by amvandenhurk | Bread, Dessert, Plant-Based Eating
I can’t tell the difference between this vegan banana bread and the traditional recipe made with dairy butter and eggs. And that makes me happy. Since 2003, I have been making Cooking Light’s Classic Banana Bread. It is seriously good. Basically it is if I have overripe bananas then make banana bread (or nice ice.) It is a family staple.
As dairy and I no longer get along, I wasn’t able to enjoy the banana bread as much as before. I decided I was going to makeover this family favorite to a vegan version. A brave thing to do as family favorite recipes are not to be messed with. I swapped the eggs for flax eggs (1 tablespoon ground flax and 3 tablespoons water mixed together then let gel for 10 minutes). I used Miyoko’s Creamery European Style Cultured Vegan Butter Unsalted which is crafted for baking and coconut milk yogurt. Everything else is the same.
Outside the ingredient swaps, I’ve always used a flavored yogurt usually strawberry. Mainly because that’s what I had in the fridge. Sour cream works well in a pinch. And if I have blueberries, I throw them in as well. They add moisture and a fun color. And it is fresh fruit is that’s good, right? 😉 I always have more overripe bananas than I know what to do with so I load it up with bananas.
Can you tell the difference with this vegan banana bread? Bet you won’t.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup vegan butter, softened
- 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flax and 6 tablespoons water mixed together let gel for 10 mins)
- 1 ½ cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
- 5 oz container non-dairy yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- Cooking spray
Preparation
- 1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- 2. Prepare loaf pan with cooking stray.
- 3. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups.
- 4. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk or fork.
- 5. Place sugar and vegan butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute).
- 6. Add the flax eggs beating well.
- 7. Add banana, non-dairy yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended.
- 8. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist.
- 9. Spoon batter into a loaf pan.
- 10. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in center comes out clean.
- 11. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan.
- 12. Cool completely on wire rack.
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https://wellwornapron.com/vegan-banana-bread/ 
by amvandenhurk | Dessert, Holiday, Plant-Based Eating
Can vegan snickerdoodle cookies be good? Yes they can! I’ll be honest I’ve found that a lot of vegan baked goods taste weird. And I love my desserts so that’s been a big challenge as I move towards a more plant-based diet without dairy and eggs.
Growing up in we lived near Amish Country in Lancaster, PA. The Amish are known for the baked goods and a favorite place for cookies was The Bake Shop in Kitchen Kettle Village in Intercourse where I would get snickerdoodle cookies. They are butter cookies rolled in sugar and cinnamon.
As it is the Christmas holiday season, it has put me in the mood for cookies. Why not make vegan snickerdoodle cookies? Like I said I was skeptical, but decided to try it. And I liked it. The key is the ingredients, but that’s the case with every recipe. Quality is important.
All About The Butter
For the vegan snickerdoodle as in the traditional cookie, the butter is essential. I use Miyoko’s Creamery European Style Cultured Vegan Butter Unsalted which was crafted for baking. I use it in my Potato Corn Chowder along with unsweetened oat milk. This recipe uses unsweetened apple sauce as the egg replacement, but you could use a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax and 3 tablespoons water mixed together and left to sit for 10mins). The recipe can use whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour. I use the whole wheat pastry flour. You can use a spoon or a stand mixer. I used my food processor, but it didn’t cream the butter and sugar as well as I would have liked. So next time, I’m using my stand mixer.
It still is a treat food
Now I have to be a Debbie Downer, but as a reminder that just because it is vegan doesn’t mean it is low calorie or healthy. This recipe as a cup of sugar. Just like any other baked good recipe. Like with the traditional cookie, they should be enjoyed in moderation and as a treat.
Let me know what you think about this recipe. Can you tell that it is not made with animal-based eggs and butter?
While they aren’t all plant-based, check out these desserts. I’ll be adding more vegan baked goods soon.
Vegan Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
- Cookies:
- 350g sifted flour (white whole wheat or all-purpose flour) or 2 1/2 cups
- 2 teaspoons cream of tarter
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Big pinch of salt
- 225g vegan butter, at room temperature or 1 cup
- 225g organic pure cane sugar or regular sugar or 1 cup
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 teaspoons vanilla paste
-
- Coating:
- 3 tablespoons organic pure cane sugar or regular sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Preparation
- 1. Preheat oven to 375F.
