3 Dessert Recipes You Won’t Believe Are Vegan!

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with vegan butter, then line it with parchment paper, leaving some paper overhanging the sides.
• In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter and sugar until the mixture looks like wet sand. Add the flaxseed eggs, almond milk, mashed avocado, and vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
• In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, cacao powder, baking powder, and salt.
• Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon just until fully combined. The batter will be quite thick — almost as stiff as cookie dough.
• Gently fold in half of the chocolate chips.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top and gently press them into the batter.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes, then lift the brownie out of the pan and transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
• Once completely cool, slice into 8 squares and serve. Store leftover brownies in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days at room temperature or refrigerate for up to 5 days. To freeze, wrap the brownies tightly in plastic wrap followed by foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Shortly before serving, thaw at room temperature

• Put the flaxseed meal and water in a small bowl and stir until combined. Let the mixture sit until thickened and pastelike, 5 to 10 minutes.

• Put the chia seeds and water in a small bowl and stir until combined. Let the mixture sit until it has a thick gelled consistency, about 5 minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with vegan butter and line it with parchment paper, leaving some paper overhanging the sides.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar until the mixture looks like wet sand.
• Add the flaxseed eggs, almond milk, and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture and whisk to combine, then whisk in the sweet potato puree until combined.
• In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, cacao powder, baking powder, and salt, then add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until fully combined. The batter will be very thick and stiff.
• Gently fold in half of the chocolate chips and half of the toasted pecans.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it out evenly. Top with the remaining chocolate chips and pecans and gently press them into the batter.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then lift the brownie out of the pan and transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
• Once completely cool, slice into 8 squares and serve. Store leftover brownies in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days at room temperature or refrigerate for up to 5 days. To freeze, wrap the brownies tightly in plastic wrap followed by foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Shortly before serving, thaw at room temperature.

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.
• Rinse and pat dry the sweet potatoes, then poke holes in them using a fork. Coat the potatoes with the olive oil and place on the prepared pan. Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until tender and juices begin to bubble outside of the skin. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them cool until cool enough to handle, 20 to 30 minutes.
• To make sweet potato puree: Cut the potatoes down the middle, then open them up and scoop the insides into a high-powered blender. Pour in the water and blend the sweet potato flesh until completely smooth and pureed, 2 to 3 minutes. If the potatoes are too thick to puree to a perfectly smooth consistency, add another tablespoon of water. Proceed to Step 4.
• To make sweet potato mash: Cut the potatoes down the middle, then open them up and scoop the insides into a bowl. Using a hand-held potato masher or a fork, mash the sweet potatoes until smooth.
• Use immediately. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months, thawing the puree or mash overnight in the refrigerator before use.

MAKE THE CAKE:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square cake pan with vegan butter or line it with parchment paper.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
• Add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and food coloring to the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, mix just until well combined and smooth; make sure no lumps are visible, but be careful not to overmix.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan, then use a rubber spatula to spread it out as evenly as possible. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

MAKE THE BUTTERCREAM:

• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and add half of the powdered sugar, the bourbon, almond milk, and vanilla extract; continue mixing until well combined. Add the remaining powdered sugar and pinch of salt, increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and continue mixing until well combined. If the frosting is too thick, add more almond milk 1 tablespoon at a time; if it is too thin, add more powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Once the cake is completely cool, use a metal frosting spatula to top the cake with the bourbon buttercream, gently spreading it out until the cake is fully covered and the frosting is even. Slice into squares, top with sliced strawberries, and enjoy! Store leftovers tightly wrapped in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze leftover cake tightly wrapped in plastic wrap followed by foil for up to 3 months. Before serving, defrost the cake on the counter.

• In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or small glass or ceramic bowl, whisk together the milk and vinegar or lemon juice; let the mixture sit for 5 minutes or so, until curdled.
• Use right away in any recipe that calls for buttermilk. Vegan buttermilk does not store well.