Fudgariffic!!

Everybody loves fudge. It's a scientifically proven fact. I developed this rocky road fudge recipe in homage to days gone past, spending holidays around tons of relatives who would bake up a storm. Those days are gone but the memories remain, and now this fudge has become part of my holiday tradition.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of chocolate, coarsely chopped then measured
• 2 cups (yes really, two cups) of powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/8 cup "milk" (I use Almond Breeze, but use whatever floats your boat - soy, rice, hemp, whatev)
• 1/8 cup rum
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup marshmallows, quartered then measured
• 1 and 1/2 cups walnuts, measured then roughly chopped

Steps:

• Melt your chocolate. You can use a double boiler for this, but I've actually found that it isn't necessary. It's much more helpful to have a nonstick pot! Stir constantly, and remove from heat as soon as you only have a few little lumps yet. You want to heat your chocolate as little as possible, because you have to let it return to room temperature before using it. How does it stay liquid when it started out solid? Magic.
• Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper. I swear, this is why parchment exists, and I love it.
• Chop your walnuts - how big or small depends on how you like it.
• Quarter your marshmallows. I've used Dandies for this, but I feel that Sweet and Sara's would be wonderful as well - just a little pricey maybe. Note: marshmallows are very sticky when you cut them open! I find it helpful to use some powdered sugar on the chopping board and on my hands to coat the newly exposed sides, so that the marshmallows don't stick to the board, each other, or me... (Of course, if you can get ahold of the mini Dandies, no chopping is necessary!)
  
• In a large bowl, whisk together coconut milk, other milk, rum, extract, and powdered sugar. (If your powdered sugar has little sugar rocks in it, run it through a sieve or sifter first.) Mix in your marshmallows and walnuts. (This is about when I switch from a whisk to a spatula. Walnuts + whisk = baagghhh.)
• Stir in your ROOM TEMPERATURE chocolate. Seriously people. It cannot be hot... unless of course you want to make fudge soup.
• Pour/scoop the mixture into your prepared pan, and use a spatula to spread it not quite to the edges.
• Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours, until completely firm. Then break into chunks or cut up, display nicely on a plate, and watch your loved ones go wild.

Fudgy.

Some additional notes...

*I like to use three 1 oz. squares of semi-sweet and six of unsweetened - plenty of sugar is added later!
*If you have bought a normal size can of coconut milk, this recipe is only going to use about a third of it. You may want to think about creative ways to use the rest - coconut milk goes bad quickly once opened! Of course, you *could* always make a triple batch...
*The rum here is optional - you can up the milk to 1/4 cup and leave it out. But I like the tiny punch it gives, and I swear it doesn't leave the fudge tasting very rummy. Conversely, you can do a full quarter cup and leave the milk out entirely!
*Eternal thanks to Celine of Have Cake, Will Travel, whose whiskey peanut fudge recipe started me on all of my crazy fudgy journeys.

Oh fuuuudge...

Cooler weather also means it's time for fudge. It's fun and easy to make your own, and I'm going to share my favorite recipe with you... tomorrow! Today, feast your eyes on some of the best fudgilicious goodies the VET has to offer...

S'mores Fudge from Sweet V Confections!

Fudgy peanut butter brownies from Veganville!

Rocky Road Fudge from Panda with Cookie BAKES!

How about some "milk" chocolate? Meet NO Whey Candies!

For some people, milk chocolate is just where it's at. However, as conscious consumers we know that milk is the pits, and that companies like Hershey's and Mars are NOT the cat's meow. Enter NO Whey Candies! This shop has been kicking around the team for a while now, but they've really never gotten a proper introduction. This is one shop, though, that you want to know about! Because milk chocolate lovers who shun all things dairy can rejoice. Below, Stacie shares the NO Whey story and divulges the details of their delicious treats...

When my brother became vegan he said he could eat this way forever but he had to have milk chocolate. My mom came up with an alternative which satisfied even my picky brother! So we started off veganizing all of our old favorites, but have evolved into much more. The favorites these days are the Cranberry, Cashew Bark, and Caramel and Sea Salt.