- 2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease with oil.
- 3. In a bowl, combine the flour, cream of tarter, baking soda and salt.
- 4. In a bowl, cream the sugar and butter, about 2 minutes.
- 5. Add the vanilla and applesauce, mix to combine.
- 6. Add flour mixture until flour is incorporated. Dough should be firm and thick. If the dough is too soft, chill it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes until it stiffens a bit. This will help keep them from spreading out.
- 7. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon for rolling. Roll dough into about 1 inch balls. To keep them uniform, use a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon.
- 8. Place cinnamon sugar rolled balls on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between balls.
- 9. Bake in center of the oven for 8 – 9 minutes. For a little crispier cookie, bake for 10 minutes. I found on the convention setting the best time as 9 minutes.
- 10. Let cool for a few minutes on the pan as they will be too soft just from the oven to move to a wire rack.
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https://wellwornapron.com/vegan-snickerdoodle-cookies/ 
by amvandenhurk | Dessert, Plant-Based Eating
It is officially Fall and that means apple pie for me. Not pumpkin spice anything. Don’t get me wrong I love a pumpkin donut from Dunkin’ or better yet my sister’s amazing pumpkin roll with cream cheese frosting. But I can’t get into the cult of pumpkin spice. I’m a fan of anything apple. I love apple cider donuts, tarts, apple sauce, and pie.
American as Apple Pie
Every country in the western world has their apple dessert. Apples are hardy and store well. They are portable and don’t require anything. Grab, go, and eat. The picture that stays with me from the Netherlands is girls on bikes eating apples as they cycle to school, work, or home. The Netherlands and Germany are known for their apple desserts in forms of cakes.
Apples as we know them today are not native to the Americas. The seeds were brought by colonists after they found the native crab apples not eatable. In the late 18th Century, Dutch immigrants brought apple preserving techniques and the Germans shared their flaky buttery crust creating a new truly American dessert, the apple pie. Reference to apple pie in the US goes as far back as 1796 in the cook book, American Cookery.
During the First and Second World Wars, soldiers were heard saying the reason why they were fighting was for “Mom and Apple Pie.” The humble pie became associated with patriotism.
My Pie
I buy small organic Gala apples in bags at Aldi with very intention of eating them. Sometimes I do, but others times they just sit there like they are posing for a still life. I hate to waste food so when they get to the point of not very appealing to grab and eat, I make either apple sauce or pie with them.
Since I always have apples, frozen rolled pie crust, and the other ingredients on hand, it is a quick and simple dessert that I could make a lot more. That said, if I make it all the time it won’t be good for my waist line nor will it be a special treat. I use whatever apples I have on hand which are usually Galas or any of the apples picked at my favorite local orchard, Rocky Brook, during the picking season.
Tucking into a fresh baked pie with ice cream or whipped cream is such fall comfort food.
Ingredients
- 8 cups thinly sliced apples (about 8 medium)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Preparation
- 1. Preheat oven to 450F.
- 2. Roll out pre-made pie crust. Place one crust in a deep dish pie plate.
- 2. Put sliced apples and lemon juice in a bowl and tossing.
- 3. Combine sugar through salt.
- 4. Sprinkle spices over the apples and toss until well combined.
- 5. Dump the apples into the pie plate and place the top crust on crimping the edges and making slits in the top.
- 6. Brush with milk or egg wash.
- 7. Bake at 450F for 15 minutes then reduce temperature to 350F baking for 40 minutes.
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https://wellwornapron.com/apple-pie/ 
by amvandenhurk | Dessert, Holiday
The Cake We Make Together
The Oreo Cheesecake. That’s right. It is deserving of the “The.” My son and I have been making this cheesecake today since he was 4 years old. On Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s, this is out celebration dessert.
I don’t remember where this recipe is from after all of these years and the printout is worn. One of the reasons I created Well-Worn Apron was to curate recipes. It is time to transfer this one over from paper to the blog to keep it safe.
While I’ve thought about how to make this plant-based, I’ve decided not too. It is such a cherished dessert to us and indulging in to once a year is OK in my book.
