Carrot Raisin Spice Chewies With Lemon Glaze

So at the beginning of this week I went through my recipe books and chose some things that I wouldn't normally choose in an effort to expand my horizons. So far, everything has worked out really well! I wrote out a list, bought all the ingredients I'd need for the week, and every day I've been making something new and exciting. This is the first recipe I tried, from Isa & Terry's Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar (which of course, is an AWESOME recipe book). The old Jaclyn would have picked something chocolatey and decadent, but I'm a changing girl, so I went with the opposite. Turns out, they're awesome!!!! Matt and I both have loved munchin' on these little chewies all week. And the Lemon Glaze definitely isn't a must, but I highly recommend it. Compliments these guys perfectly. I bet you'll love them too.

East Coast Coffee Cake

This recipe is, of course, from one of my favorites; Vegan Brunch. Matt and I recently had a day off together, and this doesn't happen very often so I decided to make something special for breakfast. I didn't feel like going to the store and so I just flipped through my recipe books until I found something that I had all of the indredients for. I really don't have a lot of personal experience in making or eating coffee cake, but I figured it had to be delicious so I gave it a whirl! OF COURSE it turned out AWESOME and the two of us literally finished off the whole batch in less than 24 hours.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

This is another great recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking. Anyone who loves the chocolate/peanut butter combo will love this decadent treat. This is definitely a "I can't believe it's vegan" recipe, but honestly, I think all of my dessert recipes are! Every time I've made this recipe I've doubled it because I've found that it just spreads way to thin in the 9 x 13 pan that the recipe calls for. Of course it makes the bars much more dense, but that's how I like 'em! I'd recommend doing the same or making the recipe as it is but using a smaller pan.

Cookies 'n' Cream Cupcakes

This recipe is, of course, from Isa's Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. I made these cupcakes for Matt's best friend who drove all the way down to South Carolina to visit us for his birthday. I had made these cupcakes before and knew that no sane person would turn them down. Matt's (non-vegan) friend of course loved them so they were a success! This is a definite "I can't believe it's vegan!" recipe, as is every single cupcake recipe in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. Well, I haven't made them all yet, but I plan to. We LOVE LOVE LOVE cupcakes, and I'm telling you, these Cookies 'n' Cream cupcakes are like little cakes of delicious gold. MMMM wish I had some more right now!!!

Basically, the Cookies 'n' Cream recipe is just an adaptation of the plain ol' Chocolate cupcakes and Vanilla Buttercream frosting recipes. (Which, I might add, are seriously delicious without any fancy adaptations - Especially the frosting... holy crap). Here we go!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's The Joy of Vegan Baking. First of all, this cookbook is AMAZING. (Thank you Mom and Dad for such a great Christmas gift!) It is full of decadent deserts, mouth watering breads, and finger lickin' pastries and treats! Anyway, in this cookbook many of the recipes are made with Ener-G Egg Replacer. I haven't always had success with this stuff but as I learned from this book, blending it with water is absolutely KEY. It will do its job flawlessly. So don't leave this step out!! Anyway, these cookies are awesome, totally awesome. They're a hit everywhere I bring them. They're the perfect "I can't believe it's vegan!" treat. No one would ever guess! They taste just like those yummy Tollhouse cookies I used to bake with my mom. I baked these tonight for my neighbor who offered to watch our pets while we're in New Hampshire for the week. I know she and her husband will love 'em.