Fragrant Vanilla Cake

Tag: cobbler

  • Vegan Blueberry Rhubarb Cobbler with Vanilla Almond Biscuits

    Vegan Blueberry Rhubarb Cobbler with Vanilla Almond Biscuits

    Official summer may just be in a few days, but I am still enjoying the spring rhubarb!  The rhubarb plant in my Dad’s garden is still pretty large and I wouldn’t want all of that delicious rhubarb to go to waste!  So, I decided to make a Vegan Blueberry Cobbler with Vanilla Almond Biscuits last weekend!  Cobbler is hands down my favorite fruit dessert!  There is nothing like that gooey jammy fruit tender biscuits and some cool whipped cream or vegan ice cream on top!  The combination of textures is so heavenly!  I haven’t made one for a while, but I figured I would combine summer fruit (the blueberries) with the spring rhubarb for a delicious combination.  Strawberries and rhubarb get all the attention but I really love any sweet fruit with it to balance out the tartness.
    This cobbler really doesn’t need all that much sweetener though if you use a sweet berry like blueberries.  I only used 2 Tbsp sugar in the filling!  I kept it simple flavor wise adding just a bit of vanilla.  I thicken it with some flour and it comes out the perfect consistency!  When I make my cobblers, I bake off the filling first, then add the biscuits later.  That way they do not get soggy, and they cook just enough during the last part of baking so that they are crispy on the outside and tender in the middle!
    For my biscuits I use my scone dough modified, and this time I added a bit of almond meal for richness and flavor and it was so delicious!  I also flavored these with vanilla as well.  The thing about these versus scones though is that they are a little more forgiving if you over-mix them slightly, which can happen if you are cutting out shapes and pressing the scraps back together and re-cutting.  I cut little hearts out of mine, I think that is my favorite cobbler biscuit shape! But sometimes I am lazy and just cut triangles.
    This cobbler baked up beautifully!  I was super excited to try it, but I had to let it cool a little first. Not too long though, because it has to be warm!  I served it with some coconut whipped cream because that is what I had on hand but it is amazing with ice cream as well!  It was so heavenly, the jammy sweet blueberries and tart rhubarb, tender biscuits, and cool cream!  If you would like to make some for yourself, check out the recipe and give this Vegan Blueberry Cobbler with Vanilla Almond Biscuits a try! Check out the Instagram Reel for this recipe on my Instagram!
    Vegan Blueberry Rhubarb Cobbler with Vanilla Almond Biscuits

    Serves 4

    Fruit:
    • 1 1/2 cups fresh organic blueberries (or frozen, thawed and drained)
    • 1 1/2 cups fresh organic rhubarb
    • 2 Tbsp maple sugar or brown sugar
    • 2 Tbsp organic whole wheat pastry flour
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

     

    biscuit topping:
    • 3/4 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
    • 1/2 cup almond meal
    • 2 Tbsp maple sugar or brown sugar
    • 1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking powder
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 2 Tbsp solid coconut oil, cut into chunks
    • 1/4 cup cold full fat coconut milk (chilled in the fridge is best), mixed well
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • Turbinado sugar for topping (optional)

     

    6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the rack. Oil a 6 inch wide pie plate or bowl with coconut oil. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, sugar, vanilla, flour. Spoon into prepared bowl or pie plate, and cover with foil. Place plate on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.
    2. Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make biscuits, in a large bowl, combine the flour, almond meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the oil with your hands or a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces (I like to use my hands because I can feel when it is properly blended). In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the coconut milk. Add the milk to the dough, and stir a few times. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. Place dough on a floured work surface, and pat into a 1/2 inch tall rectangle.
    3. Remove baking fruit from oven. Cut small shapes out of the dough using a cookie cutter (or free form it), and place on top of the cobbler. You can re-press together scraps if you have some left over and re-cut them also to use them all up. When all biscuits are on top of cobbler, sprinkle with turbinado sugar and return to the oven.
    4. Bake for about 20 minutes until biscuits are cooked through and lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on they could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!