NO Whey! Candies offers a healthier alternative to snacking. We have non dairy alternatives as well as gluten free and soy-less choices. Our ingredients use no hydrogenated oils and have no trans fats.We make heart healthy dark chocolate as well as a milkless “milk” chocolate in many combinations.

Our chocolates are hand made in a commercial kitchen. We are happy to speak with you about gift orders and adding our special touch to your events. You may speak to Ethel or Stacie Wernick at 216-544-3057 or convo us through our Etsy shop, NO Whey Candies!

Make sure to check out her "killer" kabobs - Halloween happiness on a stick!!

Two new members for a three day weekend!

As many of us here in the states kick back to enjoy the fruits of our labor in the All-American Tradition that is the three day weekend, the Vegan Etsy Team is happy to welcome two new members to its ranks: Veganville and Veggie Amanda! Please stop by to say hello. We know they'll be at the top of your list of favorites.

Martha's in the Big House Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Veganville

Patchwork Purse
from Veggie Amanda

Helloooooo Cookie! New Member The Organic Gypsy

This week we welcome new member Kelly Ann of The Organic Gypsy, a bakery shop full of vegan goodness. Please stop by, say hello, make it your new favorite... and try not to order everything!!

Marley's Peanut Butter Passions
from The Organic Gypsy

Member of the Week: Kristen of Sweet V Confections!

This week the Vegan Etsy Team features Kristen of Sweet V Confections as our VET Member of the Week! This is one of several team shops that keeps us up to our ears in delectable vegan sweet treats (such as her absolutely gorgeous dark chocolate peanut butter bunny). Today Kristen talks to us from behind the scenes of Sweet V.

When did you open your Etsy shop, and how did you choose its name?
I agonized over a shop name for several days. While I want everyone to know that my goodies are vegan, I also don't want to "scare" anyone off by having the word vegan in my shop name. So, I decided to just use the letter V, instead of the word vegan. I have been a member of Etsy since October of last year.

What kinds of items do you sell in your shop, and what inspired you to start creating them?
I sell vegan baked goods and chocolates. I absolutely love baking, especially for other people. Being vegan in a small Midwest town I wasn't able to get vegan baked goods very often, and when I did I found they were expensive. I decided to just start making my own. After my family and friends tried some of my goodies, they convinced me that I needed to start selling them.

What are some of your favorite things about Etsy?
I love seeing all the wonderful things other sellers have in their shops. I am always amazed by what people are able to create. I also love being part of the EtsyVeg team and Vegan Etsy Team. The members of these teams have been so helpful and supportive, especially when I was just starting out.

Have you been featured anywhere?
Sweet V has been featured on This Just In for my oatmeal cream pies, on the EtsyVeg blog, on the Daisy Wares blog, and previously here on the Vegan Etsy blog.

How long have you been vegan, and what made you go vegan?
I have been vegan since October of 2007. My main reason for being vegan is the animals. I saw the video 'Meet Your Meat,' and realized that I couldn't be the type of person I wanted to be if I were still eating animal products.

What are your favorite foods?
I love pretty much any dish that includes pasta. My favorite is probably the stuffed shells that I make. The vegan crab cakes at Whole Foods are probably my newest favorite food. It's a good thing we don't live closer to WF, or I'd be eating those almost every day. As far as my baked goods go, my favorites are scotcharoos and mocha stout cupcakes. I've been known to have the cupcakes for breakfast!

Do you have any favorite vegan things, like books, websites, stores, etc.?
My favorite vegan books are all cookbooks. I have way too many and don't use them as often as I should. As far as websites go, I am always on the Post Punk Kitchen.

What kinds of hobbies and interests do you have?
When I have time to, I love to read. I'm currently working my way through The China Study, Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, and Portions From a Wine-Stained Notebook by Charles Bukowski.

Also, I lived in Illinois for most of my life, and am really excited about getting to explore the mountains in North Carolina with my fiance.

