Until recently, there was another Matcha Scone recipe on this site. It was from my gluten-free days that had mixed results when people made it. To be honest, I never really got the hang of baking with gluten-free flours, and it seemed like everyone that made the recipe got a different result. So, a few years later, I've decided to revisit the recipe and figure out what was going on. Except this time, I've ditched the GF free flours in favor of a more predictable wheat-based flour - I don't have any kind of wheat allergy - and had fantastic results! 
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I scrapped the old recipe entirely and started working from the proportions for a scone recipe from my Homestyle Vegan Cookbook and guys- they came out SO WELL! These scones are 1000x better than the first one were. They're sweet, fluffy, and moist inside - the PERFECT scone, especially if you like matcha! It's important to use a high-quality matcha powder to get a vibrant green color in your scones, too. The light drizzle of vanilla glaze sweetens them up just enough - they're perfect for breakfast AND dessert! Plus, we're only 2 months from St. Patrick's Day and they'd be PERFECT leprechaun-inspired fare for themed parties or as something to help soak up all the Guinness. 😝 Either way, LET'S EAT! Scroll down for the recipe, friends. 

INGREDIENTS
Matcha Scones
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoons matcha powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold vegan butter
3/4 cup mashed banana
1/4 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

Vanilla Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon non-dairy milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
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DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

To make the scones, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, matcha powder, baking powder, ginger and salt. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in the cold vegan butter until small crumbs form. Pour in the mashed banana, almond milk, maple syrup and vanilla and stir together with wooden spoon until a sticky dough forms.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form a 1-inch thick disk. Cut the disk into 8 equal scone wedges, like a pizza. Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes, until golden.

Place the scones on a wire rack to cool. While they cool, prepare the maple glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, non-dairy milk and vanilla in a small bowl. Drizzle the glaze over completely cooled scones and enjoy! 

NOTES
Makes 8 scones.

Leftovers save well sealed in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. 

Kettle Corn is a pretty fantastic treat, on its own. That being said - what ISN'T better when you add donuts?! We adjusted our typical donut cake base to make a richer, brown sugar-sweetened donut, slathered it in rich butter glaze (yup, BUTTER GLAZE GUYS. I'm not messing around here.), and topped it with perfectly crunchy kettle corn. The kettle corn's combination of sweet and salty flavors was the inspiration for the whole combination. The sweet cake base slathered in thick, creamy butter glaze might be almost too rich without the addition of the popcorn, but with it becomes the perfect combo and sweet and salty! We used Pipcorn's Kettle Corn here because we love their simple, vegan-friendly ingredient list and that their kernels are smaller than normal kernels - perfect for topping donuts with!
They're super rich and delicious, which makes them perfect for sharing. Double the batch for a fun treat to share with friends or serve at a brunch, or make a single batch all for yourself! I would never judge when it comes to donut consumption. If you're looking for a creative new donut flavor, or just another excuse to squeeze a few more donuts into your day, these are definitely for you. So preheat your oven and let's get baking! 

Looking for more donut recipes? Try our Blood Orange Glazed Donuts or Baked Pumpkin Cinnamon Sugar Donuts! 

INGREDIENTS
Donuts:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
6 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Glaze + Topping:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup vegan butter, melted
1 teaspoon unsweteened almond milk
1-2 cups kettle corn (we used Pipcorn)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375º. Lightly grease a 6-ring donut pan and set it aside. 

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, combine the almond milk and cider vinegar to curdle. Set them aside. 

In a separate mixing bowl whisk together the aquafaba, sugar, brown sugar and vegetable oil. Pour in the curdled milk mixture and stir to combine. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredient mixture and mix until just combined. Let the batter rest 5-10 minutes. 

Fill the donut pan molds with equal amounts of batter, then bake the donuts for 13-15 minutes until they're golden and fluffy. 

While the donuts bake, make the glaze by simply whisking together the powdered sugar, melted butter and unsweetened almond milk. 

When the donuts finish baking, let them cool slightly before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once completely cooled, dip each donut into the glaze or drizzle a bit over each donut. Immediately top the donuts with kettle corn. Enjoy! 


​NOTES
Makes 6 donuts.

Leftover donuts last in an airtight container on the counter up to 3 days. 

That big romantic holiday that everyone loves to hate (or loves to love, depending on your couple status) is right around the corner! I actually think Valentine's Day can be pretty great, but I'm engaged, so maybe I'm biased? Because Alex and I have been together for 6 years, we don't celebrate by going out and fighting for a seat at a restaurant anymore. Instead, we make each other delicious treats and spend the evening snuggling on the couch, enjoying the treats together. This year I wanted to make Alex something a little less chocolate-centric and a little more in his wheelhouse. If he loves anything more than me, it just might be donuts. So I whipped up this batch of healthier baked donuts and covered them in sweet, seasonal blood orange glaze! The blood oranges gave the glaze a really lovely pink color and a light citrus taste. They're perfectly fluffy and the added flax means you can have two (or three...) instead of just one, because flax makes everything healthier, right? Seriously, these donuts come together from start to finish in about a half an hour - all you have to do is resist eating them all until your Valentine gets home! Let's get baking.

INGREDIENTS
Donuts
2 tablespoons ground flax + 6 tablespoons warm water
1 cup all purpose flour 
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon blood orange zest
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk 
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Blood Orange Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons blood orange juice
1 teaspoon blood orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
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DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, ground ginger and salt. Set aside.

Whisk together the ground flax and warm water in a small dish to gelatinize, about 5 minutes.

In a separate large bowl, mix together the sugar and orange zest until fragrant. Pour in the flax mixture, milk, coconut oil and apple cider vinegar. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients about a cup at a time, stirring until a batter forms. Let the batter set while you grease a 6-mold donut pan.

Pour the batter equally between the 6 donut molds and bake for 15 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes clean.

While the donuts bake, whisk together the powdered sugar, blood orange juice, blood orange zest and vanilla in a shallow bowl to make the glaze. When the donuts finish cooking, move them to a cooling rack for to cool slightly, then dip them generously in the glaze. Serve immediately! 

NOTES
Leftovers last up to 3 days on the counter.

The holidays are in full-swing, which means we're baking like maniacs over here! Between the parties with friends and family, gifts for co-workers, and recipe testing for the cookbook (out Fall 2016!), our oven have been getting plenty of use and my waistline is feeling a little larger than usual. But that's okay, because there are only a few weeks left and by then we'll be so sick of cookies and baked goods we won't want anything to do with them for months. But for now, I'm all about that perfect chewy cookie. And these, my friends, are two perfectly chewy, spiced cookies sandwiching a rich buttercream frosting...and they are DAMN good! Using fresh ginger and nutmeg in these cookies really make the flavors rich and bright, and the molasses help keep 'em chewy - and adds some iron and calcium so you can pretend they're a health food. That's how that works, right? 
My favorite part of these cookies is that I like them. I mean it! For years, I have avoided ginger and molasses cookies. I never like the weird sticky-sweet flavor of them and though they tasted kind of bland or too molasses-y. But these cookies? These are mind-changing, crowd-pleasing, are packed with spicy ginger flavor and just enough sweet molasses to balance out the bite of the ginger. Wanna cut the sugar? Skip the buttercream frosting and just eat the cookies as is, they're pretty darn delicious on their own!

INGREDIENTS
Cookies:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil, solid (OR sub vegan butter)
3 tablespoons ground flax
3 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon vanilla

Buttercream filling:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup vegan butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-2 tablespoons unsweetened non-dairy milk

fresh nutmeg, for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl or stand mixer cream together the brown sugar and coconut oil. Stir in the ground flax, molasses, ginger, and vanilla until completely combined. 

Pour the dry ingredients into the wet about a cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the cookie dough comes together. 

Scoop 1-in balls of cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges are firm. Move the cookies to a wire rack to cool. 

While the cookies bake and cool, prepare the buttercream frosting by beating together the powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla. Add in milk a bit at a time, until the desired frosting texture is achieved. 

Spread the buttercream onto half of the cooled cookies, and move to the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes to firm the frosting before topping it with another cookie. Once the sandwiches have been assembled, grate fresh nutmeg over the sandwiches and gobble 'em up!

NOTES
Makes 20 cookies, or 10 cookie sandwiches.

After the cookies cooled, we placed some of the frosting on top and then place them in the freezer for 10 minutes to set the frosting before placing the second cookie on top. Otherwise, the frosting tends to smoosh out the sides a bit. If you won;t be serving them immediately, I recommend keeping them in the fridge until just before serving.

Easter is on Sunday and whether you celebrate it or not, you deserve to eat cupcakes. Because, well, cupcakes! These are a the result of a recipe I've tweaked a couple times now and am happy to report: they're fucking delicious. Lots of fresh carrot to keep them moist and flavorful, and plenty of sweet orange vanilla cream frosting to keep 'em sweet and kid-friendly. I'm back on gluten for the time being, so I enjoyed using wheat flour in these, but you could certainly substitute your favorite GF mix in its place. These are easy to whip up and bake up light and sweet. Perfect for sharing after a strenuous Easter egg hunt or for munching while you Netflix-binge. Either way, they're the perfect carrot cupcake. Oh, and for a lower sugar frosting option, try our Lemon Cashew Cream or Maple Vanilla Icing. Let's eat!