     

  • Vegan Strawberry Cobbler with Vanilla Pecan Biscuits

    Vegan Strawberry Cobbler with Vanilla Pecan Biscuits

    I feel like it has been forever since I made a baked fruit dessert.  Maybe since last year in fact!  I have been busy getting ready to move, so I haven’t done much baking lately but when I had some extra time this week I wanted to make something baked that involved strawberries!  I thought about making a pie but that required more effort than something without a crust so I decided on a cobbler!  I love cobbler just as much as pie!  Those tender biscuits on top are so good with the jammy fruit!
    For this one I kept the filling pretty simple.  Pretty soon we will have local strawberries here but until that time the organic ones I have been getting at the store have been pretty flavorful.  I just tossed them with a bit of maple syrup, and a touch of lemon and vanilla and the flavor was amazing!  For my cobbler I actually start the fruit baking in the oven first while I make the biscuits. That way it is nicely cooked and the biscuits don’t get too dark or overdone.
    For the biscuit portion, I actually use my scone dough recipe because I find that it is much more delicious than regular biscuit dough.  It  is light and fluffy in the middle, buttery and rich tasting and crispy on the outside.  For these I added pecan meal to give it a pecan flavor and that made them extra delicious!  I love using ground nuts in pie crusts, pastries and things like this!
    The cobbler smelled amazing while baking!  When it was all bubbly and yummy I pulled it out of the oven and waited for it to cool off, but not completely. Because I love a warm fruit dessert with some ice cream or whipped cream on the side!  This was heavenly! The strawberries were jammy and sweet, thee perfect pairing for the rich vanilla pecan biscuits!  If you have strawberries on hand, definitely give this a try!
    Vegan Strawberry Cobbler with Vanilla Pecan Biscuits

    Serves 4

    Fruit:
    • 3 cups fresh organic strawberries
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 2 Tbsp organic whole wheat pastry flour
    • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

     

    biscuit topping:
    • 3/4 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
    • 1/2 cup pecan meal*
    • 2 Tbsp maple sugar or coconut sugar
    • 1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking powder
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 2 Tbsp solid coconut oil, cut into chunks
    • 1/4 cup cold full fat coconut milk (chilled in the fridge is best), mixed well
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

     

    6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the rack. Oil a 6 inch wide pie plate or bowl with coconut oil. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, flour. Spoon into prepared bowl or pie plate, and cover with foil. Place plate on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.
    2. Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make biscuits, in a large bowl, combine the flour, pecan meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the coconut milk. Add the milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not overmix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. Place dough on a floured work surface, and pat into a 1/2 inch tall rectangle.
    3. Remove baking fruit from oven. Cut small shapes out of the dough using a cookie cutter (or free form it), and place on top of the cobbler. When all biscuits are on top of cobbler, sprinkle with coconut sugar and return to the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes until biscuits are cooked through and lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on they could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!

     

     *raw pecans ground to a flour consistency in a food processor, almond meal could also be used.
  • Vegan Caramel Apple Cobbler 

    Vegan Caramel Apple Cobbler 

       
    I finally got my hands on some Minnesota grown apples.  Although I love to just eat them, I really wanted to bake something with them as well. An apple pie sounded good, but then I also love crust-less things with a topping like an apple cobbler or apple crisp.  I went with the cobbler, because I saw a caramel apple cobbler on Pinterest that wasn’t vegan but sounded really good.  Plus it is a bit easier to make than a whole pie and perfect for two people to enjoy!
    I don’t think I have even made a cobbler since last year!  I love them though!  The bubbly fruit underneath those tender flakey biscuits!  When making apple pies, cobblers and crisps, it is important to me to get a good balance of tart and sweet with the apples.  Which is why I like to use sweet tart apples like honeycrisp or haralson, and add a touch of lemon juice.  The type of apples you use in a pie makes all the difference though.  If you have some bland apples, you will need to add a little more lemon juice and sweetener.
    I didn’t need much sweetener for mine, because the apples were already pretty sweet.  For my biscuits I actually use my scone recipe for the dough.  Because they are rich, flakey and just the right amount of sweet.  I do the method of baking the fruit for a while by itself until it is bubbly then add the biscuits at the end of the baking so that they don’t get overdone and it works pretty well!
    Lastly when the cobbler was all bubbly and lovely coming from the oven I decided it needed some quick maple caramel so I topped it off with that.  It turned out sooo good!  This cobbler was totally heavenly! I served it warm with some coconut milk ice cream and it was crave worthy!
    Vegan Caramel Apple Cobbler 
    Serves 4
    Ingredients:

