I am having a bit of writer's block lately and I have been too busy to upload my pictures of our homemade bagels (no worries, you'll get the recipe soon). Instead I am going to work on removing any links to my old blog and deleting it from the world completely. So, this *delicious* recipe is a repost from the old blog.
Trust me, this recipe is golden.
I found this recipe on a beautiful vegan food blog... madcap cupcake. As the name suggests, there are many many many dessert recipes. If I wasn't skipping out on desserts during Lent, I would be making these tonight. These things are dangerous to have around...just be careful if you're planning on making any.
Oh and if you haven't seen it already, Angela came up with a few variations on these bars too. I haven't tried any of her recipes yet, but I'm sure they're to live for as well
Bottom layer
1/2 cup earth balance (or other vegan margarine)
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tbsp flax meal
3 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups crushed graham crackers or crumbs
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Middle layer
1/4 cup earth balance (or other vegan margarine)
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp vanilla custard powder *
3 tbsp plain soy milk
* easy to find in Canada but sometimes difficult to find in the U.S. – instant vanilla pudding powder can be substituted.
Top layer
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1 tbsp earth balance (or other vegan margarine)
Assembly:
- To make bottom layer: Grease a 9-inch square cake pan. I lined the bottom with parchment that stuck out the top so I could lift everything out after – this makes cutting the bars easier (I didn’t want to scratch up my nice pan)
- In a small bowl, beat flax meal and water together until frothy, set aside.
- In a sauce pan over low heat, combine 1/2 cup earth balance, sugar, cocoa, and vanilla . Add flax mixture and stir constantly until mixture thickens.
- Add graham crackers crumbs, coconut, and chopped nuts, stirring to combine.
- Press the mixture into the greased pan.
- To make middle layer: In a large bowl, beat together 1/4 cup earth balance, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla custard powder, and soy milk until creamy.
- Spread custard mixture over graham cracker base in pan. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
- To make top layer: Melt semi-sweet chocolate and 1 tbsp earth balance. Pour over chilled bars and spread over top. Return to refrigerator to chill until firm (at least 1 hour).
- I recommend checking in on the squares after maybe ten minutes of this final chilling phase – or as soon as the chocolate topping begins to set a bit enough to score. While it’s still soft, score just the top chocolate layer with the lines you will cut along later. This way you will be able to cut the squares cleanly afterward when the chocolate is fully set, without cracking the tops (like I did).
- Serves 9-16, depending on how you divide them.
Oh, one more thing...I have some big news!! Brandon and I will be welcoming a new puppy into our family this Sunday! Stay tuned for puppy posts!!!
