupcake liner, then placed a teaspoon of apricot preserves in the center, and covered the preserves with another tablespoon of batter. I think we got 12 cupcakes allthogether, but our cupcake liners were sort of large, so the batter might make a few more of regular-sized cupcakes.

Then I baked the cakes in 160 degrees Celsius for 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted came out clean.

Fructose can be replaced with another sugar – you just need to add a bit more since fructose is very sweet. Fructose also browns quickly, so when using a regular sugar, these can be baked in 175 degrees instead of the 160 indicated.

Cardamom Apricot Chocolate Mousse:

• 175 g (half a package) Mori-Nu silken tofu
• 110 g chocolate, melted
• 1 dl apricot preserves
• 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar (or vanilla extract plus confectioner’s sugar)
• crushed seeds from 2 cardamom pods
• pinch of salt
• grated chocolate and sprinkles for decoration

To make the mousse, I just melted the chocolate, and while it was cooling down a bit, I blended the tofu with our immersion blender until it was completely smooth. Then I added all the rest of the ingredients and mixed until combined.

I let the mousse settle in the fridge for an hour or so before piping it over the cupcakes, and decorated the cupcakes with grated chocolate and sprinkles.

Here’s what I came up with: chocolate squares with grated apple, orange juice, and a hint of cardamom thrown in the batter. Moist and gently fruit-flavored, these treats made the transition to urban environment much easier for me!

I would say these are best when eaten warm, either on the day of baking or warmed up a bit on the following days. We don’t have a microwave oven, so we always warm leftovers on the stove. Today, I just heated a small non-stick frying pan and fried the cake for a minute or two on both sides, until a thin crust formed and the insides softened.

The Wet Mix:

• 70 g dark chocolate, melted
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 small apple, grated
• 1 dl freshly squeezed orange juice with pulp
• 1 dl plain soy yoghurt

The Dry Mix:

• 1 and 1/4 dl whole wheat flour
• 3 tablespoons chick pea flour (gram)
• 2 tablespoons potato (or corn) starch
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 dl muscovado sugar
• 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

First, I melted the chocolate, set the oven to 175 degrees Celsius, and covered a small (23 X 15 cm) baking dish with some parchment paper. Then I sprayed the paper with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.

I set the chocolate aside to cool down a little, and mixed the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. When the oven seemed ready, I added the oil to the chocolate, and mixed until combined. Then I added the rest of the wet mix ingredients to the chocolate bowl, and stirred until the mixture was pretty smooth.

I poured the wet mix in the dry mix bowl and stirred with a fork until thoroughly combined. Then I poured the baatter in the baking dish and baked it for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake came out with a few moist crumbles.