    Fruit:

    • 3 cups organic sweet tart apples (such as honey crisp or pink lady), cut into chunks
    • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 2 Tbsp organic whole wheat pastry flour
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

     

    Biscuit topping:

    • 1 1/4 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
    • 2 Tbsp coconut sugar
    • 1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking powder
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 2 Tbsp solid coconut oil, cut into chunks
    • 1/4 cup cold full fat coconut milk (chilled in the fridge is best), mixed well
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

     

    Caramel:

    • 2 Tbsp pecan butter or almond butter
    • 1 Tbsp maple syrup (or more if you need to thin it out more)
    • pinch sea salt

     

    6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate

    Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the rack. Oil a 6 inch wide pie plate or bowl with coconut oil. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, maple syrup, flour, cinnamon, lemon juice, and vanilla.
    2. Spoon into prepared bowl or pie plate, and cover with foil. Place plate on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.
    3. Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make biscuits, in a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces.
    4. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the coconut milk. Add the milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not overmix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. Place dough on a floured work surface, and pat into a 1/2 inch tall rectangle.
    5. Remove baking fruit from oven. Cut small shapes out of the dough using a cookie cutter (or free form it), and place on top of the cobbler.  When all biscuits are on top of cobbler, sprinkle with coconut sugar and return to the oven.
    6. Bake for about 20 minutes until biscuits are cooked through and lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on they could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm.
    7. Mix together the maple syrup and pecan butter for the caramel, and drizzle it over the top of the cobbler.
    8. Top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!
  • Vegan Peanut Butter and Jelly Cobbler 

    Vegan Peanut Butter and Jelly Cobbler 

    I basically lived off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch when I was a kid. I did not like meat at all, so sandwiches with meat were out of the question.  So, my Mom would make me good old PB and J. It was always with raspberry jam, and that ended up being my favorite. A close second was the strawberry jam PB and J sandwiches that my Dad made, because he always used strawberry jelly.  When we would go on road trips in the Summer this was a staple meal for us, because it was easy to pack the ingredients and they wouldn’t spoil without refrigeration.  I would never turn down a good PB and J growing up.  I mean, what’s not to love about sweet jam and salty rich peanut butter.  As an adult I still love the combination, even though I am not much for sandwiches.  I like to use the flavors more in things like my overnight oats, or especially desserts.  Peanut butter and jelly in cake is amazing.  Just sayin’! So, last weekend I made a delicious skillet cobbler with those flavors. Arousing Appetites, a company that sells all natural and sustainably  sourced kitchen materials was kind enough to send me a beautiful Finex 10 inch cast iron skillet with a lid to test out.  I was super excited when it arrived, and could not wait to make something in it!  I was inspired to made a cobbler, because I have always wanted to make one in a skillet.
    So how did I get the flavors of peanut butter and jelly into a cobbler?  Well, first I cooked some organic berries on the stove in the skillet until they were good and jammy and added just a touch of maple syrup.  They were so good, and it had taken about 30 minutes less time than if I had cooked them in the oven like I normally do. Next, I made some peanut butter biscuits to top it off with.  I actually use a scone dough for these because it tastes like the most amazing flaky biscuits on a cobbler ever.  I used both peanut meal (finely ground peanuts, similar to almond meal), and peanut butter in the biscuits to give them lots of peanut flavor.  The dough even tasted amazing even before I baked them (and I would encourage you to try it).  Yes, I like to sample things as I go along.  Because that way, if I forgot an ingredient, or messed one up, I don’t ruin my entire dessert.  Because funny story, one time I accidentally used sea salt instead of granulated xylitol in my pie crust and it was a good thing I tasted it because that super salty crust tasted disgusting and if I had baked it my pie would have been ruined.  I had to remake the crust but I didn’t waste the fruit.  Stuff like this doesn’t happen often luckily but we all have off days once in a while where our mind is elsewhere.  So yes, I make mistakes too, and you should never feel bad if you happen to make one.  Anyways, back to that cobbler.  I obviously didn’t forget any ingredients in this because it turned out even better than I had imagined!
    After I placed the biscuits on it, I popped the skillet with the already hot cooked fruit in the oven and in 20 minutes it was beautiful!  The biscuits had puffed up to flaky deliciousness and it smelled amazing. Once it was cool enough to try, I enjoyed some with some peanut butter ice cream I happened to have in the refrigerator.  But you can use your favorite vegan ice cream.  The peanut butter and jelly combination was fabulous in this cobbler!  I encourage you to try it, and cooking it in the skillet was so much easier than just in a baking dish. If you would like one of these skillets for yourself, you can find them HERE.  The pan is definitely crafted very well, and an investment that you will be able to keep for the rest of your life.  I think a good cast iron skillet is essential to any serious cook’s kitchen.

