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The official Joy of Vegan Baking recipe review! (to be updated)

Add your reviews to the JOVB thread http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=19440.0, and I will add them here in order by category and alphabetically. 

Muffins, biscuits, and scones
Apple pecan muffins
Made them for my cooking class presentation since my topic was apples. My chef instructor loved them as did many of my classmates. They really enjoyed the moistness and the fact that they were not heavy. Many people said they were delicious and I was very happy to hear it .I doubled the recipe to make 24 muffins and it worked with no problems, although I did have to add almost 1/2 cup water to the batter because it was a little dry at first. (animal_g)
We recently tried these sans pecans and they are a new favorite too. (Babybumb)
really dense, but they're definitely yummy and I don't feel too bad eating them because it's fruit and nuts! It was weird how thick the batter was. When I put it in the muffin tin it held its shape and when it baked it came out exactly the same shape as when I put it in. (algae)
Banana chocolate chip muffins
Taste great, and are easy to make. Perfect muffin texture, they are best enjoyed right out of the oven so the chocolate chips are warm and oozing. I found that I didn't need as much chocolate chips as the recipe called for. (Saskia)
Some of the best muffins ever! I modified it a lot..so I was a bit wary, but they came out perfect. I only used 1/2 c Florida crystals, 2 bananas, 1/2 cup choc. chips, needed more water, probably used less oil...I just added water until it seemed muffin consistency. I also added some pecans. I found a semi-typo in the book. She has walnuts, optional as an ingredient..but never mentions them in the directions, eh. I baked them for probably 20 minutes. Perfect consistency and taste great! (AC)
Delicious. I used half WW and half AP flour and added a touch of cinnamon but followed the recipe otherwise. Perfect texture - moist, light and fluffy. This will be the recipe I use from now on for banana muffins. (iluvtomatoes)
A.ma.zing. too tasty to qualify as breakfast. (fb)
I baked these again because they were such a hit before. Sweet, perfectly moist with lovely little muffin domes. This is a great recipe when you have those super ripe bananas that are almost black.This time I added an extra half of a banana and an extra half teaspoon of vanilla. Very, very good. (Saskia)
I am so addicted to these muffins - seriously - I now call very ripe bananas "muffin fruit" and my husband will make more every time I bring home or set aside muffin fruit, LOL! We do cut the chocolate chip by 1/2 though because the first time they were almost all chocolate it seemed.  We make these as mini muffins and they are gone so fast between hubby, me and the 3 kids (sheesh, do I have to share?) (Babybumb)
I thought these were so blah.  I made half a batch, exactly to the recipe, and my bananas were well ripe, but I felt like they had no flavor. Granted, I did not use chocolate chips, so perhaps they are not intended to be eaten without them?  I've had such better banana muffins/bread before, and I don't think I'll be using this recipe again.  They have a good texture though. (KMK)
These are FANTASTIC...they've turned out great every time.  I've made them without and without walnuts.  I like them best with walnuts and reducing the sugar to 3/4 cup.  They don't last long though...my hubby and I eat 'em up like crazy! (kristinv)
I played with the recipe a little bit, but these are delicious!  I used 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup unbleached white, and reduced the sugar to about 3/4 cup.  I also added about 2 tbsp ground flax and maybe 1 tbsp whole flax (I really like flax in my baked goods).  I added a little more water because with the ww flour and flax, the batter was a little thick.  I used chocolate chips, but definitely less than a cup.  Even with the ww flour, the texture was nice and moist.  I think this is my new favorite banana bread recipe. (lotus)
Good muffin, nothing to write home about.  I've made better banana muffins from vegweb recipes. (berryraw)
Blueberry lemon muffins
Weird flavor... not sure where it came from...(fb)
The muffins were moist with plump blueberries and a lemony zing. The tops browned to a sweet crunchy dome. While I think the muffins came out well, I have to say that I still prefer a simple blueberry muffin with maybe a crumb topping. If you make these it might be a good idea to roll the blueberries in some flour so they don't sink to the bottom, as some of mine did. I halved the recipe and used a six-muffin tin that fit perfectly in my little toaster oven. Lastly, if you plan to bake these, please follow Colleen's instructions that say to lick the bowl clean while the muffins are baking. The batter is very, very tasty. They rose some, not big puffy domes or anything like that. But they weren't flat either. Little domes.  (Saskia)
I just made these & they only rose a tiny bit, if at all. I think it's just me.  I'm going to buy an oven thermometer, replace my baking soda, & try again. (purpledancer)
My sweetie called me from the airport just to tell me how fabulous these were. I packed him one to-go(heated, buttered with Earth Balance and wrapped in foil), since he didn't have time for breakfast. I had another muffin and actually think they taste better reheated on Day Two or Three, instead of right out of the oven. (Saskia)
I used strawberries instead of blueberries because I have a ton in my fridge, but they truned out really well. They were very moist and delicious! (disneyfav)
Very good, I reduced the baking soda just a bit. (Lehua)
Bran muffins with raisins

