Vegan Quesitos are crispy, flaky, and decadent puff pastry filled with a delicious vegan cream cheese filling.
Vegan Quesitos – Puerto Rican Cream Cheese Puff Pastries is my vegan version of the most delicious and popular pastries in Puerto Rico. You can find them around the island in bakeries, food stands, and restaurants. I grew up eating quesitos from my neighborhood bakery in the town of Bayamon. They had the best pastries in my town. After moving to the states, it was hard for me to find them here, so I learned how to bake them. They were a big hit when I ran my bakery in Kentucky. My vegan quesitos won’t disappoint you!
The regular recipe calls for cream cheese, corn syrup, and an egg wash. My vegan quesitos are; refined sugar-free, easy to make and so delicious. Make your own puff pastry or simplify your life by buying it. Pepperidge Farm is probably your best bet when looking for a vegan puff pastry. Many store-bought puff pastries are made without dairy or egg because it makes them more shelf-stable.
Coquito Tres Leches Cake is a delicious sponge cake soaked in my traditional Coquito and topped with Italian Meringue.
This is my version of Coquito Tres Leches. I’ve been making this recipe for a very long time. It was my clients’ favorite recipe when I had my home-based bakery in Kentucky. Although sharing my delicious Coquito Tres Leches recipe wasn’t on my list, because it is my classic cake recipe. Some of my clients in Kentucky are missing having this cake during their holiday feast, so I decided to share it. Plus, sharing is caring! You can make this cake vegan very easily. Read the recipe notes for vegan replacements. As I always mention, feel free to replace any ingredient. If you want to use this cake as a basic cake just replace the coquito with your choice of milk.
Healthy Vegan Pecan Bars with a shortbread crust and loaded with nuts.
These healthy vegan pecan bars with a shortbread-style crust are perfect for your holiday feast. These are vegan, refined sugar-free, and loaded with nuts. These healthy vegan pecan bars are the perfect portion for a snack or dessert. They are pretty much a pecan pie but in the form of a bar. My coworkers and my family loved these bars so much. It’s amazing how you can twist a recipe to make it healthy and still enjoy some sweetness.
For these bars, I used monk fruit and replaced the corn syrup with agave syrup. I love using the Lakanto brand because you use the same ration and it won’t change the flavor. You can also check out my Apple Cider Sugar-Free Donuts recipe for another delicious fall dessert. These pecan bars are way heavier on the pecans than on the filling, so if you’re a big fan of pecans but not so much the super sweet pie filling, these are just for you.
These bars could not possibly be any easier to make. The crust is mixed by hand, pressed into the pan, just a whisk of the filling ingredient, folding in the pecans, and done. These bars are all about the pecans! To enhance the pecan flavor, roast pecan halves in the oven over 300 degrees F for 8 minutes. This step is optional but totally recommended.
If you give this recipe a try, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below. Also, don’t forget to take a picture and share it on my Facebook page or tag it #thehungrydragonfly on Instagram! I love seeing your creations!
Healthy Vegan Pecan Bars
Mariela
These healthy vegan pecan bars with a shortbread-style crust are perfect for your holiday feast. These are vegan, refined sugar-free, and loaded with nuts.
1 3/4cupsall-purpose flouryou can replace for gluten-free blend
6tbspmonk fruit or granulated sugarI use Lakanto brand
1/2tspsea salt
1/2cupvegan buttery spread or regular buttermelted
For the Filling:
3/4cupmonk fruit, brown sugar blend I used Lakanto brand
2/3cupagave syrup or corn syrupyou can replace for maple syrup
1/2cup vegan buttery spread or regular buttermelted and hot
1 tsporganic vanilla extract
1.2tspsalt
4cupspecan halvesroasted
Instructions
Inside a baking tray bake pecan halves for 8 minutes under 300 degrees. Set aside.
Make the crust:
Adjust oven rack to the lowest position and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line up a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the melted butter and stir using a wooden spoon until a dough begins to form.
Using your hands continue to combine until no flour remains and a small portion of dough holds together when squeezed.
Evenly spread spoons of dough over your baking pan. Using your fingertips, press and smooth dough into an even layer in the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
Make the Filling:
In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, agave syrup, melted butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth and well combined.
Fold pecan halves into the sugar mixture until the pecans are evenly coated.
Pour the pecan mixture over the crust, using a rubber spatula. Spread it working it to the edges and into corners. You will have bare patches and that's okay.
Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the topping is evenly distributed and rapidly bubbly across the entire surface.
Transfer pan to a wire rack. Let bars cool completely in the pan, about 1 1/2 hours. Cut into 20 to 24 bars and serve.