    Vegan Peanut Butter and Jelly Cobbler
    Serves 8

    Ingredients:

    10 inch cast iron skillet with a lid

    Fruit:

    • 5 cups organic mixed berries (I used strawberries (halved), blueberries, and raspberries.  You can use fresh or frozen and thawed)
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

     

    biscuit topping:

    • 1 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose flour
    • 1 cup peanut meal
    • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
    • 1 tsp plus 1/4 tsp baking powder
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1/4 cup solid coconut oil, cut into chunks
    • 1/2 cup cold full fat coconut milk (chilled in the fridge is best), mixed well
    • 1 Tbsp smooth organic peanut butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

     

    For serving:

    • Vegan Peanut Butter Ice Cream (use THIS RECIPE base) or other vegan ice cream

     

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack at the center position.
    2. To make biscuits, in a large bowl, combine the flour, peanut meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces.
    3. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract and peanut butter into the coconut milk.
    4. Add the milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not over-mix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy.
    5. Place dough on a floured work surface, and pat into a 1/2 inch tall rectangle.
    6. Cut small shapes out of the dough using a cookie cutter (or free form it), and set them on a parchment paper lined tray.  Place in the refrigerator until the fruit is ready.
    7. To make the fruit, heat a 10 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat on the stove, and add the fruit and maple syrup to it.  Cook until the fruit is bubbly, jammy and starting to fall apart, about 10-15 minutes.
    8. Add the lemon juice and zest, vanilla, flour to the fruit mixture and stir to until incorporated.
    9. Place the chilled biscuits on top of the cobbler.  When all biscuits are on top of cobbler, sprinkle with coconut sugar and return to the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes until biscuits are cooked through and lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on they could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!

     

    *To make peanut meal, place organic roasted peanuts in the blender and buzz for about 30 seconds until they are flour (but not too long or they may become butter)

