Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

If you like super moist and yummy cupcakes then this recipe is for you. They are light and fluffy yet still packed full of a nice chocolatey flavour. I tested these on my non vegan family and they could not believe that they were vegan and that there was no butter in them.

This recipe makes 12 cupcakes but as it is usually only me eating them, I tend to half the recipe and make 6. The cupcakes will keep in an airtight container for approximately 4 days. 

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1 cup of non dairy milk 

1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar 

3/4 cup of granulated sugar

1/3 cup of oil (I use olive oil)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon of any additional extracts (I like to use peppermint to make after 8 cupcakes) if you don't want to add another flavour then just add more vanilla. 

1 cup of plain flour

1/3 cup of cocoa powder 

3/4 teaspoon of bicarb of soda 

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

pinch of salt 

Icing

1 cup of non dairy butter/margarine 

1/2 cup of icing sugar 

75g of dark chocolate 

Method

1. Pre heat the oven to 170c (fan)

2. In a bowl mix the non dairy milk and apple cider vinegar. Place to one side for approximately 5 minutes until the milk has started to cuddle

3. In another bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, bicarb, baking powder and salt

4. To your flour mixture add your milk and vinegar. Followed by your sugar, oil and extracts

5. Mix until smooth and transfer to cupcake cases. Fill the cases approximately 3/4 full

6. Place into the oven and cook for approximately 20 - 25 minutes

7. Once the cupcakes are cooked remove them from the oven and place onto a cooling rack to cool 

8. Whilst the cupcakes are cooling, begin to make your icing

7. Melt the dark chocolate over a double boiler

8. Whilst your chocolate is melting, add your butter and icing sugar into a food mixer and beat for approximately 3 to 4 minutes until the butter becomes light and fluffy

9. Once the chocolate has melted again this will only take a minute or two. Place it to one side to cool slightly. The chocolate needs to be warm but not too hot that it will melt the butter

10. When the chocolate has cooled, add the melted chocolate to the butter icing and beat until combined. Once combined, pipe or spoon the icing onto the now cooled cupcakes. 

Enjoy! 

Vegan Doughnuts

Ingredients 

1 cup of self raising flour
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of soy milk
1 Flax egg (1 tablespoon of flax seeds + 3 tablespoons of water)
1/4 cup of vegan margarine
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Method

1. Pre heat the oven to 150c (fan)

2. In a large mixing bowl add flour, sugar and salt.

3. In a small saucepan heat milk, margarine and vanilla. Heat until margarine is melted.

4. Add to the dry ingredients the flax egg and then the wet ingredients

5. Spoon mixture into doughnut tray

6. Bake in the oven for approximately 12 minutes. The doughnuts will not turn brown.

This mixture will make approximately 10/12 doughnuts.

Once the doughnuts are cooled, they can be topped with whatever you fancy. I used a dark chocolate icing and a vanilla icing.

Vegan Banana Granola

Another yummy staple for breakfast in my house. I love anything I can make in advance and grab when I need it!

Ingredients

3 cups of oats
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of flax seeds
3 tablespoons of sugar (any sugar is fine, I used brown)
handful of pecans
handful of coconut flakes
1/4 of oil (any oil is fine)
2 tablespoons of maple syrup or agave (I had both in so used 1 tbsp of each)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 medium bananas (mashed)
50g of chopped dark chocolate

Method

Pre heat the oven to 150c (fan)

In a bowl mix oats, cinnamon, salt, flax, sugar, pecans and coconut flake

In a medium saucepan, melt and mix oil, maple syrup/agave and vanilla extract. Once combined, remove from heat and mix in bananas. 

Add banana mixture to oats etc. Combined well

Line a baking tray and spread oat mixture out

Cook for approximately 20 to 30 minutes depending on how crunchy you like your granola. Give the mixture a mix up every 10 minutes or so to break it up

Once the granola is cooked and cooled, mix in dark chocolate 

Store in an airtight container. The granola will keep for approximately a month and makes approximately 12 servings 

Easy to Grab Vegan Snacks

One of the things I struggle with being a vegan is the lack of easy snacks you can grab from the shops when you have the munchies! Gone are the days of just picking up some crisps and a chocolate bar. 

Finding snacks these days take a lot more research and planning. 

Here are a few of my go to snacks that you can grab from most UK supermarkets. 

Narns Snackers (balsamic vingar flavoured) - I love these little cracker type crisp. They are so easy to eat on the go and taste great. They also come in a caramelised onion flavour. RRP £0.40. 

Side Note - the cheese flavoured Narns Snackers are not vegan. 

Choices, Rondellos (white chocolate buttons) - great little sugar boost and they don't taste half bad for vegan chocolate. RRP £0.65

Sainsbury's Free Form Chocolate Buttons - again a great little snack for when the chocolate cravings set in. RRP £0.50

Lotus, Biscoff caramelised biscuits - I have never been as happy as when I found out these were vegan. I am such a biscuit person and it had been killing me not being able to grab a pack from the shops and devour the whole thing. That was until these came along.  They also come in a handy pack with individually wrapped biscuits which makes them super easy to pop in your bag and take out with just in case you get hangry! RRP £1.25

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

These cookies are the perfect balance of chewy and crunchy. Perfect for a late night snack or a move night with the girls. A cookie people won't even be able to guess is vegan.

