Fluffy Peanut Butter Pancakes (Vegan)

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups Unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon EnerG Egg Replacer powder
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 ¼ cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• ¼ cup water
• 3 Tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 Tablespoons peanut butter (I used homemade peanut butter by my dear friend Mary Kay)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
• ⅓ to ½ cup chocolate chips (optional)
• 1 banana, thinly sliced (optional)
• coconut oil for cooking

Directions

Combine dry ingredients. Stir to mix well, then make a well in the center. In a separate bowl, stir some of the milk, warmed, together with the peanut butter, and if solid, the coconut oil, until smooth. Stir in the rest of the milk, the water, vanilla, and almond extract (if using). Add mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir gently to blend. If desired, stir in chocolate chips.

Heat griddle or pan, lightly greased with coconut oil. Use a ¼ cup measuring cup to drop batter onto hot griddle. Cook until underside seems golden brown (it will show around the bottom edges). Flip pancakes and continue cooking until golden brown on both sides. Repeat with remaining batter, using coconut oil to lightly grease the grill between batches.

Makes 10 - 12 fluffy, delicious pancakes.

Tip: For Peanut Butter (caramelized) Banana pancakes, place a few thin slices of banana on the grill then pour ¼ cup of batter over for each pancake. Proceed as directed above. Wipe grill with a damp paper towel between batches to avoid making “burnt banana” pancakes!! :-) Serve with chocolate peanut butter syrup and extra caramelized bananas.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Syrup

• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 Tablespoon peanut butter
• ⅓ cup chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients in a bowl atop a double boiler. Make sure that no steam escapes around the sides of the bowl. Turn off heat and stir until syrup is completely melted and pourable. Enjoy!!

- Acooba

---

Sunflower Butter Cookies

Last week, while at Veggie Fest Chicago, I tried Trader Joe’s Sunflower Butter. For the very first time. It was like: “where have you been all my life?!” Seriously delicious. So of course I got some when I returned home to share with my girls. This morning, I opened up the jar and was hit, simultaneously, by the most wonderful aroma, and by an irresistible inspiration. There are many, many things I’m going to do with this butter. First up: Sunflower Chocolate Chip Cookies. This is my first pass, and the recipe will evolve. I’m already thinking of a few things to do differently next time (which will probably be soon!). But for now, my tastebuds are about to take a walk on the sunny side. Here’s what I did today:

Ingredients

• 5 Tablespoons Earth Balance, whipped organic buttery spread
• ¼ cup Trader Joe’s Sunflower Butter
• 2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons EnerG Egg Replacer
• generous ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour
• ½ cup vegan chocolate chips, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl, place Earth Balance, sunflower butter, sugars, egg replacer, baking soda, salt, and vanilla. Blend by hand for a minute or two until well blended and smooth. Stir in water. Fold in flour, and chocolate chips, if desired. Drop mounds of dough two or three inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until set, then remove baking sheet from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Tip: For denser cookies, roll the mounds of dough into balls then press with the tines of a fork that has been dipped in granulated sugar (like peanut butter cookies). Bake and cool as directed. Enjoy!

Makes about a dozen cookies.

Edit: They might turn green! Sunflower seeds have chlorogenic acid (naturally occurring in plant leaves and stems, etc., and also in the seeds of the sunflower plant). The chlorogenic acid reacts with baking soda and possibly baking powder to produce a green pigment as they cool.

- Acooba

Related Recipes: Vegan Chocolate Clouds, Dirty Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies.

---

Dirty Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 7 tbsp Earth Balance Organic Whipped Buttery Spread
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 6 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp EnerG Egg Replacer powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 Chocolate Joe Joe’s sandwich cookies (or Oreos), crushed
• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, combine Earth balance, sugars, Egg Replacer powder, salt, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir by hand until well blended, about 2 minutes. Stir in water. Fold in flour, then add crushed Joe Joe’s and chocolate chips.

Gently mound about 3 Tablespoons of dough together for each cookie, and place 3 inches or so apart on the parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let cookies cool for a bit before trying to remove them. Cool on pan, or transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy!!

Note: for a special treat, add 2 tablespoons of good quality peanut butter along with the chocolate chips and swirl into the batter.

Makes 9 large cookies.

- Acooba

---

Vegan Chocolate Clouds

Ingredients

• 2 squares (1 oz. each) unsweetened chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

• 1/3 cup coconut oil

• 1/2 cup coconut sugar

• 1 tablespoon EnerG egg replacer

• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 cup flour

• 1 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Stir coconut oil and melted chocolate together until smooth. Add coconut sugar, egg replacer powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla and almond extracts and stir to blend well. Stir in water. Stir in flour, then chocolate chips. Use hands or two spoons to shape dough gently into mounds of about a tablespoonful of dough, and space 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until set. Let cool slightly on baking sheet, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy!

- Acooba

Related Recipes: Dirty Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, Sunflower Butter Cookies.

---

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Chunkies

Ingredients

• 7 Tablespoons butter, softened (1 stick, minus 1 tablespoon)
• 1 Tablespoon creamy unsalted peanut butter
• 6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon coconut sugar*
• 2 teaspoons EnerG Egg Replacer Powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips

*May be substituted with dark brown sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine all ingredients except water, flour, and chips, and stir together until well blended. Add water and blend until absorbed. Stir in flour, then chocolate and peanut butter chips. Drop spoonfuls onto the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until very lightly browned. Cool for a few minutes on baking sheet, then remove to a wire rack (if available) to cool completely.

- Acooba

---