Corn muffins
These were awful. They tasted really low fat and were spongy. I even added some good corn to them. (fb)
I used flax seeds instead of Ener-G (she suggested you could in the recipe).  I never used flax eggs before but since I just bought a batch of flax seeds I figured I would give it a try.  I don't know if it was the flax or just the recipe but it was the weirdest muffin "batter" ever.  I was like dough.  I actually had to rip pieces off and put the chunks in the muffin tins.  I baked it for less than the recipe called for because they already seemed so dry.  They did come out dry.  Thankfully I added blueberries because it really needed that moisture and I think without them the muffins would be pretty tasteless.  (biodancer)
My husband said "fuck corn bread, this is awesome." He ate like 5 of them. I thought they were good, but not that amazing. I had to add a splash of soy milk to mix it up, and I wound up with 17 muffins, not 12. I'd like to try it as a breakfast muffin w either sausage or bacon in it, along w/ the corn. (nmpixie)
Ginger muffins
I thought that these would be overpoweringly gingery... but they weren't. 1/4 C of fresh ginger winds up not being that much. Still, they were moist and sweet. I daresay a ginger-hater would still like them, that's how mild they are. (fb)
I like these a lot!  I really like ginger so I added a pinch of ground ginger in addition to the fresh.  I also had some over-ripe bananas that I subbed for the ground flax mixture.  Of course the bananas added a little banana flavor, but I thought it was nice (lotus)
Hearty spiced cocoa muffins
Great! It says they are great for winter holidays...but I think they're great for summer..eating too! Patrick actually said these are his favorite "cake thing." So, that means his favorite cake/muffin/sweet bread! Whoa. I don't know about that..but they're good. Sweet and spiced. I used whole wheat pastry flour and safflower oil. I added chocolate chips, but no nuts. (AC)
Nothing short of fantastic! Sometimes I don't like cinnamon & other spices mixed with chocolate, so I was hesitant to make these... But I am seriously glad I did!!! Honestly one of my favorite muffin recipes EVER! I replaced all but 1 Tbsp. of the Earth Balance with applesauce, cut the sugar down to 1/2 cup, only used walnuts (not choco chips), and used flaxseed instead of Ener-G--and even with all of these moderations, they are so incredibly moist & delicious! I absolutely love these. Even as I type this, nearly 3 days after making them, the muffins are moist as hell, even though I have been lax about tightly covering them... YUM! (Jessacita)
Good enough, but could use more chocolate. What's weird is that the inside of these muffins had a red-ish tinge... I have no idea where it came from... the tiny pinch of cayenne? (fb)
offer quite a kick if you include the optional cayenne pepper. Next time I think I will use a little less since the strong flavor overwhelmed the other spices and cocoa a little. Having said that, you should know that these muffins were a hit at the potluck event I brought them too. I thought they were OK, but I had people ask me about them and requested a recipe during the event. Per earlier suggestions, I subbed all but two tablespoons of Earth Balance for applesauce. They still came out moist and rose nicely. I modified the recipe so they are more like Mexican Cocoa Spice Muffins. I stirred in Mexican chocolate for the chocolate chips. I also used the Maple Glaze recipe in the book adding a teaspoon of vanilla, a couple teaspoons of Kahlua and 1 Tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder into the glaze and drizzled it all over the tender muffin domes. Vive las muffins! (Saskia)
I made these tonight and they were delicious. It's almost reminiscent of gingerbread, but there isn't any ginger in them. They're almost indescribable because they are sweet, but almost savory, with a hint of chocolate, but they aren't really chocolatey, and they have some spice to them, but they aren'tginger- hot. Indescribable and tasty. They're great if you're looking to experience something new. (bellybellygood)
Pretty good. Kind of mexican-hot-chocolate-flavour-ish.  I made them into mini bundt cakes. (dannibazaar)
Jam filled oat bran muffins
Super yummy & really healthy. I used apple sauce instead of oil & whole wheat pastry flour instead of AP. and it had TWO cups of oat bran, wooowwww. (weelittlebuddy)
Pretty good tasting for healthy. i used apple butter as the filling. (fb)
These turned out much better than I expected! I used maybe 2.5 cups of oatbran, instead of 2 cups, so I used 3/4 cups of ww pasty flour. These are healthy, but have a good balance of flavor, and a good texture. I did use the walnuts, and I think they are almost necessary. I used strawberry jam in the middle, but I wish I added more! P doesn't really like muffins, but he did like these. I filled the tin too full, and didn't oil the top of the tin very well, so they were difficult to get out (and crumbled with all the handling), but still yummy. Since I filled the cups too full, I got 12 large muffins (instead of 16). I really like this! It was my first time using oat bran, so I'm pleased.  (AC)
