You are here

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)

Peach Pie

I decided to make this when I saw that the first crop of SC peaches was at the hfs.  It was really good and didn't take very long.  I used 10 small-medium sized peaches and did not peel them.  I used sucanat for the sweetener and used a little less than the full cup called for...the peaches were sweet enough on their own.  CPG is right that it's better the day it's baked (still warm), but it was definitely good from the fridge for several more days. 

Flaky Pie Crust

I used this crust for my peach pie.  It was good, but nothing spectacular.  I didn't have shortening, so used earth balance for the full amount.  It would probably be flakier with shortening.  I didn't use the extra tbsp of ice water because the dough was wet enough without it. 

0 likes

Chocolate Chip Cookies:  These taste like I remember my mom's tasting, yummy and fattening. J and I really like them but they taste very "buttery".  Glad I cut the recipe in half because we feel fat just eating one of these delicious bad boys.

0 likes

Blueberry Cobbler:  Made this with blackberries instead and used the full amount of berries called for.  Really good but my biscuit crust turned out a bit harder than I would have liked.  Next time I might cut in the butter instead of melting it.  The lemon zest adds something special to the berry mixture.  This has been nearly devoured all by J already and he did not want to share!  He's a cobbler-loving fool and this one is a winner to him - tough crust and all.

0 likes

Blueberry Cobbler

I made the biscuit topping, but not the berries.  We wanted peach cobbler, so for the filling I used the peach pie recipe from this book.  I cut in cold butter instead of melted and it turned out beautifully.  It didn't take the full suggested time to brown, I only needed to bake it for about 35 minutes.  I don't absolutely love cobbler, but I thought this topping was really good!

0 likes

i ate some of the peach pie. it was delish!!

Thanks beeps!

0 likes

sidenote: I find that every dessert with a crust (pies, lemon bars, etc.) that I make from this book needs the filling doubled.  :-\

I have had the same experience with the crisps & cobblers, but not the pies (and I haven't made the lemon bars)!

0 likes

I made the Waffles I that everyone raves about, and they were great!  I think I like the Chelsea Waffles from Vegan Brunch a little better, but Waffles I didn't disappoint.  I attempted them once a couple years ago but cut way back on the Earth Balance & had a major sticking problem.  This time I stuck to the recipe & they were really delicious.

0 likes

Blueberry Cobbler
Great stuff.  Doubled the blueberry part and topped with cinnamon-sugar and a soymilk glaze.

sidenote: I find that every dessert with a crust (pies, lemon bars, etc.) that I make from this book needs the filling doubled.  :-\

I felt the same way too about the Raspberry Oatmeal Bars. I love that recipe but usually increase the amount of raspberry preserves.

0 likes

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
I've made this before and liked it, but thought it had a little too much tofu tang for a dessert. When I saw the chocolate tofu in my grocery store I decided to try it in this recipe. It upped the recipe from good to absolutely decadent. Warning- it's extremely rich. Also the texture was good after 2 hours in the fridge, but it was perfect the next day. Anyway, if you love rich chocolate desserts, definitely make this and use chocolate tofu instead of regular tofu.

Update- I gave it to my friend without telling her it was vegan or that there was tofu in it. She said it was the best pie ever and asked for the recipe. Both she and her 14 year old daughter were raving about it.

0 likes

Cashew Cream.  This was so good that I can't even remember what I made to put the cashew cream on.  It gets thicker if you put it in the fridge and you can eat it like pudding.  It could be a dessert by itself.  Delicious.

0 likes

Corn Muffins-

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.

0 likes

Flaky Pie Crust - I had so much difficulty with this recipe.  I followed the directions exactly (including putting everything, even the flour, in the freezer for a half hour before starting), and it just turned out awful.  The dough seemed to be perfect when I patted it into two discs, but when I took them out of the fridge to roll them out, it all went downhill.  First, the discs were too hard to roll out, so I let them come to room temp for a short while.  Then they were too sticky, and no matter how much flour I sprinkled on my rolling pin, the rolling surface, and the dough itself, it stuck like mad & fell apart every time I tried to move it.  Just totally disastrous.  I think maybe there's too much fat in the recipe?  Of the two crusts this recipe should have yielded, I ended up only being able to salvage just barely enough to make a lattice crust for the top of my apple pie.  I will never try this recipe again!  The one from Veganomicon is much better.

(Sorry for the crazy long review, but I almost had a nervous breakdown on Thanksgiving yesterday trying to work with this recipe & I had to vent.  Argh.)

0 likes

Zucchini bread - used cucumbers instead, otherwise followed it exactly.  cucumbers are more watery than zucchini so we peeled, shredded and then let them drain in a collander for about an hour or so.  it turned out delicious!  you can definitely taste the cucumber & it really goes well with the rest of the flavors in the bread.  i would definitely make this again - id strongly suggest it to anyone who has a bunch of extra cucumbers.

0 likes

cucumbers? whoa.

0 likes

do it!!  it's super yum!

0 likes

Gingerbread scones

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. 

0 likes

Chocolate Chip Cookies: These were okay. Cakey...not very sweet. Just okay. I like the ones from VCIYVJ more. I subbed half of the margarine with PB, which made them kind of tasty.

Chocolate Brownies: I was really hoping that I would like these, but I was really disappointed. The edges of mine were so tough it made them practically uneatable. Plus they were gummy and just kind of gross...even after letting them cool down a little. Blah.

0 likes

Peanut butter cookies: They turned out great. I added a little soymilk to make the dough wetter since it seemed too dry. In the end they were moist and not dry or crumbly.

0 likes

Chocolate chip cookies:
I usually substitute 3/4 cup of canola oil for the margarine, and people have told me they are the best cookies they've ever had. I'll admit it--they're delicious.

Butterscotch pudding:
My dad said it was the best dessert he's ever had. He tends to exaggerate, but it was really, really tasty.

Tofu Whipped Cream:
Doesn't taste at all like whipped cream I've had before, but it's really good. I've been sneaking spoons of it all afternoon.

Brownies:
These didn't do it for me. I still haven't found a vegan brownie recipe I've liked. I thought this one might have done it, but I'm still looking.

0 likes

Brownies:
These didn't do it for me. I still haven't found a vegan brownie recipe I've liked. I thought this one might have done it, but I'm still looking.

Yeah, these brownies are crap, in my opinion.  They're made with applesauce & no oil, right?  That's just not okay in my world...  Brownies need fat!  :)

Do you have Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar?  The espresso brownies in that book are awesome.  This VegWeb brownie recipe is great, too: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=23281.0.  I like to use coffee instead of water, and I add a splash of vanilla & almond extracts.

0 likes

Pages

Log in or register to post comments