Do you have any animal companions?
Yes! We have two kitties. We got Elle about 6 years ago from a family friend. Her name was originally Nomar (as in Nomar Garciaparra), since we were told she was a boy when we got her. Luckily, after about a week, I realized she was really a she, and then we had to go through the naming process again. Chloe found us about 3 1/2 months ago. She was a stray who had been hanging around our apartment complex. I could hear her little cry from our balcony, and with the nights getting pretty chilly here I couldn't let her stay another night outside. It took us a little while to get her to come inside, but once she did, she loved it.

Do you have any future plans for your shop?
In the near future I plan on adding several new items. I'm going to be experimenting with agave nectar and fruit-sweetened goodies. A little further down the road, I'd really like to open a vegan bakery in the Charlotte, NC area.

Is there anything else you would like to add or share?
Thank you so much for choosing me to be member of the week! I am so proud to be a part of a team with such talented and wonderful members.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cups
from Sweet V Confections

Chocolate Revel Bars

The picture above was taken soon after they were done baking, so they were still all warm and gooey. These bars do firm up a bit but stay ultra fudgy. Don't let the large amount of oats in them fool you. These things are quite decadent!

Ingredients for the crust & topping:

3 cups oats (you can use quick cooking but regular work just fine)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup margarine
2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 egg replacers (Ener-G works great)
2 tsp. vanilla

Ingredients for the fudgy filling:

1 can condensed soymilk
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. margarine
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup walnuts
2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

First, make the crust & topping. In a large bowl, beat together the cup of margarine and brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in the egg replacer and vanilla. In another bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking soda and salt, then stir into the margarine mixture. Put 2/3 of the mixture into the 9 x 13 pan and pat it down well. Set the rest aside.

Now it's time to make the fudgy filling. In a medium saucepan, put the condensed soymilk, chocolate chips and 2 Tbsp. of margarine. Heat it over low heat, stirring constantly, until it's smooth. Remove it from the heat and stir in the walnuts and vanilla. Spread it over the crust in the pan and break up the remaining oat mixture over the top of that.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes and let cool before serving.

Seven Layer Bars

I was so thrilled when I found some vegan condensed milk because that meant I could finally veganize a few bar recipes I've been dying to have. These are extremely easy to make and so good! All ingredients are vegan, of course-

1/2 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 can condensed soymilk
1 1/3 cups shredded coconut

Place the margarine in a 9 x 13 pan and put in the oven. Turn to 350 degrees and leave in the oven until melted (leave the oven on when done). Spread the graham cracker crumbs evenly on the bottomof the pan. Spread the chocolate chips next, followed the white chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour the condensed soymilk as evenly as possible over everything. Sprinkle the coconut on top.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Let cool completely before cutting. Eat!

Vegan White Chocolate Orange Almond Truffles

So this is where too much Vegan Blog hopping gets me!

A while ago, I came across these super yum looking White Chocolate Walnut Truffles on the VegSpinz blog and I was immediately overcome by the desire to stuff my face with them!

So I decided to create a variation of my own...

White Chocolate Orange Almond Truffles


All ingredients are in approximate values since I just throw stuff in without measuring. Feel free to modify the amounts to your liking.

1 C Vegan White Chocolate Chips
1/2 C Cashews
1/4 C Soymilk (use as required)
1/4 t Orange Essential Oil
1/4 C Almonds
1 C Vegan Dark Chocolate Chips

For the truffle mixture:

-Grind the cashews into a fine powder, add a dash of the soymilk and blend, add a little bit more soymilk if required and process into a very creamy paste.
-Melt the white chocolate chips (in a double boiler or in the microwave).
-Toast the almonds and crush them lightly into tiny pieces. If you have the patience you can chop them :oP
-Mix the cashew cream and orange essential oil with the white chocolate.
-Add in the almonds and mix well.
-Pop in the freezer for around 20 minutes or so, until it has hardened slightly.

How to proceed:

-Melt the dark chocolate chips.
-Make little balls of the truffle mixture and dip them in the melted chocolate.
-Drop them on parchment paper.
-Pop in the freezer to set again.

