such small hands

Lemon Bars

Ingredients
Crust:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
2 cups flour
Filling:
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon extract (optional)

Powdered (confectioners) sugar to top

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour, and 1/2 cup sugar.  Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.
3.  Bake for 15 to 20 min, until firm and golden.  Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup flour, eggs, and lemon juice.  Pour over baked crust.
4. Bake for an additional 20 min. in oven.  The bars will firm as they cool.  When cooled, use sifter to top with powdered sugar, and cut into squares

This very well may be the BEST baked good I’ve ever made.  I found a basic vegan recipe for banana muffins somewhere and I modified it as I went.  I lost my original source so I apologize for that.

Vegan Banana Walnut Muffins

Ingredients

3 RIPE (overly ripe is best) bananas
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp vegan butter
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
cinnamon to taste
vanilla extract to taste 

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 360.
2. In large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until soft.  Add the oil, butter, (If you don’t have butter on hand, no sweat, you don’t really need it.) and sugar.  Cream together.  Add some cinnamon and vanilla, I’d say at least a 1/2 tsp each.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda.  Combine with banana mixture, stirring to combine.
4. Grease a muffin pan and fill each about 2/3 full with the batter.  Bake 25 min or until a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean.

Like I said, this recipe is OFF THE CHARTS.  No one will know it’s vegan.  You can always add blueberries, strawberries, vegan choc chips…. the combos are endless so be creative!  You can easily make this into a bread, too.  It’s light, fluffy, flavorful, and definitely my new go-to.

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.