So we’ve made our yummy vegan Christmas dinner, the main course. Now we’ve got to think of some desserts to go with the Christmas dinner that are both simples and easy to make. I like to call this the lazy vegan’s guide to simple ‘n easy Christmas desserts.
In fact, any of these 3 desserts are good enough for any occasion whenever the mood strikes you. Don’t forget to take your vegetarian vitamins after with your meal though if that is your thing!
Let’s eat the gingerbread vegans
Starting with a more traditional Christmas cookie but making them vegan so they’re healthier for you too. Let’s eat the vegans. The gingerbread vegans that is. Makes around 30 or so.
0.5 cup vegan margarine
0.5 cup sugar (I like brown sugar best)
0.5 cup molasses (cooking molasses, or a lighter molasses NOT blackstrap gives the best flavour)
1 ripe banana (mashed – using in place of eggs)
2 cups all purpose flour
0.5 tsp of the following: salt, baking powder and baking soda
0.5 tsp of cinnamon
0.5 tsp of nutmeg
1 tsp of ground cloves
1 tsp dried powdered ginger
In a large bowl mix the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Then add in the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.
In a smaller bowl cream the margarine and the sugar until well blended. Stir in the molasses and the well mashed banana.
Add the mixed wet ingredients from the smaller bowl into the larger bowl containing the dry ingredients. Mix well. You might need to add extra water or molasses to get it the right dough-like consistency. Use your better judgement. Cover and put in the fridge for about an hour to stiffen.
Preheat the oven to 350. Roll out the dough onto a floured board or surface until about a quarter of an inch thick. That’s the thickness of about 3 quarters on top of each other.
Cut the cookies out with your fancy cookie cutters. Of course you can just use a small sharp knife too.
Place cookies on cookies sheets giving each of the gingerbread vegans room to grow up big and strong. About 2 inches. Bake for around 8 to 12 minutes and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes on wire racks before decorating with frosting of your choice.
Go on now… eat those gingerbread vegans 🙂
I spy with my vegan eye
These are like peanut butter balls also known as buckeyes if you don’t cover them all the way with chocolate. Super EZ and delicious, bet you can’t have just one! They taste very much like vegan Reese’s peanut butter cups. Makes about 60 vegan eyeballs.
2 cups smooth, creamy peanut butter
0.25 cup vegan margarine (if your margarine is salted then omit the salt below)
0.25 tsp salt
0.5 tsp vanilla extract (pure is always best)
2 to 2.5 cups confectioner’s sugar
For chocolate coating
8 to 10 ounces of dark vegan chocolate (if you spend your money on good chocolate you’ll get great eyeballs)
1 tbsp vegan margarine
Put the peanut butter, the first measure of margarine and the salt if using in a microwavable safe bowl. Nuke for about a minute, checking on it every 20 seconds. You just want to soften the mixture so you can mix it easily.
Now add the vanilla and the confectioner’s sugar – start with just under 2 cups. Mix until you get this peanut butter mixture into a stiff like dough. Kinda like a bred dough. Add more sugar as needed to get to this point.
Roll the dough into 1 inch sized (about the size of a quarter’s diameter) balls and place on wax paper or cookie sheets. Refrigerate for several hours of overnight. Alternatively you can freeze them for a few hours.
In a double boiler or you can make your own –>> Place a large pot with a few inches of water in it, place inside that a smaller pot that floats in the water in the bigger pot.
In the smaller pot floating in the bigger pot place your vegan chocolate and the 1 tbsp of margarine. Over medium heat get the water in the bigger pot to a low boil and melt the chocolate/marg mixture.
Dip each peanut ball into the melted chocolate to cover completely. Use pliers, 2 forks, chopsticks or tongs (but not fingers) to extract the chocolate covered “I spy with my vegan eyeballs” and let them drip off excess chocolate before placing them back on the cookie sheet/wax paper.
If you really want to make them look like vegan eyeballs you can use a toothpick to insert into the peanut butter balls before carefully placing them in the chocolate until they are 3/4 covered.
Refrigerate until chocolate has set. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Okay, let’s get the last vegan Christmas dessert to fatten the masses.
Vegan truffles
Perhaps the easiest of the 3 dessert recipes we’re making tonight. But super yummy. And adding a splash of cognac, rum or brandy or even red wine will kick them up a notch… and you too. Makes about 30.
8 ounces of your favourite vegan chocolate (dark chocolate is best)
0.5 cups of heavy cashew cream
2 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp of liquor of your choice (optional)
Any of the toppings below:
icing sugar
cocoa powder (always a crowd pleaser)
toasted chopped nuts
shaved chocolate
coconut
chocolate coating like for the vegan eyeballs above
anything else you can think of
Take the chocolate, cashew cream and margarine and place in a double boiler like we did for the “I spy with my vegan eyeballs” and stir constantly while allowing it to mix and melt. Don’t over melt. Just stir it until it is well mixed and then take off of the heat.
During this time you can add any liquor that you desire.
When just mixed, take off the heat and let cool for a few minuted then place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight until truffle mixture is firm.
Take out and using your hands, spoons or whatever is close to hand scoop out and roll into small balls with your hands. Make ’em ugly, they’re not supposed to be perfect ball. This is a vegan ganache you know.
They should be a similar size to the vegan peanut butter balls.
Roll in your coating of choice then place on wax paper or cookie trays and straight into the fridge. Best kept in the fridge and taken out just before serving.
They will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge or they can be frozen for a couple of months. But that’s redundancy… they’ll never last that long. If you’re really well behaved, you might not have eaten them all in 3 days. If you’re naughty (and Santa knows!) they’ll be in your vegetarian belly inside of 48 hours 😉