Note: I have used truffle molds for these. These can be used by coating the walls and bottom of the mold with the melted dark chocolate. Putting a bit of the truffle mixture in and covering the top with a layer of melted dark chocolate.

Enjoy! :)

A New Year, A New Tradition, A New Fudge!

When I was a kid, I had a huge gaggle of relatives on both sides of the family. Holidays were insane - we'd show up at some relative's house and twenty-five people would be trying to kiss me! But eventually I'd struggle my way through all of the cheek-pinchers to a table decked out with glorious treats. The standout among these has always and forever been my Great Aunt Julie's rocky road.

Just imagine it - huge mounds of melt-in-your-mouth chocolate, secreting chewy marshmallow and just the right amount of walnut. Are you dying of sugar overload yet? Well, Aunt Julie passed long ago, and with her went her holiday delights. Two decades later, though, not a winter passes when I don't think of that decadent treat.

This holiday season has been one where I've been trying to claim some traditions for my own household. After all, traditions have to start somewhere, don't they? And I realized that the time to bring back the joy of rocky road (vegan style!) was long past due. And so, here we have it: Melissa Bastian's Rocky Road Fudge!

Rocky Road Fudge

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of chocolate, coarsely chopped then measured
• 2 cups (yes really, two cups) of powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/8 cup "milk" (I use Almond Breeze, but use whatever floats your boat - soy, rice, hemp, whatev)
• 1/8 cup rum
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup marshmallows, quartered then measured
• 1 and 1/2 cups walnuts, measured then roughly chopped

Steps:

• Melt your chocolate. You can use a double boiler for this, but I've actually found that it isn't necessary. It's much more helpful to have a nonstick pot! Stir constantly, and remove from heat as soon as you only have a few little lumps yet. You want to heat your chocolate as little as possible, because you have to let it return to room temperature before using it. How does it stay liquid when it started out solid? Magic.
• Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper. I swear, this is why parchment exists, and I love it.
• Chop your walnuts - how big or small depends on how you like it.
• Quarter your marshmallows. I've used Dandies for this, but I feel that Sweet and Sara's would be wonderful as well - just a little pricey maybe. Marshmallows are very sticky when you cut them open! I find it helpful to use some powdered sugar on the chopping board and on my hands to coat the newly exposed sides, so that the marshmallows don't stick to the board, each other, me... (Of course, if you can get ahold of the mini Dandies, no chopping is necessary!)
  
• In a large bowl, whisk together coconut milk, other milk, rum, extract, and powdered sugar. (If your powdered sugar has little sugar rocks in it, run it through a sieve or sifter first.) Mix in your marshmallows and walnuts. (This is about when I switch from a whisk to a spatula. Walnuts + whisk = baagghhh.)
• Stir in your ROOM TEMPERATURE chocolate. Seriously people. It cannot be hot... unless of course you want to make fudge soup.
• Pour/scoop the mixture into your prepared pan, and use a spatula to spread it not quite to the edges.
• Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours, until completely firm. Then break into chunks or cut up, display nicely on a plate, and watch your loved ones go wild.

Fudgy.

Some additional notes...

*I like to use three 1 oz. squares of semi-sweet and six of unsweetened - plenty of sugar is added later!
*If you have bought a normal size can of coconut milk, this recipe is only going to use about a third of it. You may want to think about creative ways to use the rest - coconut milk goes bad quickly once opened! Of course, you *could* always make a triple batch...
*The rum here is optional - you can up the milk to 1/4 cup and leave it out. But I like the tiny punch it gives, and I swear it doesn't leave the fudge tasting very rummy. Conversely, you can do a full quarter cup and leave the milk out entirely!
*Eternal thanks to Celine of Have Cake, Will Travel, whose whiskey peanut fudge recipe started me on all of my crazy fudgy journeys.

Happy New Year everyone! May only your dessert be a rocky road!

Cake-in-a-cup!

