Hi, I'm VeggieGirl, and I'm Addicted To Baking

Back in July, when I first learned how to bake, I would try to make it a goal to test a new recipe or technique every few weeks or so, in order to improve my skills in the kitchen. Fast-forward three months, to the present time, and you can find me in my kitchen, baking every single day. And it's not just muffins anymore - I have moved on to other "sweet treat genres," such as brownies, cookies, pies, cakes, sweetbreads, bars; and still some muffins as well (I refuse to stop baking muffins - there are just so many varieties and recipes out there to try!). It is no longer just a hobby anymore - it has gotten to the point where I feel unproductive if I am not baking something new (especially with the abundance of new cookbooks that I have received, begging to be used). So yes, it is true; I am officially addicted to baking - but instead of attending a "Baking Addicts Anonymous" meeting (do those even exist?), I have decided to just accept my case, and share with all of you the results of this past week's baking-addiction occurrence:



After finally receiving my copy of the highly-anticipated Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan cookbook (ED&BV) in the mail, about a week ago, I knew that I had to address the baked goods recipe section, before any of the other recipes. It was a hard decision to make, but I chose to bake the Macadamia White Chocolate Chip Cookies (which Dreena - the author of the cookbook, in case you didn't know - posted about here) first. Due to taste-preference (I'm not too keen on macadamia nuts/macadamia nut butter), I substituted cashews and cashew butter, thus creating Cashew-White-Chocolate-Chip Cookies. This particular baking experience featured many firsts: Not only was it my first time making these cookies, but it was also my first time using spelt flour (since this is a wheat-free cookie recipe), using/eating cashew butter, and using/eating vegan white chocolate chips!! With so many firsts in one recipe, I'll admit that I was a little nervous about how these cookies would turn out - but thankfully, these cookies were a hit with me and (more importantly) my family. After just one bite of a cookie, my mom exclaimed, "Okay, this is definitely my new favorite cookie"; and my dad followed up with, "wow, make these cookies everyday!" haha. And of course my grandfather gave me feedback, stating, "Well, you've done it again - another winning baked good!" I wonder how the following baked goods that I decided to make this week will compare...



As my next baking-addiction project (and as my second ED&BV recipe trial), I decided to bake the "You Got Peanut Butter in My Chocolate" Cookies (another wheat-free cookie, which Dreena posted about here). Now if you have been reading my blog on a regular basis, you should know by now that I do not eat chocolate, and am crazy about carob (another addiction, indeed!) - so of course I modified the original recipe. Pictured above are my Carob-Almond-Butter cookies (I do love peanut butter, but I happened to have just enough almond butter left to make these cookies; so I figured, why not use that instead of the peanut butter?). I guess I could call these my "You Got Almond Butter in My Carob" Cookies, to make it sound more similar to the original title; but by the time you state the title of the recipe, you've most likely polished off the cookies already! So I'm sticking with my simpler, more straight-forward title, for the cookies ;0)



Here is a close-up shot of one of the Carob-Almond-Butter Cookies, which highlights the large chunks of almond butter and "fudgy" carob chips, present throughout each cookie in the batch. These cookies are rich, decadent, and delicious - everything a cookie (or any baked good) should be! Another new favorite cookie in my household, and another great recipe from ED&BV - there are so many fabulous, intriguing recipes in that cookbook (especially in the baked goods section), that I can guarantee that you will see more of my renditions of its recipes, in future cooking/baking projects (since my addiction is only growing stronger, at this point).



Even though I just made a batch of these Carob-Hemp Squares a little over a week ago, I made another batch of them, as a gift for one of my brothers and his family (since he had voiced that these squares were "incredible - keep making these, for sure"). Instead of using an 8"x8" baking pan for the squares, I decided to take a chance and use a 9"x13" loaf pan - this was a great decision on my part, if I do say so myself, since the squares firmed up more; and, to top it all off, the squares were richer, denser, and thicker - perfect! I will certainly make these squares in the loaf pan, rather than the baking pan, from now on - and I will be making these again soon, since my brother and his family (and everyone in my household as well) enjoy these squares so much.



As I mentioned earlier, I refuse to stop baking muffins, since there are just too many flavor combinations and recipes to experiment with. The muffins in the picture above are Banana-Cashew-Date muffins, which is my own recipe/flavor combination. The "caramel-like" dates, crunchy cashew pieces, and mellow banana flavors definitely complement each other well; and these muffins are a nice break from the "more indulgent" cookies that I've been making this week ;0)



I know there are many who would disagree with me on this, but in my opinion, carob is one of the most underappreciated, delectable ingredients out there! Not only does it have a luscious, almost bittersweet taste, but it is free of oxalates and caffeine as well (can't say that about chocolate, which contains both!). Since I was still in a "muffin-baking-mood," I really wanted to incorporate this addictive, favorite ingredient of mine into a batch of muffins; but not just by sprinkling a few carob chips into the batter - oh no. I wanted to go all out and make a muffin that was all carob. Using my friend Celine's sensational recipe for Low-Fat Double Chocolate Muffins as a guideline, I created perhaps the most perfect muffin for carob-lovers everywhere: Low-Fat Double-Carob Muffins. These muffins are phenomenal - period. Seriously, words cannot do these muffins justice; and my family agrees (yes! I have recruited more carob-lovers! haha). The only changes that I made to Celine's recipe (aside from substituting carob powder/chips for all the chocolate) were halving the amount of sugar, using oatmilk instead of soymilk, and making 10 regular-sized muffins instead of 6 large ones (since I don't own a jumbo muffin pan - yet!).



Here is a second picture of the Low-Fat Double-Carob Muffins - if this doesn't convince you to give carob a fair chance, then I don't know what else could! But really, these muffins are spectacularly delicious, and have only deepened my affection for carob (and baking!)



For my other brother and his family, I baked a batch of muffins using the ingredients/flavors that they requested: Banana-Cashew-Carob-Chip Muffins. I must say, this is yet another terrific mix of ingredients/flavors, for a baked good - I love how you can take any original cookie, muffin, or any other baked good recipe, and transform it completely, just by altering some of the "add-ins" (i.e. the use of nuts, fruits, carob, chocolate, etcetera). Thankfully, these muffins satisfied yet another group of faithful "customers" :0)



Even though baked goods can be enjoyed year-round (thank goodness!), I still like to make treats that are festive, and "fitting" for particular holidays and seasons. In honor of the current autumn season (and as a request), I baked another one of my Pumpkin-Pecan-Raisin Loaves, for my friend Alisa. Many thanks to Alisa, for graciously emailing me a picture of the loaf that I sent her, since I completely forgot to take a picture of it before I shipped it to her! How forgetful of me! At least I only forgot to take a picture beforehand, instead of forgetting ingredients in the loaf, haha (I'm glad I didn't do that - that would not have been good!). According to Alisa, this loaf gets "two thumbs up," which is always a great phrase to hear, when it comes to sharing your own creations with others!

Despite all of the prior commitments that I have (i.e. classes, appointments, errands, etcetera), I have been able to fulfill my desire to bake, bake, bake (as evidenced by the photographs and descriptions, in this post) each and every day; and I do not predict a decrease or an end to my baking addiction any time soon (nor do I think I will be attending any "Baking Addicts Anonymous" meetings). In fact, I think I'll go do some more baking, right now... ;0)