Apple Pie Vegan Cupcakes

I was born loving apples.
Whenever I was asked if I wanted juice,

I would pick apple over orange.
Same thing when I had any choice with fruit...
if there was something with apples, then my decision was really easy because I was going with the apple dish.

I guess the apple doesn't really fall far from the tree,
because my dad loves anything with apples too.
Apple pie was a staple growing up for holidays
and it continues to be something that can be found at family gatherings.

So when I was thinking about what kind of cupcakes I wanted to make for a friends' baby shower, I thought back to what she loved to order from me as a comfort food.  Immediately I knew...apple pie.  She orders my Dutch Apple Pie when she needs a little hug from my oven to her tummy, so making apple pie cupcakes with dutch apple crumbles seemed the perfect thing to spoil her.

~Apple Butter~

Apple Pie Cupcakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (soy, rice, coconut, almond- whichever you prefer)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 apple butter or cinnamon applesauce 
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbs.  non-dairy milk 
1 tsp vanilla extract
water- add a tsp at a time until you get the consistency that you would like.

Dutch Crumbles

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup melted vegan margarine

1/4 cup flour

1 cup quick oats

-------Stir all the ingredients together and broil until crispy.

Directions 
1. To make Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350˚F.
2. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and lightly spray the liners with oil spray.  Or use my favorite baking cups.  I LOVE these! 
3. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in bowl. 
4. Stir in non-dairy milk, apple butter, oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract.
5. Mix well. 
6. Fill liners 2/3 full and bake 20-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

7. Cool completely.

8. To make Icing: Beat all ingredients with electric mixer until smooth. 
Pipe onto cupcakes and sprinkle crumbles over the top. 

Let the cupcake icing set up a bit and then enjoy!

Apple Pie Bread-Vegan

In my family, there is nothing better than my Mom's apple pie.

She has this magical way of transforming simple ingredients

 into the most delicious thing you've ever tasted.

It's a beautiful mix of tart apples, cinnamon, and sugar,

that makes even those that don't like apple pie, 

re-think everything that they've ever though about pie.

Yes, it's that good.

It's so certifiably good,

that people (me) 

dream about the beautiful thing that is a classic apple pie.

I knew that if I was to ever call myself a baker, 

I too would have to master the gorgeous, simple beauty of my mom's pie.

It's taken a few years, 

but I feel that I can now say that I have it down...well, almost.

Somehow, her pie still tastes like Heaven on Earth to me. 

So I thought...

and I had a little time to think while sick this past week...

What if I made a bread that tasted like a little slice of pie?

Wouldn't that be fun and delicious?

Well, heck yeah it'd be fun!

But you be the judge,

does this taste like apple pie to you?

Apple Pie Bread (Vegan)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 egg equivalent with Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer
1 cup sugar
2 tbls vegan butter or shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup oil
2 granny smith apples, sliced
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Icing Glaze Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
water to dissolve and make glaze

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Slice apples and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp cinnamon
2. Sift to combine flour, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
3. Use a mixer to blend together the egg-replacer, sugar, vegan butter, vanilla, and lemon juice in a medium bowl.
4. Pour wet ingredient into the dry ingredients and blend until smooth.
5. Add oil and mix well.
6. Layer 2/3 of the sliced apples in the parchment paper lined 9x5-inch loaf pan.

7. Pour batter on top of the apples.
8. Place the remaining apple slices on top of the batter. Optional: Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar (Not really optional in my world)

9. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into center of the bread comes out clean.
10. Let the bread cool completely before adding the glaze. Or opt out of adding a glaze...I did. It smelled too good to wait to glaze it.

Let the glaze set up before slicing. Or not.  :)
Either way, enjoy!

Pie Solves All

No, really...it does! 

How can any problem be big when you have a slice of
homemade pie sitting in front of you?!
Especially if the pie is chocolate!
I generally believe that all problems can be solved with tasty treats.
And, yes...I feed my feelings.
I know that goes against everything that health experts say.
"Don't reward yourself with food."
"Food is fuel."
"Eat before you go to the store."
Blah...blah...blah...
Yeah, I could repeat a whole bunch of them, but I love treats!
Even better, I love to make treats!
Actually, when I'm baking treats, I don't want to eat treats. 
Weird, right?! 
So if I just make treats all of the time, then I won't eat them!
WooHoo!
Sounds good to me!
Hmmm...Somehow I feel that this idea will backfire on me.
Possibly in a big way...but with the holidays here and in full swing, I might as well embrace that idea and bake.  And that is exactly what I plan to do!

This week I continued my bake sale by making pie and cookie orders. 
Of course, I enlisted the person who taught me everything that I know about baking pies and cookies...my mom.  She's the queen of baking.
She was in charge of Pumpkin Pie...

...Beautifully done Momma!

Me, well I was in charge of making the family Apple Pies...a classic is our world.

Plus, I needed to make cookies and pie cupcakes...yikes!  I love to make my plate full.

Don't worry, I made 12 of them, but forgot to take a picture at the end. :0) Too busy, I guess.

But, I also needed to make a few Chocolate Cream Pies...
...the challenge was that I had never made a Chocolate Cream Pie!
Good thing that I have a slew of cookbooks to help me along the way.

When in a jam, I look to the classic books...they have never steered me wrong.  I mean they're a classic for a very good reason.





Velvety Chocolate Cream Pie
Graham Cracker Crust Recipe from The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook~ 2012
Cream Pie Recipe from Hershey's Chocolate and Cocoa Cookbook~ circa 1970's?

Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 packed light brown sugar
1 stick butter- melted

Directions:
Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

1. Mash the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar together with a fork in a medium sized bowl.  Add the melted butter to the mixture and mix together until all of the crumbs are coated in buttery goodness.
2. Press the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate and bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes. (Though in my oven, 6 minutes was plenty of time.)  Let it cool completely before filling with chocolate cream.

Velvety Chocolate Cream Pie
Ingredients:
1/3 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Whipped cream for a topping.

Directions:

1. Combine cocoa, sugar, cornstarch and salt into a medium saucepan. Add milk into the mixture and whisk until smooth.
2. Over medium heat, cook and whisk until it comes to a boil.  Once the mixture begins to boil, it will begin to be thick at this point, continue to boil and whisk for 3 more minutes.
3. Remove the chocolate mixture, whisk in butter and vanilla, continuing to whisk until all of the butter is melted.
4. Pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust.  Let it rest for about 15 minutes, then carefully press plastic wrap directly onto the pie filling.
5. Refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours.  Serve with freshly whipped cream and enjoy!

Now seriously...how can you have a problem with this pie in front of you?! And if a problem arises, heck have another piece of pie! Problem solved. :0)

Happy Problem-Free Thanksgiving!