As you may or may not know, Sunday October 18th was National Chocolate Cupcake Day! I myself celebrated with these amazing chocolate coconut cupcakes with rum frosting, a slight modification of the basic chocolate cupcake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

This is a mightyfine book, and if you are a fan of vegan cupcakes, as surely you are, then you should get yourself a copy right this minute.

But we need not restrain ourselves in our cupcake love, only enjoying them on days of national celebration. Nay! The Vegan Etsy Team lets us enjoy cupcakes all the time, edible and otherwise. Observe:

If you're lucky enough to live in Ohio, you should waste no time and order these amazing Elvis cupcakes from KT's Kitchen this instant! (If you, like me, are not lucky enough, don't worry - this shop has plenty of other goodies to offer.)


Don't feel like full-sizers? How about some fantabulous minis from Sweet Fritsy? Having sampled the sweets from this shop, I can attest that they are sweet indeed - as in, suh-weet!


Love the little cuppy cakes, but don't have too much of a sweet tooth? Watching the waistline, mayhaps? Well what about these unbelievably cute cupcake earrings from Pinkkis? People may try to nibble your ears! But then maybe you like that sort of thing.


Me, I don't wear regular pierced earrings. But no matter! There's always another cute offering just 'round the corner - such as Sick On Sin's set of five - count them FIVE - wacky and hilarious cupcake friend magnets. I dare you to name me one refrigerator that would not benefit from these adornments.

That's right, I got more. Got a cupcake lover in your life? Check out this print from My Zoetrope - because I just found you their next b-day present, totes. (Ahem. My birthday is in January. Just sayin'.)


Take it up a notch and throw in this gorgeous cupcake stand from Vegan Dish as well, and I promise you're going to be someone's new best friend. And who couldn't use another best friend?


Believe it or not, I'm not nearly out of delightful cupcake offerings! But I have to leave you to do some of the exploring for yourself, don't I? Have fun, and happy cupcaking.

Until next Monday,

hearts,
Melissa Bastian

V is for Vegan, and Vegan is for me.

I work in a law office, and as you might imagine it's not exactly a haven of vegans. I, in fact, am the only veg*n there. The truth is that in daily life the only other vegan that I regularly encounter is my partner. Pretty much everyone else I interact with at all is omni, and as we all know, the general public can be more than a little confused by the choice of veganism. Inevitably the subject of my diet comes up from time to time, and when I describe veganism to office mates who've never heard of it before, there's a question that I get pretty frequently. It goes something like this:

"How can you live without chocolate and cookies and cupcakes and stuff?"

When I hear this, I panic for a split second. The die-hard three-year-old sugar addict in me thinks, oh no, what have I done! But then I come to my senses (remembering the pint of ice "cream" I inhaled just the night before), and realize that the vegan world offers up enough sweet treats to make any responsible mom faint on the spot. I myself am a pretty darn good vegan baker - more than once my vegan cupcakes have become the talk of the party, even among people who swore they wouldn't give a chance to a vegan cupcake. But my rudimentary stylings can't compare to the delectable delights on daily offer by the Vegan Etsy team.

Wanna see what I mean? Yeah, I knew you did.

A relatively new addition to the Vegan Etsy team, we have Sweet Fritsy - and when it comes to awesome vegans making awesome vegan sweets, the more the merrier for sure! Her shop has some truly gorgeous offerings, and I really must give these Maple Candied Pecans a whirl. Candied pecans are a sacred food of my people - you know, the ancient tribe of the New Orleanians. And hey! It just so happens that we've just decided to have our wedding in New Orleans. I may need to inquire about bulk orders...

For us cupcake lovers - and we are legion - Sweet Fritsy also whips up gorgeous cupcakes and provides a variety of amazing little toppers for them. These are my favorite: mushrooms! You can have a little bit of woodland forest magic for you birthday, your wedding, or just any ol' day you see fit. They're shipped with icing on the side along with a piping bag, so that you get to get crafty when they arrive and end up with picture-perfect cakes. Totally freaking awesome, yes? Yes!