Ingredient

1/2 cup of soya milk (any non-dairy milk is fine)
2 tablespoons of flax seeds
dash of white wine vinegar
1 and 1/2 cups of plain flour
3/4 teaspoon of bicarb of soda
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (this doesn't have to be added if you are not a fan of cinnamon)
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 and 3/4 cup of caster sugar
3 tablespoons of peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
1/4 cup of oil (any oil works)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of molasses
100g of chopped chocolate 

Method 

1. Pre heat the oven to 150c (fan)
2. In a bowl whisk together milk, flax seeds and vinegar. Leave this to one side to thicken, this acts as the egg 
3. In a mixing bowl combined flour, bicarb, cinnamon and salt. Leave this to one side
4. In another bowl combined sugar, peanut butter, oil, vanilla and molasses
5. To the sugar and peanut butter mixture add the flax egg
6. Next add in the flour mixture
7. Combine ingredients together and mix in chocolate chips

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon, spoon the mixture onto the baking trays in little balls. Allow approximately 3/4cm gap between each ball as they will spread a little. Cook in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until they begin to harden

This recipe makes approximately 20 to 24 cookies depending on the size of your balls. I had to bake mine in two batches as I did not have enough room on the baking trays.  

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Granola

I find breakfast the hardest time to be vegan, I don't know if it is because my family all eat fry ups and bacon sandwiches. Egg on toast is a staple in our house or if it just seems like breakfast is boring. Toast and Jam can get a little old after a while as can porridge. If like me you struggle to find an exciting breakfast you can quickly eat on the go, this granola is perfect for you. Simply make a batch ahead of time and grab a load whenever you need it.

Ingredients

3/4 of cup of sugar (I used caster but any sugar will do)

1/2 cup of cocoa powder 

1/2 cup of soya milk (any non-dairy milk is fine)

1/2 cup of water 

2 or 3 tablespoons of peanut butter (smooth or crunchy will work)

8 tablespoons of oil (vegetable or olive)

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

5 cups of oats

3 tablespoons of flax seeds

1/4 cup of pecans

1/4 cup of dried cranberries 

1/4 cup of flaked coconut 

50g of chopped dark chocolate 

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 150c (fan)
2. Mix together in a large bowl sugar, cocoa, milk, water, peanut butter, oil, salt and vanilla. 
3. Add oats, flax seeds, pecans, cranberries and flaked coconut
4. Spread the mixture evenly onto two lined baking trays. The mixture will take approximately 45 minutes to cook and become dry. Check the mixture every 20 minutes and give it a stir and a mix up to create little granola nuggets. 
5. Allow to cool on baking trays for approximately 30 minutes. When cool, mix in chopped chocolate and store in air tight container

The granola will keep for approximately a month and makes between 10 to 15 servings. 

This is a perfect grab and go breakfast. I just pick up a tub full and mix with soya milk when I get to work. Simple and easy. 

Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies

One of the things I struggle most with being a vegan in the UK is not being able to simply pop to the shops to buy treats as UK supermarkets really don't stock a wide range of vegan products.

I am therefore always on the look out for sweet simple treats to make and these cookie are amazing!

Ingredients (yields 12 cookies)

1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons of water (this acts as the egg)
1/4 cup of sunflower oil
1/4 cup of vegan butter (this can be replaced with peanut or almond butter for a different taste)
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/3 cup of demerara sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of bicarb of soda
1/2 teaspoon of baking power
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
2 cups of oats
100g of dark chocolate

Method 

1. Pre heat the oven to approximately 160c (fan)

2. In a large bowel add the flax egg mixture. Leave this to ferment for approximately 5 minutes (it should look thicker in appearance)

3. To the flax egg mixture add sunflower oil, butter, sugars and vanilla. Mix well until smooth

4. Next add bicarb, baking powder, sea salt, cocoa powder and oats. Mix well after adding each ingredient

5. Chop/break into little chunks the chocolate and add to the mixture

6. If you mixture looks to dry or wet, simply add more oats or a little soya milk

7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spoon on the cookie mixture. The mixture can spread a little when cooking so ensure you leave gaps between your balls of dough. I used approximately a tablespoon of mixture per cookie and left approximately 10cm gaps between them

8. Cook in the oven on the middle shelf for approximately 12 minutes. Once out of the oven leave on the baking tray to cool for approximately 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool.

These cookies are incredibly easy to make and taste delicious. My non vegan mum said they tasted like a hobnob!

Tip - Try not to touch them too much before they are completely cool, they can be a little delicate when still hot and can easily snap and break although this just makes them even better crumbled over vegan ice-cream.