Peanut Butter French Toast Dippers with Peanut Butter Maple Pecan Dipping Sauce

It's getting to be that time of year, even in sunny Southern California, where it's still tipping the therm at over 80 during the day. But mornings and evenings are indeed starting to get chilly, and the fall flavors of maple and pecan just feel right. This recipe originally appeared in Celine and my newest book, Vegans Go Nuts! (Now available wherever books are sold.)

Peanut Butter French Toast Dippers with Peanut Butter Maple Pecan Dipping Sauce
*Soy Free
*Quick and Easy

Book Review and Giveaway! Fillet of Soul: AfroVegan

Fillet of Soul: Afro Vegan is Wheeler del Torro's (of Vegan Scoop fame) newest book.  Note that I say book, and not cookbook.  Because this is more than a cookbook.  Yes, there are recipes, and I will get to those in a minute, but this book is more of a personal look into the experiences del Torro has had with food as he has traveled around the world.

Peanut Butter Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing

Cinnamon rolls are good, sure. But Peanut butter cinnamon rolls, topped with a gooey maple cream cheese icing, whoa!

For the dough:
1 cup (235 ml) water, heated to lukewarm
2 tablespoons (24 g) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons (1/4 ounce, 7 g) active dry yeast
2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (64 g) creamy no stir peanut butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon oil

For the filling:
1/4 cup (56 g) nondairy butter
2 tablespoon (32 g) creamy no stir peanut butter
1 cup (220 g) firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the icing:
8 ounces (227 g) nondairy cream cheese
3 tablespoons (45 ml) maple syrup
3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar, sifted

Combine water with sugar in a microwave-safe dish. Heat until lukewarm, about 30 seconds. Stir in yeast and let sit a few minutes until bubbles appear, to ensure the yeast is active.

In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon and salt.

Add peanut butter and vanilla to yeast mixture.

Stir yeast mixture into dry, mixing until combined,

Lightly flour the counter, place dough onto counter and start kneading. If dough is too dry, add a smidge more water as needed. If it is too wet, add a smidge more flour as needed. Knead for 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and pliable.

Alternatively, use a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. The kneading time will be the same, until the dough forms a ball.

Lightly coat a large bowl with 1/2 teaspoon of oil. Place dough in bowl and gently roll and turn dough to coat with oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, 60 to 90 minutes.

Gently deflate dough and place on a lightly floured surface.

Knead for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4).

Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.

On a well floured surface, roll dough out into a rectangle about 12-inches x 16-inches (30 cm x 40 cm).

Prepare the filling by mashing together butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and cinnamon using your hands to make a well incorporated paste.

Spread the filling in an even layer across the dough.

Starting at the short end of the rectangle, roll up the dough tightly.

Using a sharp knife, cut the rolled up dough into 12 equal cinnamon rolls.

Place on baking sheet, equally spaced from each other.

Allow to sit for about 20 minutes before baking.

Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown.

While cinnamon rolls are baking, prepare the icing.

Beat together cream cheese and maple syrup.

Slowly beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time.

Once cinnamon rolls are done, allow to cool for a few minutes before topping with icing.

Serve warm.

Yield: 1 dozen cinnamon rolls

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Have I already told y'all how much I am in love with Bob's Red Mill Coconut Flour? Well I am. I love the soft texture and the slightly sweet and slightly coconut-y flavor. I have been trying to replace most of my all-purpose flour with this in my baking lately. Tonight I tried it out in some cookies, and I think it worked out fantastically.



Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups creamy no-stir peanut butter
1 cup evaporated cane juice (sugar)
1 cup coconut flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup nondairy milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line two cookie sheets with parchment or a silicone baking sheet.

Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix well until everything is well incorporated and you have a crumbly dough.

Grab about 2 tablespoons worth of dough and form into a ball, then flatteninto a cookie sheet.

Place 12 cookies on each sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until crackly on top and just beginning to brown.

Allow to cool at least 5 minutes before transferring to a rack ro cool completely.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge

(The lighting in this picture is really bad...the actual fudge is much more peanut butter colored with marbles of chocolate throughout!)