Got a thing for cookies? Then Vegan Propamanda just might be the shop for you. (And can I just say, hilarious shop name? Right up there with Melt Briana.) She offers the every-household classics like chocolate chip and oatmeal, as well as more quirky offerings that I recognize as regional specialties (what with her being in Jersey, me being in Queens, and all) like pignoli cookies topped with pine nuts, and these GORGEOUS black and whites. A vegan black and white cookie? Dude, I'm soooo there.

Cornerstone team member (Holistically) Heather says it all with the name of her sweets shop: For the Love of Vegan. She tends to add emphasis too - the LOVE! Here she offers up an eclectic grouping of edibles that must be seen to be believed... including some chocolate of an "adult" theme. Don't worry though; the shop is very tastefully presented and you'll have to intentionally peek behind the curtain to get a look at some shapes you never thought chocolate would come in. And then we have these babies - ever had a vegan pumpkin brownie with chocolate chips? Now's your chance!

Leigh Conner, another Vegan Etsy newbie, is cooking up cookies like yer mom used to and shipping them right to your door. Her shop name tells us a lot about how she feels about baking, and how she feels about us: it's called Vegan Love. How adorable are these lemon sugar cookies? Not only do they look completely delish, but with the sweet heart shape, luxe icing, and darling packaging, you can rest assured that these goodies were made with love and care. Leigh, we heart your cookies, and we heart you too.

Me, I used to be a big sucker for those oatmeal cream pies. You know the ones - made of nothing but chemicals and packaged in those awful little plastic bags. But I'm a chocolate fiend, and this offering by Kt's Kitchen looks far more amazing than those franken-cookies ever could. And of course, these are vegan! This here isn't mass produced junk like those ones in the box neither - this is the real deal folks. Kt calls this The Integrator, a substantial name for a substantial treat. She's yet another new addition to the team - I'm telling you, this team gets better by the minute!

Kt is also in the cupcake game - you could even call them *specialty* cupcakes. These babies are sure to make any vegan's eyes bug out just a lil' bit - you know, cartoon style with accompanying aah-ooh-ga sound effects. Much like the above pies, this version of the classic treat is lightyears above and beyond those mass-produced things sold in boxes at the grocery - what are those things made of anyway? Petroleum products? For the time being these tasty cakes are only available in Ohio, but i'm holding out hope that soon they'll be going WORLDWIDE. So, uh, Kt, I got this wedding coming up...

Listen, I've got to come clean. I've been holding out on you. I know it was wrong.. but sometimes, something is just so good that you want to keep it to yourself.

Are you a chocolate purist? Alright. Come with me; I have someone I'd like you to meet. Her name is Jhenn, her awesome shop is called Choco-a-Go-Go, and she creates some of the most perfect, amazing, melt-in-your-mouth heavenly chocolate that I've ever eaten. And poppets, I've eaten some chocolate. Our first encounter was in the very early springtime when I ordered two chocolate and peanut butter bunny rabbits from her shop - purportedly for Easter. Well, I ordered them several weeks before they holiday, they were promptly shipped, and... they didn't make it to Easter, either of them. So I then needed more chocolate for Easter weekend, and so ordered her fancy Springtime -n- Easter box, which was beautiful and superb. Even my man, who's so not about the sweets, was truly impressed.

Most recently I purchased four of Jhenn's Gogi and Almond dark chocolate bars, largely because for the month of May she is donating all profits from this item to the American Cancer Society in memory of her dad. Well, on the Thursday that I received them I had four bars. On that Saturday I had, uh, one bar. Suffice it to say that in order to prevent me from inhaling Jhenn's delights, they have to be physically taken away from me and hidden. Well. In other words, I recommend them highly. There's still a week of Jhenn's donation month left, so go order some gogi bars now!

So, you've got a sweet tooth? Welcome to the wonderful world of vegan. Not only will we satisfy you - we'll do it with quality ingredients that will leave your conscience clear. If you can tell me what's better than that, I'll give you a dollar. (And you're so not getting that dollar.)

Until next Monday...

Hearts,
Melissa Bastian.