Vegan Blondies
So here’s the deal. when I first decided to do a baking blog, I knew I’d need some help. For one thing, even though I’m trying my best to be a good little vegan now, I didn’t want to make a vegan baking blog. my reason is simple, really: I like baking for other people, and other people are usually not vegans. For another thing, I can’t eat all this stuff my myself, even if it were vegan (okay, so I probably could, but I shouldn’t). I need opinions, I need feedback. That’s where my devoted guinea pigs come in. these are the kind folks at my husband’s office. They see it all–the good, the bad, and the yucky.
It’s recently come to my attention that a few of these piggies have some dietary restrictions that force them to steer clear of the sweets tray (important disclaimer/distinction: by this I mean “guinea piggies”, not “oink piggies”–from what I’ve seen, they are all decidedly un-piggy, clean, fit, and nice people; they are not waddling, slovenly, gluttonous, or covered in filth). There’s a bit of gluten-intolerance, some lactose-avoidance, and a touch of veganism. Knowing what it’s like to leave the buffet with a plate of dry lettuce and then sit through a two-hour restaurant meal before going home to make myself a real dinner, I thought I’d make a little something for these peeps. I feel like we gotta stick together; these are my peeps [insert imaginary fist-bump here]. Long story short: here’s one for the non-dairy crowd. I’ll see what I can work out on the gluten-free front too–promise.
Ingredients:1/4 c Earth Balance, melted3/4 c Brown Sugar3 Tbs Pureed Tofu*1 Tbs Vanilla Soy Yogurt*2 tsp Vanilla Extract1/2 c Flour1/4 c Whole Wheat Flour1/4 c Almond Meal1/8 tsp Salt1 tsp Baking Powder1/2 c Walnuts, chopped
Directions:Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour and 8×8 baking dish, or spray with nonstick spray. Melt Earth Balance in a large bowl, then stir in brown sugar, tofu puree, soy yogurt (if using), and vanilla extract. in a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, almond meal, salt, baking powder, and nuts. Add the flour mixture to the brown sugar mixture a little at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Spread batter in prepared pan (batter will be thick). Bake 40-50 minutes, until nicely golden brown.
Yield: 9 Large Blondies
*Feel free to use 1/4 c tofu puree instead of the tofu/yogurt combination. I only did it this way because a didn’t quite have enough tofu for the full 1/4 cup.