  • Vegan Rainier Cherry Cobbler with Hazelnut Biscuits

    Vegan Rainier Cherry Cobbler with Hazelnut Biscuits

    I got 2 large containers of beautiful Rainier cherries at the store for a really good price, and I could not wait to bake something with them!  Before I had even found them at the store I was daydreaming about cherry cobbler.  I imagined it with dark cherries, but the Rainier were on sale so that is what I chose. I actually prefer them, but  they are normally more expensive around here so I was happy to find them on sale!  I have been making a lot of baked fruit desserts lately, cobblers, crisps and pie.  There is just something so delicious about a freshly baked warm fruit dessert that is still warm from the oven served up with cool ice cream.  These have always been a Summer staple at my house.  So, back to those cherry cobblers…
    I kept the filling simple to allow the flavors of the sweet cherries to shine, adding just lemon juice and vanilla along with the sweetener.  I knew these were going to be delicious because the cherries were super flavorful and sweet.  I suppose you can disguise under-ripe unflavorful fruit in desserts like this but they taste so much better when you don’t need to doctor them up much.  Which is why I prefer to eat what is in season.  And why I mostly make these in the Summer because berries, cherries and peaches my favorite cobbler fruits are only in season this time of the year. I always start the fruit baking in the oven so it can get all jammy and delicious before I add the cobbler, and it smelled amazing while baking.

    For the biscuits, I actually use my scone dough, but enhanced with nut flour to make it more rich and delicious.  These are not your typical biscuits, they are flaky, delicate and better than any other ones I have tried.  I used hazelnut flour in them this time along with the gluten free AP flour and they had a nice nutty flavor.  Once they were added to the cobblers and all baked up and beautiful, I could not wait to try them!  They were super delicious served warm with coconut milk ice cream.  If you have cherries on hand, definitely give these a try!  This is sweet Summer comfort food at its best.

    Vegan Rainier Cherry Cobbler with Hazelnut Biscuits
    Serves 2-3
    Fruit:
    • 3 cups organic rainier cherries, pitted
    • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 2 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour
    • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

    biscuit topping:

    6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the rack. Oil a 6 inch wide pie plate or bowl with coconut oil. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, maple syrup,  lemon juice and zest, vanilla, flour. Spoon into prepared bowl or pie plate, and cover with foil. Place plate on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.
    2. Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make biscuits, in a large bowl, combine the flour, hazelnut meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the coconut milk. Add the milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not over-mix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. Place dough on a floured work surface, and pat into a 1/2 inch tall rectangle.
    3. Remove baking fruit from oven. Cut small shapes out of the dough using a cookie cutter (or free form it), and place on top of the cobbler.  When all biscuits are on top of cobbler, sprinkle with coconut sugar and return to the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes until biscuits are cooked through and lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on they could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!

    *raw hazelnuts ground to a flour consistency in a food processor

  • Vegan Apple Cinnamon Cobbler with Almond Biscuits

    Vegan Apple Cinnamon Cobbler with Almond Biscuits

    apple-cinnamon-cobbler-with-almond-biscuits-3
    I can not believe October is here already! But I love it. I have to say, this is my favorite time of the year!  I was lucky enough to have this past Saturday off of work to run a 5k, and the weather was perfect.  A little chill in the air, the leaves were just starting to change color on the trees, and the sun was shining.  It just made me happy.  I felt really good during the race, and ended up being the first woman despite not hitting my time goal.  I spent most of the rest of the day outside, but I also decided to bake something Fall like because I was in the mood for it.  The cooler air makes me want to fire up the oven.  When most people think of apple desserts, they probably don’t think cobbler, but that is what I made.  Because a cobbler sounded amazing and I had some local honeycrisp apples just begging to be used in it.
    apple-cinnamon-cobbler-with-almond-biscuits-2
    I mean, there is nothing like a warm cobbler served with cool coconut ice cream melting into it.  That is just pure bliss right there and enough to put me in my happy place.  I didn’t go all crazy with flavors here, I kept it simple with classic cinnamon.  For the biscuits to top if off, I used almond meal along with the gluten free flour to make them taste especially rich and flaky.  I have been doing this with all of my cobblers for a while, and it gives them that something special.  Sometimes I use pecan meal or walnut meal, but almond was my nut of choice this time.  The dough for them tasted delicious even before I placed them on top of the cobbler.  For the filling, I added a little lemon juice along with the apples and plenty of cinnamon because that is how my Mom always made her apple pie, and it was the best so I wanted my filling to taste like that.

