After having some amazing vegan pecan pie over the holidays, I knew I wanted more pecans in my life! The problem with pecan pie? It’s time consuming to make a full crust, and the pie is just so big that you need so many people to help finish it! Enter, vegan pecan pie tarts!
CRUST
FILLING
They are easy to serve – no more messy cutting into a pie. They’re already all set in individual serving size. These are way faster than making a regular pecan pie from scratch (those crusts are so time consuming!) They use a simple cupcake muffin tin so you don’t need any fancy baking supplies. You can eat them with your hands, or dress them up and serve them on a plate as you would with pie. They are also undetectably vegan – my brother is a pecan pie fan and thought they’re as good as any he’s had!
You’ll need a food processor for the crust, some coconut oil to grease the muffin tin, and the muffin tin. Once you make the crust, you’ll get those in the oven while you start preparing the filling. The filling gets made quickly, so it’s best to have all of the ingredients pre-measured and ready to go since you’ll make this over the stove. Then you’ll scoop the filling into the crusts, and you’ll bake it a bit longer at a lower heat so the crust doesn’t burn. Pop them out carefully – I slide a toothpick around the outer edge and gently apply pressure upwards once I have all sides loose.
CRUST is adapted slightly from Deliciously Ella’s recipe here:
FILLING is adapted slightly from America’s Test Kitchen cookbook, Vegan For Everybody
Other dessert recipes you may like:
Granola is something that goes quickly in this household! Between topping our breakfast smoothie bowl with it, eating it mixed in cashew yogurts, or having a bowl on its own for breakfast (or dessert!) we go through a lot. It’s way easier to know how to make it at home than to keep buying it from the store. Plus, you get control over the flavors you want! This apple cinnamon granola is one of my favorites!
Once you get the basics down, you can really swap in and out so many different ingredients to get it to your liking. It’s nice to always have granola on hand for that extra crunch and I always enjoy my homemade granolas much more than the store bought. Maple syrup can get pricy, so you could go with a less expensive kind since we are just after the sweetness here, but beware of low quality brands that include lots of added sugar.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F
Mix the oats, cinnamon, salt, flour, and almonds together.
In another bowl mix the coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla together and then pour into the dry mixture.
Stir in the chopped apples.
The mixture should be wet, but not soaking. If it feels too wet, add a little bit more oats until it is more like a wet sand consistency.
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pour the mixture on the parchment paper lined sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes, mixing around halfway through. Granola can burn easily, so keep a close eye on it.
Best consumed within 3 days and stored in airtight container.
Other tasty snacks you may like:
Oatmeal Cookie Protein Bliss Balls
Protein bliss balls are the easiest thing to make, and pack a punch with nutrition. These babies reminded me of oatmeal cookie dough, and so got their name.
They’re a quick and healthy snack to grab. Dates are packed not only with lots of fiber, they also provide a ton of potassium, magnesium, manganese, and copper. The protein powder gives you a little boost there, and the oats add some energy with their carbs and a little more fiber. The added cinnamon and raisins really give it a cookie dough flavor so these also work for dessert, while still being guilt-free.
This recipe makes about 15-18 tablespoon size balls.
Store in an airtight container on the counter. They’ll last for 1 week at room temp, or 2 week if you keep them in the refrigerator.
You may also enjoy a similar recipe:
To be honest, peppermint is not my favorite flavor. But this holiday season, I decided to test it out in a way that would not be overpowering. Enter, the vegan chocolate peppermint cookies!
I used the exact same chocolate cookie as my Chocolate Crinkle Cookie recipe. Super minimal, yet effective.
If you are not a huge peppermint fan like myself, you know how wrong too much peppermint can go. I debated adding peppermint extract to the dough itself, but honestly, the peppermint candies are the perfect amount. You can still taste all the yummy and moist chocolate, and get a nice crunch and subtle peppermint flavor.
Kugel is a classic Jewish dish, and this is my vegan noodle kugel version! It seems like every family has their own heirloom recipe. My favorite noodle kugel is from my grandmother’s recipe who died when I was only a few years old, so I unfortunately don’t have any memories of her making it. But my mom continued to make her recipe for us and has become very nostalgic for me.
When I started eating entirely plant based, I knew I needed to make a vegan version of this favorite recipe of mine. I expected to need multiple versions to get it right, but it actually turned out to be very straightforward with the plant substitutions!
It is a traditional Jewish baked casserole, typically served at lots of holiday feasts. It can be savory or sweet, but I’ve only ever had the sweet versions, so this one is too! It also has lots of eggs and dairy and when it bakes, the casserole becomes very custardy. It also typically uses egg noodles which are thin and don’t fall apart when served.