Oreo Cheesecake is easy to make. A good recipe to make with children. They will enjoy crushing the Oreos with a baking pin for the crust, pouring the ingredients in, and decorating before going into the oven. Decorating the cake is my son’s favorite activity and for this Thanksgiving he make a smiley face. I use my Braun food processor to blend the batter and it makes an amazingly smooth batter. Once in the oven, it fills the house with the most wonderful smell.
Ingredients
- 18 Oreo cookies, crushed
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 24 ounces cream, softened (3 8oz. packages)
- 1 can (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Preparation
- 1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- 2. Mix Oreos and melted butter.
- 3. Press the mixture in a greased 9-inch spring form pan.
- 4. In a large bowl, cream together the remaining ingredients until well blended.
- 5. Pour into the pan.
- 6. Bake for 45-60 minutes.
- 7. Don't over bake it until it cracks.
- 8. Cool to room temperature and chill in the refrigerator before removing from pan.
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https://wellwornapron.com/the-oreo-cheesecake/ 
by amvandenhurk | Dessert, Plant-Based Eating
Making a rustic fruit tart is a simple way to bring the flavors of summer to your table. I usually make one when we have fruit that’s overripe to bite into. Frozen pie crust is always in my freezer so I can throw together a pie or tart when the fruit is ripe, or make samosas.
This recipe is so simple. I don’t really have a recipe It is something I just throw together without much thought. And sometimes, it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. I’ve used apples, peaches, and nectarines in my rustic fruit tarts. I’m not going to bother creating a recipe card because it is such free wheeling process.
All you need is some fruit, sugar, a little flour, maybe some lemon juice, and pie crust.
- Slice or chuck the fruit. You can add blueberries or raspberries into the fruit like apples, peaches or nectarines as well depending on what you have on hand.
- Dump in bowl.
- Add sugar to taste, some lemon juice, and a touch of flour to thicken the mix while baking mixing well.
- Arrange… ok dump… the mixture on the pie crust and fold up the crust.
- If you want some browning then do an egg wash.
- Bake in a pre-heated 375 oven for about 30-45 minutes. Checking on it when you get to the 30 minute mark.
- Let cool a little then devour.
Be creative with your fruit tart. And enjoy!
by amvandenhurk | Dessert, Plant-Based Eating
Ice Cream! Ice Cream…
We all scream for ice cream! Especially in the summertime. The heat is on here in Newport so chocolate nice cream is welcome in our house. Recently I made mango sorbet and it turned out yummy so I decided to find out if I can make vegan chocolate ice cream. We love ice cream especially chocolate in our house. As we are eating more plant-based, it is important I can introduce “normal” foods familiar to my guys.
Chocolate Ice Cream is Easy
Yes, it is to my joy. Made with three ingredients: frozen bananas, plant milk, and cacao powder. That’s it. What I love about this recipe and the sorbet is it is ready to eat once done blending. You just need to remember to slice and freeze ripening bananas to have on hand, but other than that it is immediate gratification. Always appreciated when craving ice cream. Another thing I love about it is that it is healthy. You can have your ice cream and eat it too!!
A couple tips:
– Let the bananas thaw for a couple minutes
– Use quality cacao powder for a really luxe ice cream
– Put in freezer for that perfect consistency
My dairy forever son and my toughest food critic gave me two thumbs up. He couldn’t stop eating it.
Ingredients
- - 5-6 medium-sized bananas or 2 cups, cut into slices and frozen
- - 1-2 tablespoons plant milk
- - 1-2 tablespoons cocoa, cacao, or carob powder
Preparation
- 1. In a food processor or high speed blender, blend the slightly thawed bananas until they start to get smooth.
- 2. Through the chute, add 1 tablespoon of plant milk and more if needed.
- 3. Scrape down the sides and add in the cacao.
- 4. Allow it to process again for another 3-4 minutes, or until fluffy and smooth. You may need to open and scrape down the sides periodically.
- 5. Eat right there or put in air tight container in freezer.
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https://wellwornapron.com/chocolate-nice-cream/ 
Hello! I'm Ann Marie and I wear the well-worn apron. Join me as explore plant-based eating while I live on an island off the U.S. state of Rhode Island.