a hearty and heart-healthy muffin with touches of cinnamon, a  raspberry jam(or jam of your choice) swirl and a delicate crumb. Delicious right out of the oven with tea. I really enjoyed this muffin, especially with all the muffin recipes out there that qualify more as a dessert than a wholesome breakfast treat. (saskia)
Drop biscuits
Not perfectly delicious, but not bad (dried out). (Jessacita)
I used all whole wheat flour (only thing I had), and melted EB. I really loved the fact that all of the main ingredients were in 1/3 cup measurements (made it that much easier). I added garlic powder to the dough (just sprinkled some in), and added some EB and minced garlic to the biscuit tops after 5 minutes. Then I finished baking them, and added...some more EB to the top, with a little salt. We really liked them! So simple, few ingredients, and tasty. I recommend the garlic....and the whole wheat flour wasn't an issue at all. (AC)
Awesome. I'm notoriously bad at baking, but these tasted close to my mom's (although nothing will ever be AS good).  They were great for biscuits and gravy! Can't wait to try something else! (nmpixie)
perfect for just throwing together in the morning! They are super yummy with gravy or just along side of a meal. I have noticed that the batter tends to be really dry if I follow it to the letter, but if I just throw everything together until I get a moist dough they turn out perfectly. The key to my best biscuits was NOT to over stir or else they get tough and add lots of melted EB. I usually almost double her oil recommendation or else they just do not tast right. I also then just gentley form them in my hands into great big giant biscuits instead of lots of small ones. (wassernixe)
I made this using the Earth Balance instead of canola oil suggestion.  I did not melt the EB, but cut it in with two knives instead.  After cutting in the EB, I put the bowl (flour, baking powder, salt, EB) in the freezer for about 20 minutes.  When I brought it out, I added 1 TBS of vinegar to my non-dairy milk and mixed it together.  I got 6 large biscuits that were cooked perfectly in 9 minutes.  My only complaint is that I wish I'd doubled the batch! (mdv)
I like these a lot and they're super quick and easy.  I sometimes use the batter as a topping on casseroles too.  They might be a bit bland on their own, but a nice pat of EB makes them shine. (icephrosty)
Chocolate chip scones
Super delicious I followed the recipe exactly, but brushed them with melted 'butter' rather than soymilk because I'm a glutton. Also, I topped them with brown sugar, but not cinnamon. Can't wait to enjoy these tomorrow for breakfast! (sb)
Best. scones. ever. I made half with chocolate chips, half with dried cranberries. The earth balance makes them "buttery," and they're just a little soft. I accidentally baked them at 450 rather than 425, but they turned out fine. (fb)
These were so yummy! I added about a 1/4 cup extra mini chocolate chips along with the prescribed about of regular size chips. The only problem I had with these was that I had to pretty much double the baking time to get them slightly golden brown and perfectly cooked. I don't know if the fact that I used parchment paper affected the baking time or not. Any ways I enjoyed these thoroughly. (wassernixe)
Classic currant scones
yay! (fb)
Instead of currants I used dried cranberries, since it's what I had. My first time making scones and these were delicious. I think I rolled them too thin though since they came out a bit on the crispy side but the flavor is amazing. I'll be making these again. (iluvtomatoes)
I thought these had a great texture!  I have never made these with currants, but I have used cherries and cranberries.  Both times they were delicious! (lotus)
Gingerbread scones
Sucked. dry, not sweet. and i really wanted some gingerbread...(fb)
everyone really liked these.  They are not too sweet (scones really shouldn't be), and they had a good amount of spices, I think.  I had one for breakfast dipped in soy milk.  (KMK)
These are wonderfully spicy and delicious!  Cams ate three this morning! I used fresh cranberries, so they are a little more tart, but I like it with the super sweetness of the glaze.  They are a little flat...not as fluffy as I would like, but I think maybe I worked them a little too much.  (lotus)
Maple glaze
Drizzled this on the zucchini bread to dress it up a bit. The result was a sweet, moist and flavorful bread that was devoured by my omnivorous friends. It's great with coffee for breakfast, and also as a dessert bread. I will be making this again. (saskia)

Banana chocolate chip muffins

I thought these were so blah.  I made half a batch, exactly to the recipe, and my bananas were well ripe, but I felt like they had no flavor.  Granted, I did not use chocolate chips, so perhaps they are not intended to be eaten without them?  I've had such better banana muffins/bread before, and I don't think I'll be using this recipe again.  They have a good texture though.

I love these with chocolate chips!  I can't say how they'd be without them, but everyone I know who's tried these muffins loved them.  Maybe the chocolate chips are really vital...?

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Yeah, I don't know!  It was really weird though.  I had really good quality vanilla and perfectly ripe bananas.  And I'm certain I used the right amount of sugar.  Oh well!  I guess I'll try them again with the chips for a fair shot, if it's convenient sometime.  Maybe they just shouldn't stand alone.

Oh, and I made a cinnamon streusel topping and they were still blah!  It needs some spices in the batter or something. 

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I've made these many times and you do need the chocolate chips. It really is a delicious muffin with them.

I like theLower Fat Banana Bread in Veganomicon for a flavorful banana bread or muffin that doesn't need chocolate chips. But adding them won't hurt either. :)

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I made the Zucchini bread and it is extremely sweet. I should have listened to my gut before adding two full cups of sugar. Definitely will cut back on the sugar next time. And probably add some lemon or lime zest to the batter for some extra zing.

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I made the Zucchini bread and it is extremely sweet. I should have listened to my gut before adding two full cups of sugar. Definitely will cut back on the sugar next time. And probably add some lemon or lime zest to the batter for some extra zing.

Yeah, I always cut the sugar almost in half - especially because I cut the oil amount in half & sub in applesauce, which adds a little sweetness.  I think it'd definitely be too sweet with two full cups!

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Ginger Muffins

I like these a lot!  I really like ginger so I added a pinch of ground ginger in addition to the fresh.  I also had some over-ripe bananas that I subbed for the ground flax mixture.  Of course the bananas added a little banana flavor, but I thought it was nice.  :) 

Classic Currant Scones

I thought these had a great texture!  I have never made these with currants, but I have used cherries and cranberries.  Both times they were delicious!

No-bake Strawberry Pie with Chocolate Chunks

Fabulous!  I made this for a party and it was a huge hit!  I love that this recipe doesn't have any added  sugar.  It's definitely sweet enough with the dates.  The only thing I modified was the chocolate.  I grated it instead of using chunks...so it was more like a dusting on top. 

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Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins:
These are FANTASTIC...they've turned out great every time.  I've made them without and without walnuts.  I like them best with walnuts and reducing the sugar to 3/4 cup.  They don't last long though...my hubby and I eat 'em up like crazy!

Cornbread:
This is a great cornbread recipe!  I saw that some people were finding it dry and crumbly...but it hasn't been a problem for me.  I especially enjoyed it with some cranberry-jalapeno jam.

Chocolate Cake:
This is my favorite cake to make, PERIOD.  I usually do the Mexican-chocolate variation and serve it with a "buttercream" frosting.  This was the recipe I gave to the baker for my wedding cake.  A bunch of omni people at the wedding loved it and commented on how moist and yummy it was.

Carrot Cake:
This is another yummy recipe!  We gave this recipe to the baker for the groom's cake.  She couldn't find the tofutti for the "Cream Cheese" frosting, so she served it with "buttercream" frosting...and it was great!

Chocolate Chip Cookies:
This is my go-to cookie recipe when feeding omnis.  They are SOOO yummy and gooey right out of the oven, but they firm up nicely when you let them cool.

Chocolate Almond Brittle:
It tasted pretty good...but I did not like how much "butter" was used.  It made the chocolate really melty to the touch.  You have to eat this stuff straight out of the freezer if you don't want your hands covered in greasy, chocolate smudges.

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Blueberry Orange Bundt
I made this without the blueberries or orange extract (but I added the orange zest). Very fluffy, very moist, pleasantly sweet, did not last very long.

Rugelach
The batter was a pain in the ass, the finished product was delicious and addictive. I had to keep putting the dough in the fridge in order to handle it without totally messing up the cookies, and my kitchen was actually pretty cold. Maybe it doesn't need so much sour cream? Anyway, the cookies aren't that labor intensive aside from that consistency issue. They came out crispy, and though the jam + cinnamon + nuts seems a little weird, it's not.

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Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I played with the recipe a little bit, but these are delicious!  I used 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup unbleached white, and reduced the sugar to about 3/4 cup.  I also added about 2 tbsp ground flax and maybe 1 tbsp whole flax (I really like flax in my baked goods).  I added a little more water because with the ww flour and flax, the batter was a little thick.  I used chocolate chips, but definitely less than a cup.  Even with the ww flour, the texture was nice and moist.  I think this is my new favorite banana bread recipe.     