It’s really easy to make, and then just goes in the oven to bake. Because it’s a casserole dish as well, you’ll likely end up with leftovers. It also tastes pretty darn similar to the dairy and egg version. Mine didn’t “stick” together in the exact same way as the traditional version, but I thought the taste was spot on!
Other pasta dishes you may like:
These protein date balls are the perfect mid-day snack, post-workout snack, and even dessert. Date balls are so versatile and healthy you can feel good eating them anytime of the day.
They’re packed with tons of protein from the two types of nuts – almonds and walnuts – and protein powder. Plus, you’ll get an extra boost of fiber, vitamins and minerals from the medjool dates and coconut flakes!
I love these because they’re SO simple to make, the flavor packs a punch, and they’re a great grab-and-go quick snack. Because of the fiber in the dates, they’re actually a little filling despite their size so they’re great post-workout.
They literally could not be easier. Gather all the ingredients and pit the dates. Then toss it all into the food processor and blend up! Blend them about 1 minute, and then scoop about 1.5 tablespoons worth and roll into a ball. boom! That’s all you have to do!
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup walnuts
1 cup pitted Medjool dates
1/2 cup shredded coconut
3 tbsp Tropeaka Lean Protein Vanilla
1 tbsp water
If you’re looking for other protein packed favorites, try this pumpkin spice almond butter.
I don’t know why I didn’t think about a pumpkin spice almond butter recipe sooner. I’ve been getting REALLY into pumpkin spice this season, and still going strong in December. I’ve basically been trying to add pumpkin spice to everything and seeing if it works, and it certainly works in almond butter too!
First you will roast the almonds. Roasting them first adds more depth and flavor to the almond butter end product. Next, you’ll toss the almonds into the food processor and turn it on…for a while. I had to take multiple breaks throughout the processing so my food processor didn’t overheat. It took about 30 minutes. Once the almonds are all nice and creamy, then go ahead and add the spices, vanilla and agave or maple syrup. Once you add these extras, blend a bit more until your desired creaminess! Scrape down the food processor sides as needed.
I love the extra special pumpkin spice flavor in this recipe. I use regular almond butter so often, this has been a welcome treat in my smoothies, smoothie bowls, and toppers on toast!
Other sweets you may like:
Nothing truly beats a homemade pesto. So here’s my easy pesto recipe that anyone can do at home. All you need is a food processor to blend it all up. Making your own pesto is the easiest way to fancy up some regular old pasta and add some extra veggies.
You will literally just toss it all in the food processor or professional blender! Add more olive oil as needed to get the processor going to cream it all up, and scrape down the sides as needed.
It’s WAY easier to do than it initially seems, and basically any ratios still yield a delicious pesto product. For example, if you don’t have a ton of basil, toss in a bit more arugula. Or missing pine nuts? No problem, you can easily substitute for plain walnuts or cashews. Maybe you have some leftover zucchini? Great, toss some of that in as well! It makes your pasta seem super fancy, especially if you serve it with something else green like steamed broccoli or fresh peas. Plus, homemade pesto on top of a standard pasta adds really nice healthy fats and great vitamins and aminos.
makes 4 servings
What’s better this season than vegan pumpkin cookies? One with chocolate chips! This pumpkin cookie remains perfectly soft throughout the week, which I personally love!
First, you’ll begin by softening the butter. I leave this on the counter for about 30 minutes until I can easily press with my index finger. After that, mix together the butter and sugar. Once those are thoroughly mixed, add in the pumpkin puree, continuing to mix, and then the flax egg. Keep mixing well.
Next, you’ll drop in the chopped dates, walnuts, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar, cinnamon and salt. Then add the flour and keep on mixing! Wipe off the paddle as you need to make sure everything is evenly mixed. Finally, add the chocolate chips.
Once the dough is mixed, I like to let it chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. The pumpkin is quite tacky, so chilling makes it a little bit easier to work with.
Meanwhile, when your dough chills, you can preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and prepare your baking sheet. I use a silpat mat, but you could also use parchment paper, or a greased sheet. After the dough has chilled, I scoop out using a soup spoon and roll into a ball. Place the ball on the cookie sheet, and gently press down to be more in a cookie shape (ie. flattened and less ball shape!) Cook these for 13-15 minutes, and let them cool on the cookie sheet before moving them to a cooling rack!
Since these are a soft cookie, I’ve got a few tips for ya!
yields 16 cookies
Looking for a different sweet treat, check out these:
These vegan chocolate crinkle cookies are adapted from my grandmother’s recipe and are a Christmas staple in our household. It’s been so fun to make her recipe vegan and still maintain the full integrity of the fudgey centers!
If you haven’t tried these cookies before, I promise they are SO easy and are definitely going to be a hit. Seriously, my husband and I can’t stop eating them over here.
Looking for other vegan treats, check these out: