Arpeggiated Apple Pie

This apple pie recipe has to be one of the most unusual and most delicious ones I have ever come across. A lover of animal crackers, I was intrigued by the incorporation of this kid-friendly classic.

Ingredients

filling

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced

4 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and thinly sliced

1 1/3 cups sugar

1/2 tsp salt

6 Tbsps instant tapioca

2 Tsps cinnamon

3 Tbsps fresh lemon juice

crust

1 1/2 cups animal crackers

3 1/2 flour

1 stick vegan butter (Earth Balance)

1 stick vegan shortening (Earth Balance)

6 Tbsps ice water

Glaze

3/4 cup reserved apple juice (from filling)

2 Tbsps fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp vegan butter

1 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a pie dish and set aside.

Filling: In a large bowl, combine the apples, sugar and salt. Set aside for about 30 minutes to allow the apples to release their juices. Collect 3/4 cup of the apple juice and set aside for glaze.

After you remove your apple juice, toss the apples with the cinnamon, tapioca, and lemon juice.

Crust: In a food processor, combine the flour, 1 stick of butter, and 1 stick of shortening. Process until a coarse meal has formed. Gradually add in the ice water until the dough has formed. Remove dough, divide into two halves and set aside. Using the food processor again, crush the animal crackers and sugar until they become a powdery consistency. Dust your work surface with the animal cracker mixture and roll out your first slab of dough on top of it. Place the rolled out dough in the prepared pie dish. Poke holes in the bottom of the dough with the tines of a fork. Pour the apple filling into the pie dish on top of the crust. Re-dust your work surface with the animal crackers and roll out the other half of the dough to create the top crust. Place the dough on top of the pie filling, trim and seal the edges. Cut vents into the top of the pie to allow for heat to escape. Bake for about 1 hour or until the pie is golden brown.

Glaze: Simmer the reserved apple juice over medium heat until it has reduced to about 1/4 its amount. Remove form heat and stir in lemon juice and butter. Whisk in confectioner's sugar and brush the glaze on top of the pie once it has come out of the oven. Allow the pie to cool completely before serving (the cooling process will allow for the glaze to set). Enjoy!

Music suggestions:

• I'll Fly Away- O Brother, Where Art Thou?: The Kossoy Sisters
• Big Rock Candy Mountain- Harry McClintock

Harmonious Hummingbird Cupcakes

I recently received the most wonderful cupcake kit as a gift. Inspired by the sweet cupcake liners and the recipe booklet that came along with it, I decided to make something. I selected the hummingbird cupcake recipe and began to bake. The end result was the most unusual and delicious cupcake recipe I have ever come across. Light and fluffy, these cupcakes are a wonderful combination of bananas, pecans, and pineapple. I hope you enjoy them.

Ingredients

cupcakes

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 cup sugar

1/2 canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup mashed banana

1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

frosting

1/2 cup vegan butter, room temperature

6 oz tofutti cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups confectioners sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line and grease a pan of 12 cupcake molds and set aside.

Cupcakes: In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the egg, egg yolk, and sugar with an electric hand mixer until thick and creamy. Still using the electric mixer, add in the vanilla extract and oil. Add in the sour cream, followed by the flour mixture. Fold in the banana, pineapple, and pecans. Mix well. Spoon batter into the paper cups, filling them about 3/4 of the way. Bake for about 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before frosting them.

Frosting: In a large bowl, cream the vegan butter, tofutti cream cheese. and vanilla extract with an electric hand mixer. Gradually add in the confectioners sugar one cup at a time.

Frost the cupcakes in the design of your choice and Enjoy!

Music suggestions:

• Zip-A-D00-Dah- Louis Armstrong
• The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66: 6. Valse- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Maggiore Mini Carrot Cakes

This might just be the nicest carrot cake recipe I have ever found. A favorite of my Mother's, these little cakes are the perfect combination of moist and fluffy.

Ingredients

cake

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs (or eggbeaters if you choose)

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups fresh grated carrots

icing

4 Tbsps vegan butter

8 oz. Tofutti cream cheese

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1/3 cup splenda (you can also just use confectioners sugar if you want)

3/4 cup lightly roasted pecans, chopped

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 12 mini cake molds or if you want to make just one large cake, grease and flour a 9 inch spring form pan.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, oil, and eggs. In a smaller bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Stir the dry ingredients into the oil mixture. Add in the grated carrots and mix well.

If you are making mini cakes, fill each cake mold about half way with batter (the cake will rise substantially while baking) and bake for about 30-40 minutes. If you are making one large cake, pour batter into the spring form pan and bake for about 50 minutes. Remember to test the cake by poking the middle of it with a knife to see if it has baked through.

icing: In a food processor, cream together the vegan butter and Tofutti cream cheese until smooth. With the food processor running, add the remaining ingredients but leave the pecans as the last to be put in.

Once the cakes have cooled, spread the icing over the top of them and serve. If you have made one large cake, it works better to spread icing over individual pieces rather than the whole cake. The cake will keep for longer if you do so. Enjoy!

Music suggestions:

• On the Sunny Side of the Street- Ella Fitzgerald
• Dream a Little Dream of Me- Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

Coloratura Chocolate Cupcakes With Strawberry Tofutti Cream Cheese Frosting

I recently received the Babycakes Bakery Cookbook as a gift. For those of you who don't know, Babycakes is a delightful vegan (and kosher!) bakery based in NYC. Look them up if you're there!

Excited by the beautiful pictures and innovative recipes, I was eager to begin baking. This cookbook contains the secrets to creating the most wonderful baked goods with a healthy twist. Who doesn't love a delicious dessert that is also good for you?

Ingredients

cupcakes

1 3/4 cups chickpea flour

1/2 cup potato starch

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup arrowroot

1 Tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsps salt

1 cup coconut oil

1 1/3 cups agave nectar

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 Tbsps vanilla extract

1 cup hot coffee

frosting

1 8 oz. container tofutti cream cheese

1 stick vegan butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 cup frozen strawberries, slightly thawed

Directions

Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners. Grease them and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Add the coconut oil, agave nectar, applesauce, vanilla extract, and hot coffee. Mix until smooth.

Pour batter into each cup until almost they are almost full. Bake for a total of 22 minutes, rotating the trays 180 degrees after 15 minutes. Test the center of the cupcakes with toothpick to see if they are fully cooked. Remove from oven and allow them to cool for 20 minutes while still in the tray. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before applying the frosting.

Frosting: In a medium size bowl, combine the tofutti cream cheese and vegan butter with an electric mixer. Add the vanilla. Gradually add the confectioners sugar until fully mixed and smooth. In a food processor, grind down the strawberries until smooth. Fold the strawberries in to the frosting. Apply to the top of each cupcake and Enjoy!

Music suggestions:

• Un Ballo in Maschera: Saper Vorreste- Giuseppe Verdi
• Peter And The Wolf, Op. 67: Peter In The Meadow- Sergei Prokofiev

Decadente Peach Pie

Please forgive me for the amount of butter that you are about to witness in this recipe.

With the 4th of July holiday fast approaching, I was in the mood to bake something truly American with a twist of Southern comfort. I came across a very traditional peach pie recipe on foodnetwork.com and thus began the baking process. Neglecting to read ahead in the recipe (a terrible cooking habit of mine), I was about halfway through making the dough for the crust when I realized just how much butter was going to need to be used. Having no choice but to proceed with the recipe I ended up with a very delicious and most definitely, very caloric peach pie.

Ingredients

Perfect All-Butter Crust (no I'm not kidding, this is actually what it is called haha!)

3 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

3 diced sticks of cold vegan butter

1 Tbsp white vinegar

1/3 cup ice water

Peach filling

2 1/2 pounds frozen peach wedges, thawed

3/4 cup light brown sugar

juice of one lemon

2 Tbsps quick-cooking tapioca

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Grease a glass pie dish and set aside.

Crust: In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add 1 stick of butter and process until a coarse meal forms. Add the remaining 2 sticks and process until combined. While the food processor is running, add in the vinegar and then gradually pour in the ice water. Gather dough into a ball, wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour.

Filling: In a large bowl, combine the peaches with all of the filling ingredients. Mix well.

After the dough has chilled, remove from the refrigerator and divide in half. Roll out one of half of the dough and place into the bottom of the pie dish to create the base crust. Poke holes into the dough with a fork for ventilation. Pour the peach filling on top of the base crust. Roll out the other half of the dough and place on top of peach filling to create the top of the pie. Trim and seal the edges. Cut small slits into the top of the pie to create a vent.

Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and brush the top of the pie with soy milk and sprinkle with sugar. Cover the edges of the pie with foil to prevent them from burning. Return pie to oven to bake for another 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely before serving. Enjoy!

Music suggestions:

• Appalachian Spring: VII. Doppio Movimento: Variations On a Shaker Hymn- Aaron Copland
• Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95 (From the New World): II. Largo- Antonin Dvorak

Leggiero Lemon Meringue Pie

This is probably one of the easiest lemon meringue pie recipes out there. Usually I shy away from making this dessert because it can be a bit of a patschke but once I found this recipe I was ready and raring to go!

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup Earth Balance Natural Shortening

3 Tbsps cold water

Filling

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 Tbsps flour

3 Tbsps corn starch

2 Tbsps vegan butter

2 tsps lemon zest

1/3 cup lemon juice (or a bit more if you like the filling on the more tangy side)

1 tsp lemon extract

Meringue topping

3 egg whites

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

6 Tbsps sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Grease a 9 inch pie dish and set aside.

Crust:

In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and shortening. Process until a mealy mixture forms. With the food processor running, add in the 3 Tbsps of water and process until dough forms. Roll on dough and place in the pie dish. Poke holes in the bottom of the dough with a fork and then cover with foil, pressing the center down so that it rests directly on top of the dough. Bake for 8 minutes and then remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove baked crust from oven and set aside to cool.

Filling:

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, flour, cornstarch, and a dash of salt. Gradually stir in 1 1/2 cups of water. Allow mixture to simmer until it thickens. Cook for another 2 minutes while stirring continuously. Remove from heat.

Beat the 3 egg yolks in a bowl and gradually add about a 1/2 cup of the hot filling into the yolks. Stir well and return egg mixture to the filling in the saucepan. Cook for another 2 minutes while stirring continuously.

Remove from heat and stir in the vegan butter and lemon peel. Gradually add the lemon juice and lemon extract. Return to heat and stir for 2 minutes.

Lower the heat while you work on the meringue topping, but be sure to keep the filling warm, stirring occasionally.

Meringue topping:

Allow the 3 egg whites to stand at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before beating.

In a large bowl, combine the egg whites, vanilla extract, and cream of tartar. Beat with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add in the sugar and continue to beat until stiff glossy peaks form.

Lower oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour the hot filling into the pie shell and arrange the meringue on top of it. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow pie to cool completely before chilling for 3-6 hours. Enjoy!

Music suggestions:

• Lullaby of Birdland- Ella Fitzgerald
• A Kiss to Build a Dream On- Louis Armstrong

Delicato Jam Drops

This recipe was given to me by a good friend. This cookie is a bit of a healthier spin on traditional jam drops and is just as delicious.

Ingredients

1 cup almond meal

1 cup rolled oats, ground in blender

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup canola oil

1 jar of jam of choice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line two cookie sheets with baking parchment and set aside.

Grind the oats in a food processor until a coarse meal forms. Add whole wheat flour, almond meal, salt, and cinnamon and process until well mixed. Add maple syrup and canola oil and combine well.

With your hands, form walnut sized balls and press your thumb into the middle of it to create a small well. Place a little bit of jam in each well and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Music suggestions:

• String Quartet in F Major, Op. 18, No. 1: I. Allegro Con Brio- Ludwig van Beethoven
• Prelude in D, Op. 23, No. 4- Sergei Rachmaninoff