Brought to you by the fine folks over at MaraNatha

Their Organic Creamy No-Stir Peanut Butter really is like no other I have tried. The flavor is so rich and peanutt-y. Most likely this is because of their small batch roasting process. It's so nice to have an all natural peanut butter that doesn't separate. It sure makes candy making so much easier. If you haven't tried it yet...you should. I bought mine at Whole Foods, but I have seen it in traditional grocers as well.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge (From 500 Vegan Recipes)
Made with coconut milk, this fudge is very creamy and moist!
Take extra special care when bringing the mix to a boil, because if the temperature isn't just right, your fudge will not set, and it would be very sad to have wasted all those ingredients!!!

Nonstick cooking spray
1 1/2 cups (384 g) creamy no stir peanut butter
1 cup (176 g) nondairy semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
1 cup (235 ml) full fat coconut milk
3 cups (300 g) granulated sugar

Line an 8-inch (20-cm) or 9-inch (23-cm) square baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment and lightly spray with nonstick spray.

In a large heat resistant mixing bowl, mix together peanut butter, chocolate chips, and vanilla.

In a saucepan, mix together coconut milk and sugar. Bring to a FULL boil. (Big rolling bubbles, not little ones.) Boil for exactly one minute.

Pour the coconut mixture into the peanut butter mixture and stir vigorously until well combined and the chocolate begins to melt. It won't completely melt, and thats okay, it will marble with the peanut butter as it hardens. You have to work very quickly as the mixture will begin to set almost immediately.

Immediately pour into the foil lined pan and let sit to cool and harden completely...about an hour.
Cut into small squares and enjoy.

Yield: About 36 pieces

Old Fashioned Amish Mashed Potato Candy

Yep. Candy made from mashed potatoes. Actually, there is so much sugar in these, no one would ever guess that you made them from mashed potatoes. This is an old family recipe that has been passed down for generations. It's naturally vegan, so no subs were necessary. It's a fun way to use up your leftover mashers, or you can whip up some fresh ones just for the occasion.





For years, my mom and I have been making it according to the following recipe:

"Mix powdered sugar with mashed potato to form a dough. Roll out dough and spread on peanut butter. Roll up and slice."

That really is all you need to know. You can use instant mashed potatoes for these too. Today's batch used almost 6 pounds of powdered sugar. It made about 200 pieces.

For those of you who need a bit more instruction, here it is, using instant potato flakes:
3 cups (8oz or 227g) dehydrated potato flakes
2 cups (474 ml) water
1 cup (237 ml) vegan milk like soy, rice, almond, or coconut (vanilla or plain)
6 pounds of powdered sugar
Peanut butter for spreading

In a LARGE mixing bowl, add potato flakes. Bring water and soy milk to a boil. As soon as it begins to boil, remove from heat and mix into potato flakes. Stir well, and allow to cool. Mix in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time (6 pounds equals roughly 18 cups) using an electric mixer. As the "dough" begins to thicken, you will have to abandon the mixer and knead with your hands. Keep adding sugar until your dough is workable, and no longer sticky. Once you achieve a workable dough, divide it into 10 pieces.

On a well sugared surface, roll out one piece at a time.

Spread on the peanut butter.

Roll it up.

Slice and enjoy! I like to wrap mine up individually in squares of wax paper to give them that old fashioned home made look.

Yield: 200 pieces

Christmas Baking Begins!

It's raining and cold. I have today off work. Seems like a perfect time to get going on all of that holiday baking!

These are Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprints.


Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprints
2 cups peanut butter*
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup of your favorite flavored Jam or Jelly
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Additional Jelly or Jam for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep a cookie sheet by either lining with parchment or a silicone baking mat. In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add in peanut butter and jelly. Mix well. Make sure all ingredients are well incorpaorated. Using 2 tbsp of dough, roll into a ball and then flatten slightly, into a disc shape. Repeat and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and make a depression in each cookie (I like to use my measuring spoon, the tbsp size, because it has a nice round, deep well.) Fill depressions with one teaspoon of additional jelly or jam. Bake an additional 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

*Every type of peanut butter yields a different moisture content. If your peanut butter is very wet, you may need a little extra flour. If it is very dry, less. This recipe was made with store brand creamy peanut butter.

Yield: 30 cookies

STAY TUNED! More to come shortly!