INGREDIENTS:
Carrot Cupcakes
2 cups unbleached wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup organic sugar
1/2 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
2 tablespoon ground flax
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrots

Orange Vanilla Cream Frosting
1/3 cup cold vegan butter (we used earth balance) or vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 cups powdered sugar
chopped walnuts, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Carrot Cupcakes
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a large mixing bowl or electric mixer combine coconut milk, sugar, mashed banana, coconut oil, ground flax, and vanilla extract. Add in dry ingredients about a cup at a time, stirring continuously. Once batter comes together, fold in grated carrots. Pour batter into greased or lined cupcake pans until cups are about 3/4 of the way full.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely while you whip up the frosting!

Orange Vanilla Cream Frosting
In a food processor or high speed blender combine cold vegan butter or shortening, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Add in powdered sugar a cup at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. Refrigerate until cupcakes are completely cooled. (If you use butter, your cupcakes may need to be refrigerated to keep the frosting from melting. Shortening melts less, but still be wary of leaving them out on a warm day for too long!)

When cupcakes have cooled, generously spread each one with a layer of creamy orange vanilla frosting. Makes 16 cupcakes!

Prepare yourselves: the weathers getting cooler and it's about to get all kinds of pumpkin up in here. After walking the aisles of Trader Joe's last week and seeing pumpkin-themed snacks EVERYWHERE, I was inspired. Last year at this time I was so sick of pumpkin. I'm not even sure we posted one pumpkin recipe on this site last fall. Lame, right?
This year, lucky (or maybe unlucky?) for you, I've jumped back on the pumpkin bandwagon. HARD. The next couple of weeks will be filled with pumpkin treats both sweet and savory...but mostly sweet.  I promise not to overdo it. And I promise you will find at least one pumpkin goodie to love. In fact, we're calling it 'GREAT PUMPKIN WEEK' here this week. Use the handy pumpkin on the homepage sidebar to explore ALL of our pumpkin-filled recipes! Now, let's BAKE!

INGREDIENTS:
Spiced Pumpkin Bread
1- 15 oz. can pumpkin purée (about 1.5 cups)
1/3 cup softened coconut oil
1/2 cup organic sugar
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 cups whole wheat OR gluten-free flour blend
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger

Maple Vanilla Icing
1.5 cups raw cashews, soaked
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 - 1/3 cup water

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine coconut oil, sugar, milk, vanilla, & vinegar. Let sit for 3-5 minutes. While you wait, grab a second mixing bowl & combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.
Once the wet ingredients are ready (slightly bubbly), slowly add in the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Once the two are completely combined and a batter has formed, add the pumpkin purée. Stir to combine.
Pour batter into a greased, lined or non-stick loaf pan. [We used a non-stick pan with a little parchment paper, for easy removal.] Bake for 45-60 minutes, depending on your oven. Bread is finished when a toothpick comes clean. Remove from the oven and let cool at least 30 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. 
While bread cools, whip us icing by combining soaked cashews, maple syrup, vanilla, and water in a food processor or high speed blender. Fill a piping bag or ziploc bag with a corner cut off with icing mixture and pipe icing over cooled loaf. Loaf lasts well on the counter or in the fridge for about a week, or can be frozen indefinitely. Enjoy!

How much do you associate the flavors of apple & cinnamon with fall?
For me, its a nearly impossible combination to avoid as the temperature drops and the leaves fall. Something about the warm, cozy smell of spicy cinnamon and nutmeg and crisp, sweet baked apples makes me swoon. I love everything about fall in Maine- the leaves changing and falling, tons of squash and pumpkin for dinner, and of course, apple picking in Baileys Orchard.
Apple pies and crumbles are great- just a littttle overdone. Google 'vegan apple pie' and girl, you will be waist deep in results from all over the world in seconds. I wanted something special, and in brainstorming apple blondies, apple crisp, and apple cheesecake crossed our minds. But I am so glad we made this, instead.
I love the simplicity of one pan baking -and using cast iron contributes to iron intake. (As vegans, we tend to run a  little anemic.) Plus, less dishes to wash at the end!
This cake is perfect for fall-themed parties and will definitely be making an appearance on our Thanksgiving table this year. 
We hope it'll be on yours, too!