Store bars at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
You can make these bars gluten-free by replacing the flour. Also, you can replace the sweetener for your favorite blend.
These Apple Cider Cake Donuts are easy to make, healthy, cakey, flavorful and so delicious. This is a one-bowl recipe that comes together very quickly and easily. The best breakfast or snack for a fall crisp morning.
This apple cider cake donuts recipe can be used for cupcakes or mini bundt cakes. I used a fall silicon mold that my husband bought for me but you can use what you have available. Although baking is always happening in my kitchen, I don’t bake donuts very often. Fall seems to be the perfect occasion for baking donuts. I never tried apple cider donuts before moving to New Hampshire. Last week we went to a farm and I ate them for the first time. They tasted heavenly! So, I decided to create my own recipe using monk fruit instead of regular sugar and baked instead of fry. They turned surprisingly amazing! The cinnamon sugar makes them melt in your mouth.
This Coffee Coffee Cake with Pumpkin Streusel is a delicious twist of the regular Coffee Cake recipe. This decadent cake is infused with delicious dark roasted coffee from Honduras. It’s rich, moist, fluffy, and so delicious! Trust me, you would love this cake.
It’s not a secret that I’m addicted to coffee. Dark roasted from Latin American is my favorite kind. I’ve been wanting to try a coffee cake recipe for a while now. Although the word coffee is in the name of the recipe, the classic coffee cake recipe doesn’t have coffee. Clearly, I needed to try a coffee cake recipe with actual coffee. Definitely this coffee, coffee cake is a game-changer.
For this cake, I use dark roast coffee from Honduras roasted in Vermont by Paradiso Farm (not sponsored, just a recommendation). This coffee is so rich and delicious. Also, I added a twist of pumpkin spice to the recipe and it turned out heavenly. As a result, it will give you fall vibes and everything nice. If you want to try other fall recipes check out my Pumpkin Spice Cake and my Pumpkin Spice Tartlets
Let’s talk about the coffee:
Some coffee coffee cake recipes call for instant coffee or coffee granules. Undoubtedly, I had to use strong brew high-quality coffee for my recipe. Without any doubt, the fresh brew coffee works like a charm. If you are susceptible to caffeine you can totally use decaf coffee.
Streusel Topping:
Firstly, let me tell you that I love streusel topping so much. It wouldn’t be the same without it. This streusel calls for espresso coffee granules, but you can totally leave it out. Although the flavors would not be the same. I saved part of the streusel and baked it for 8 minutes. Then I used it as a topping for my cake.
Coffee Glaze:
This coffee glaze will melt in your mouth. If you want to make it sugar-free you can use a sugar-free sweetener like Swerve. Also, you can add peanut butter, cookie butter, or hazelnut spread.
This Coffee Coffee Cake with Pumpkin Streusel is:
Easy to make
Healthy
You can make it sugar-free
Rich and flavorful
Moist and spongy
The perfect dessert, breakfast, or snack
To conclude, this cake is the perfect dessert for breakfast, snack, or dessert. When baking always use quality ingredients. Also, make sure your ingredients are room temperature before making the recipe.
Coffee Coffee Cake with Pumpkin Streusel
Mariela
This Coffee Coffee Cake with Pumpkin Streusel is a delicious twist of the regular Coffee Cake recipe. This decadent cake is infused with delicious dark roasted coffee from Honduras.
1/3cupSour cream (I used Vegan – Follow your Heart)
2SticksUnsalted butter, room temperatureI used vegan
1cupGranulated sugar I used Lakanto Monk Fruit
2Eggs (I replaced it using Aquafaba)
1tspVanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-Inch Springform Pan, round cake 8-Inch pan or a Bundt cake pan.
For the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, instant coffee powder and salt. Add the softened butter and using a fork mix until crumbs form. Use your hands to form clumps. Set aside.
For the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and pumpkin spice. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the coffee and sour cream until smooth.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs or aquafaba, one at a time, mixing until well combined. Add the vanilla extract and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Starting and ending with the dry ingredients, alternate adding the flour mixture and the coffee mixture to the stand mixer; mix each addition well, scraping the bowl each addition.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and top with crumb topping, spreading it evenly. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
For better results use room temperature ingredients.
Replace regular sour cream for a plain vegan sour cream brand.
To replace the eggs the best option in baking in my opinion is aquafaba. Aquafaba: Make sure to give your aquafaba a light whisk before using. Three tablespoons of aquafaba is equivalent to about one whole egg, while two tablespoons of aquafaba is equivalent to about one egg white. Keep in mind that a can of chickpeas yields about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of this liquid, so about eight to 12 tablespoons.
