After enjoying a completely vegan sunset on my vegan rooftop last night, I decided to bake some vegan goodies. Brandt and I are going to DC this weekend to see some family, and since we've asked them to accommodate our vegan lifestyle, I thought a gift of tasty treats was in order.One of the best parts about most vegan baking is that, since it excludes raw eggs, you can take as many tastes of dough as you'd like. Although, the nutritionist in me is inclined to recommend only 1 or 2 to save room for the finished product, which I always also want to taste.
Vegan Coconut Chocolate Bars were what I decided on. I found them online, but altered the recipe, so thought I should share my version.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour, sifted (you must sift before measuring!)
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (I realized that I accidentally purchased sweetened, so decreased the sugar from this recipe by about 1/8 cup)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons non-dairy milk (don't really need to measure, just add when the time is right)
1/4 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chunks
1/4 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (almonds and pecans would be good too!)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, divided
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with non-stick spray.
In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda and powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine applesauce, oil, sugar, and vanilla.
Add wet mixture to dry and mix until combined. Add non-dairy milk a little at a time until it holds together well.
Fold in coconut (reserving about 3 Tablespoons for the top), chocolate chunks, and walnuts. TASTE :) Press into baking dish and sprinkle over remaining coconut.
Bake for 21-23 minutes. Remove from over, let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting. I cut mine into 25 small pieces. (Then Brandt ate 2).
