Yield: 1-9 x 13″ pan or 24 bars

Our administrative team at school loved these bars that I brought in as an almost-Thanksgiving treat so much that they requested the recipe, which I was happy to share. But first I had to tease them by saying that the key ingredient was tofu (though there is no tofu in the recipe).

This dessert or sweet snack couldn’t be easier or the results tastier. I found the recipe at www.eaglebrand.com/recipes and simply substituted my discovery of Cream of Coconut for the sweetened condensed milk. Once again, it worked beautifully. You might want to visit the site, as there are lots of scrumptious sounding recipes that are all within the vegan’s grasp knowing that Cream of Coconut is a perfect one-to-one substitute for sweetened condensed milk.

1 cup vegan butter (I like Earth Balance), softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups vegan chocolate chips
1-15 ounce can Cream of Coconut
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/3 cups (or so) sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter, powdered sugar and salt in a large bowl until fluffy. Add flour; mix well. Press with floured hands evenly into prepared pan. (I like to flour the bottom of a glass and use it for even pressing.) Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven to wire rack.

Melt chocolate chips with Cream of Coconut in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in almond extract. Spread evenly over shortbread. Garnish with almonds, pressing them down gently, but firmly with the palm of your hand into the chocolate. Cover and chill 3 hours or over night until firm. Cut into bars.

Source: Adapted from www.eaglebrand.com/recipes/details (I simply substituted Cream of Coconut for the sweetened condensed milk)

Yield: one 9 x 13″ pan

Okay, these are hardly “lite,” but my tofu-based peanut butter cheesecake lightens them up just a smidge so that you don’t go into overload quite as early in the experience of swooning over these three-layered beauties as you might otherwise.

My go-to vegan brownies provide the base for a thick layer of vegan peanut butter cheesecake which is capped with a rich peanut butter-fudge frosting. A garnish of peanuts, whole or halved, provides the perfect crunchy contrast to all of that chewy-creamy goodness.

Vegan Brownies:
Scant (or stingy) 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups water or coffee
1 1/4 cups canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional: approximately 1 cup of vegan chocolate chips and 1 cup of chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13″ baking pan. (A light coat of canola oil seems superior to vegetable shortening.) In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add water or coffee, vegetable oil, and vanilla; mix with a wooden spoon until well blended, approximately 100 strokes. (For some reason, the results seem superior when the liquid and oil are added about one-quarter cup each at a time.) Spread evenly in the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make Vegan Peanut Butter Cheesecake.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cheesecake:

1 box of Silken firm tofu
1 cup of smooth or crunchy natural peanut butter
1/2-3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chocolate or chocolate lite soy milk
1/2 cup chocolate soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary to combine all ingredients. After brownies have baked for 15 minutes, quickly remove them from the oven, spread evenly with the peanut butter cheesecake filling and return to oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is slightly puffed and set. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Frost with Vegan Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting and garnish with chopped or whole peanuts.

Vegan Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting:
1/4 cup vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
1/4 smooth or crunchy natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (you may use vegetable oil instead but, if you do, mix it with cocoa powder before adding)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2-3 cups powdered sugar
approximately 1/4 cup chocolate or chocolate lite soy milk

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together first three ingredients on high speed. Add cocoa powder with mixer turned off and then slowly bring the speed up to high to completely incorporate it. Do the same with the powdered sugar and chocolate soy milk, adding approximately 1 cup of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk at a time until desired consistency is reached. If too thin, add more powdered sugar; if too thick, add more chocolate soy milk.

Garnish:
Approximately 1/2 cup chopped or whole peanuts

Yield: 8-12 bars

This recipe has been a favorite since my graduate school roommate, Melinda (Harvey) Shallcross, shared it with me in the early 80s. (I went to graduate school right out of high school–not!) When I became vegan a few years ago, after being vegetarian for a long, long, time, I thought I’d eaten my last Oatmeal Fudge Bar, not so much because the dough had an egg in it–that’s easy to veganize–but because the filling contained condensed milk. However, you may recall that, not too long ago, I experimented with “old-school” 7-Layer Bars by substituting Cream of Coconut for the condensed milk and they were perfect.

In the mood to bake today and with a can of Cream of Coconut in the pantry, I started reviewing my mental recipe files for other favorites formerly made with condensed milk. When I got to these creamy-chewy wonders, I knew they were what I would whip up. Again, the Cream of Coconut was the answer; the bars were as good as I remembered. I promise you, they will be a big hit with whomever you choose to serve them to, including kids. They’re school lunchbox sensations.

Oatmeal Layer

1/2 cup vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (you may use part whole wheat flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (not necessary if your vegan butter is salted)
2 cups oats

Fudge Layer

6 ounces vegan semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (normally, I prefer dark chocolate, but semi-sweet seems to provide a better balance in this recipe)
1 tablespoon vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
1/3 cup Cream of Coconut (not coconut milk)
1/4 teaspoon salt (not necessary if your vegan butter is salted)

Oil a 9 x 9-inch metal baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make oatmeal layer: Cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high. Beat in vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, if using. Beat on low speed, just until combined. Stir in oats until well distributed. Remove one cup and set aside. Pat remainder into an even layer in prepared pan.

Make fudge layer: place all ingredients in small microwave safe bowl. Heat for about 20 seconds or until chocolate is melted and whisk until smooth. (You may heat the mixture in a small saucepan on the stove over medium heat if you prefer.) Pour over oatmeal layer and spread evenly. Sprinkle top with reserved oatmeal mixture. Bake 25 minutes or until surface is golden brown. Cool completely and cut into bars. Store leftovers tightly covered. You may refrigerate if you like.

Source: I veganized this recipe from Beth Young via Melinda Harvey Shallcross.