Deep Dish Apple Cinnamon Skillet Cake Ingredients:
1 cup coconut oil or vegan butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar or sucanant
2 flax eggs* or egg replacers
1/2 cup nut milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups GF all-purpose flour
(or your favorite blend--we used 1 cup teff & 1 cup white rice flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xantham gum
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 cups peeled and diced apples
(in my opinion, the crisp, tart ones are best)

*a single flax egg is made by combining 1 tbls ground flax with 3 tbls warm water 
and letting it gelatinize for about 5 minuntes

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Grease a large cast iron skillet and set aside. We used a deep dish, 9-inch cast iron skillet. This cake doesn't rise a ton, so alternately you can bake the batter in a regular 9-inch or larger skillet and it'll work just fine. Just be sure to adjust the cooking times so it isn't undercooked or overcooked- you can check the done-ness with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, you're good. Any batter on the stick means it needs a little longer.
In a mixing bowl beat together butter or softened coconut oil and sugars until fluffy. Add the “eggs” and whisk until completely combined. Add milk & vanilla; stir until a goopy batter starts to form.
In a separate, medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, xantham gum, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 
Add dry to wet and combine. Add diced apples and mix well.

Pour batter into pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, until toothpick comes clean. Makes 1 large 9-inch skillet of cake- make as many servings out of that as you like.  Can be served from the skillet and kept on the counter, covered for up to 3 days or in the fridge, covered about 10 days.

Maple Vanilla Glaze Ingredients & Instructions:
1 cup raw soaked cashews
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup to 2/3 cup water

In a food processor or high speed blender combine cashews, syrup, & vanilla. Begin blending, adding water until desired consistency is reached. Add frosting to cake just prior to serving. Stays saved in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Enjoy!

And if you can believe it- its pretty healthy. Full of rich, healthy coconut fats, real dark chocolate, and can even be made sugar free. This frosting is so versatile; it can be piped, spread, whipped, and eaten directly from the bowl with a giant spoon.

A couple notes on this decadent frosting:
-Coconut milk has a tendency to melt in heat. For best results, if you're frosting cupcakes or something similar, keep them refrigerated or at least in the shade until you're ready to enjoy them!

-I used 99% dark chocolate from a large bar of bulk chocolate. You can sub in 10 ounces of whatever percentage dark chocolate you prefer, but if you use something a litte sweeter, you may want to add less sweetener to the frosting later.

-You can keep this frosting sugar-free by completely removing the sugar suggested or using a sugar substitute, such as stevia.

-Coconut milk is a tricky thing. Oh, Ladycakes did a great tutorial on making coconut whipped cream and how to avoid disaster. Some highlights: before buying flip your can and listen for a slight gurgle. If it sounds like there is room to slosh there is excess air-which you want to avoid. Refrigerate your can, untouched, overnight before using. Scoop gently, and use only the thickest, hardest, whitest part from the top. Keep the leftover coconut milk and toss it in a smoothie or at the very least, the compost. Also, I usually buy Thai Coconut brand because its consistently good and easy to find, but most other 100% full fat coconut milk cans will work.

Ingredients:
10 ounces 99% dark chocolate
1 can full-fat organic coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons turbinado or powdered sugar
(or sweetener of your choice)

Instructions:
Refrigerate the can of coconut milk on a stable shelf overnight. When ready, open the can and scoop the full-fat, thick white layer off of the top half of the can and into a medium sized saucepan. Save the clearish liquid at the bottom to use in smoothies, oatmeal, or anything else that requires a milk substitute.
If using block chocolate, chop and measure 10 ounces of chocolate. 
(Keep in mind: 8 ounces=1 cup, so 10 ounces=1 1/4 cups)
Add chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips, or whatever) to the saucepan. 
Turning the saucepan to a very low simmer, stir chocolate/ coconut mixture generously as chocolate melts, making sure nothing sticks or burns. It will only take a few minutes for the chocolate to melt and form a uniform consistency. Once melted, immediately remove from heat, add in sugar and vanilla, and stir until completely combined. Pour saucepan mixture into a heat-safe bowl and put in into the fridge for at least 2 hours but as long as overnight. Once the chocolate frosting has set it will look fudge-like in the bowl.
When ready to use, remove from the fridge and sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour. The longer is sits and warms, the softer the frosting will be and the easier to work with.
Using hand beaters, slowly begin to whip the frosting. Using back and forth hand motions and rotating the bowl around, make sure to fluff and whip all of the frosting. The more air whipped into it, the fluffier the frosting will become. Once fluffed to your liking, use to frost cakes, cupcakes, fingers and spoons. We used ours to frost a double layer gluten-free chocolate cake. It was a rich, dark, wonderful contrast to the sweet chocolate cake. It also made for a great glue between layers.
Frosting can be refrigerated and re-whipped as needed, for up to one week in an air-safe container.
Enjoy!

Okay, I feel a little guilty. I went a little crazy caving into my cravings today. But sometimes, you just NEED that sugar fix! So for the rest of you who also like to indulge, help yourself to our Banana Carob Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut 'Buttercream' Frosting! This recipe makes 12 insanely rich and moist cupcakes. Adapted from the Baking Stone.