Baking

Since I retired, I have discovered the joys of baking.

When I was working full time, I barely seemed to have enough time to put dinner on the table, much less bake desserts. If I had to take one, like to a Boy Scout banquet, I would usually make cupcakes from a mix; or, if really in a pinch, would buy some at the store.

I have learned that baking is actually pretty easy, if you have some time.

For one thing, grandkids enjoy baking. A taste tester is always required, and usually one of them can be forced to help with that. But they also like to participate in the process… mixing, measuring, pouring.

And there are some delicious vegan baking recipes. My family members really love the taste and texture, and the fact that they are dairy free and heart healthy is a bonus.

The cupcakes shown above are strawberry with strawberry frosting. My husband’s favorite is zebra bundt cake. One daughter-in-law likes carrot cake, and the other daughter-in-law’s favorite is cheesecake. My sons don’t care much for cake, but they seem to enjoy the ones I make for family dinners.

Vegan cookies are good too… I found a terrific recipe for sugar cookies, which I can roll out into different shapes for different holidays and decorate accordingly. My pumpkin cookies disappear quickly, and chocolate chip cookies are always a favorite.

I asked for a doughnut baking pan for Christmas last year and have been making wonderful doughnuts. Apple cinnamon, vanilla with sprinkles, and chocolate with ganache have all been hits. My husband recently gave me a mini-bundt pan, which makes adorable personal size cakes.

A problem with baking these yummy desserts is, of course, eating them. When I was growing up, we were told to eat all of our meal because other children were starving, and I still feel guilty if food is not eaten. So, I have made a practice of freezing any leftovers to keep them out of sight. They stay fresh (so I don’t have to eat them) and are available if we have company or a craving for something sweet.

The one disappointment is that I have yet to find a good vegan substitute for my brownies. I must admit that my brownies are really good, and in fact, once won a taste test against my professor’s professional brownie mix. There is one chocolate cookie that is almost as good, but it still isn’t a brownie. If you have a great vegan brownie recipe, I hope you will pass it along to me. Thanks in advance!