Vegan S'mores Bars

I made these tasty treats for a bake sale back in August, "Goodies for the Gulf." Once I saw a non-vegan recipe for these, I couldn't get them out of my mind. After a couple attempts and few modifications I came up with the recipe below. They are so delicious I promise they won't last long. I recommend waiting at least sampling a taste about 20 minutes after they come out of the oven. The chocolate will still be melty, gooey and oh so yummy!

Vegan Smores Bars

1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup "butter" (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)

2 Ener-G Replacer "Eggs"

2 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 cups crushed graham crumbs

2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1 bag of Dandies vegan marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 8 inch pan with parchment paper. Cream together sugar and margarine until fluffy. Add vanilla and "eggs" and beat well. In a separate bowl mix together graham cracker crumbs, flour, and baking powder. Slowly add dry mixture to the wet until well combined. Separate the dough in half. 

Roll out the first half of the dough with a rolling pin to line the bottom of the pan with the graham cookie crust. Next, layer the chocolate chips over the cookie crust, and then layer with marshmallows. Lastly, roll out the remaining dough to layer on top. Bake in oven until golden brown, about 25- 30 minutes. Let bars cool completely before serving. To speed up the process, wait 15-20 minutes after removing the bars from the oven and then place it in the freezer for half hour to an hour.

Hint: to create a smooth crust, make graham crackers crumbs in a food processor so they are nice and smooth.

Simple Animal Cupcakes: Pigs and Chicks

I made these cupcakes to bring to a friend's birthday party. You don't need to be an expert to make these, they are simple to execute. Here is how: bake up your favorite cupcake recipe, and vegan buttercream frosting. If you are looking for a recipe check past posts for a good one. For the chick, color 1-2 cups of coconut with yellow food coloring, sprinkle a thick layer on top of a frosted cupcake. Use two semi-sweet chocolate chops for eyes, a split orange gum drop for a beak, and a gum drop rolled out into a wing shape (or check the store for some already shaped that way). For the pigs, color the frosting pick, use semi-sweet chocolate chips for eyes, pressed pink gumdrops for ears, and pink dyed marzipan for the nose. Use a frosting tip to add dots for the pig's nostrils.