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German apple cake
Like. It's kind of like cake + pie filling. And it's pretty! I've never had German apple cake before, so I was expecting the crust/cake part to be more shortbread-y, but this was cakier. Which is fine, so long as that's what you expect. And of course, what type of apple you use makes a difference; I used pink lady (that's what I had) and it was a bit mealy, but I've also used braeburn, which comes out quite well.

Light lemon bundt cake
Not so great. The flavor was fine (it wasn't very strong because I didn't have lemon extract, but that one's on me), but the texture was kind of weird... kind of gummy like jkl mentioned. Usually I don't fuss too much over texture, but it made a difference here. On the other hand, while this was baking it smelled like french toast to me (i guess it's the maple syrup?) so that partly made up for it.

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Light lemon bundt cake
Not so great. The flavor was fine (it wasn't very strong because I didn't have lemon extract, but that one's on me), but the texture was kind of weird... kind of gummy like jkl mentioned. Usually I don't fuss too much over texture, but it made a difference here. On the other hand, while this was baking it smelled like french toast to me (i guess it's the maple syrup?) so that partly made up for it.

That's so weird!  I feel like I'm the only one who's had success with this cake, and I loooove it.

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Light lemon bundt cake
Not so great. The flavor was fine (it wasn't very strong because I didn't have lemon extract, but that one's on me), but the texture was kind of weird... kind of gummy like jkl mentioned. Usually I don't fuss too much over texture, but it made a difference here. On the other hand, while this was baking it smelled like french toast to me (i guess it's the maple syrup?) so that partly made up for it.

That's so weird!  I feel like I'm the only one who's had success with this cake, and I loooove it.

Maybe because I was using a dark, coated pan? (apparently that affects things sometimes). Or, perhaps I overmixed a little too much. It seems like citrusy/acidic type batters are very easy to overmix.

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Hmmm.  I think I used a ceramic bundt cake pan when I made this...  I remember I had to bake longer than instructed because I always have to with stoneware.  Maybe that got rid of the gumminess?

Plus, I love all things lemon, so maybe I'm easy to please!

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Drop biscuits - I like these a lot and they're super quick and easy.  I sometimes use the batter as a topping on casseroles too.  They might be a bit bland on their own, but a nice pat of EB makes them shine.

Waffles I - This was the first waffle recipe I ever made and it's still my go-to for plain old waffles.  Not once have I had a sticking problem.

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Waffles I

Delicious!  This was my first successful attempt at waffles...first try on my new iron!  I followed the recipe exactly.  The first waffle stuck to both the top and bottom and split in half.  The rest came out perfectly, even though I forgot to spray oil before one of them.  They turned out very light and fluffy, but crispy on the outside.  I used a belgian waffle iron and got 5 waffles.  I just put 4 of them in the freezer.  I'm really excited to have homemade waffles in the freezer, ready to go. 

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TheJam-filled Oat Bran Muffin is a hearty and heart-healthy muffin with touches of cinnamon, a  raspberry jam(or jam of your choice) swirl and a delicate crumb. Delicious right out of the oven with tea. I really enjoyed this muffin, especially with all the muffin recipes out there that qualify more as a dessert than a wholesome breakfast treat.

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Blueberry cobbler
Deelish. I used frozen blueberries. I think it's better using the higher volume (5c) or even more of fruit, because I wound up with a little less than half fruit and more biscuit dough. Better served warm then cold, and is probably easy to adapt to other fruits and flavors.

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Dried Fruit and Coconut Candies

These are easy and quick to make.  You essentially put apricots, dates, raisins, walnuts, and coconut in a food processor and whirl it until it's goopy.  I processed it in two batches and my medium-grade food processor got pretty warm.  Instead of making balls, I flattened them into discs, coated them with coconut, and put them in my food dehydrator for 14 hours at 105 degrees F to make chewy cookies.  They probably could have gone for a bit longer, but are good the way they are. (hh)

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Chocolate chip scones
Best. scones. ever. I made half with chocolate chips, half with dried cranberries. The earth balance makes them "buttery," and they're just a little soft. I accidentally baked them at 450 rather than 425, but they turned out fine.

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I made the No-Bake Strawberry Pie with Chocolate Chunks for dessert tonight.  It was delicious!  Not overly sweet, and I loved that there was no added sugar.  The only sweetener used were a few dates with the strawberries, and 3/4 c. dates in the crust.  This really allowed the flavor of the strawberries to shine!  Everyone loved this pie!  It is gorgeous, too.

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