     

    apple-cinnamon-cobbler-with-almond-biscuits-1
    I was super excited about this, because it smelled amazing while baking.  I served it warm (of course) topped off with some of my vegan pumpkin spice caramel ice cream.  It was sooo good!  Those I shared it with enjoyed it too, and it did not take long for the baking dish to be empty.  This is the perfect Fall dessert and baking project for a Saturday night!  I hope you all are having a wonderful Fall so far!
    apple-cinnamon-cobbler-with-almond-biscuits
    Vegan Apple Cinnamon Cobbler with Almond Biscuits
    Serves 4
    Ingredients:
    Fruit:
    • 3 cup organic sweet tart apples (such as honeycrisp or pink lady), cut into chunks
    • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 2 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    biscuit topping:
    • 3/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour
    • 1/2 cup almond meal*
    • 2 Tbsp coconut sugar
    • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking powder
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 2 Tbsp solid coconut oil, cut into chunks
    • 1/4 cup cold full fat coconut milk (chilled in the fridge is best), mixed well
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
     6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate
    Directions:
    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the rack. Oil a 6 inch wide pie plate or bowl with coconut oil. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, maple syrup, flour, cinnamon, lemon juice, and vanilla.
    2. Spoon into prepared bowl or pie plate, and cover with foil. Place plate on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.
    3. Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make biscuits, in a large bowl, combine the flour, almond meal, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces.
    4. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the coconut milk. Add the milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not overmix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. Place dough on a floured work surface, and pat into a 1/2 inch tall rectangle.
    5. Remove baking fruit from oven. Cut small shapes out of the dough using a cookie cutter (or free form it), and place on top of the cobbler.  When all biscuits are on top of cobbler, sprinkle with coconut sugar and return to the oven.
    6. Bake for about 20 minutes until biscuits are cooked through and lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on they could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!
    *raw almonds ground to a flour consistency in a food processor, or you can buy almond meal at many stores.
  • Vegan Blueberry Maple Cobbler with Pecan Biscuits

    Vegan Blueberry Maple Cobbler with Pecan Biscuits

    Blueberry Maple Cobbler with Pecan Biscuits 1
    When I was younger I used to go to the library every week and check out cookbooks.  I would sit with a big old pile of them and page through them looking for new recipes to try.  This is how I taught myself to cook in fact!  One Summer in college, I would make 1 new recipe a day.  It kept things interesting.  I made a lot of savory things, but one if my favorite books was a pie book.  It had all of the best ideas in it as far as I was concerned, and I loved pie.  I made quite a few recipes from that book, one of which was a maple blueberry pie.  I made it during the Summer when fresh, local blueberries were available, and it was amazing. It was simple, but so good. No wild flavors here, just maple and blueberries with a classic pie crust.  Minnesotan all the way, because we grow some delicious blueberries here this time of the year, and produce local maple syrup.
    Blueberry Maple Cobbler with Pecan Biscuits 5
    Saturday I was thinking about that pie and how good it was, and how much I wanted to make it, but I also wanted to make a blueberry cobbler, because the previous weekend I had made a peach one and it was so good.  So, I decided to make a blueberry cobbler with the same flavors as the pie.  But, I added in pecan as well.  Because blueberry maple pecan, now that is out of this world good!  A cobbler is a little easier than making a pie too, provided you don’t overmix the biscuits so that they stay flaky.  But no rolling stuff out and worrying that it will tear and whatnot.  That is always what intimidated me about pies.  I kept the filling pretty simple for this, to allow the flavor of those delicious blueberries to shine.  For the biscuits, I made my usual with pecan meal and they tasted amazing.  One of my coworkers at the deli makes these maple pecan scones and these taste like those but even better.

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    Blueberry Maple Cobbler with Pecan Biscuits
    This smelled like heaven while it baked and bubbled away in the oven.  I could not wait to dive in and top it with some of my blueberry walnut lavender ice cream I had in the freezer.  Lets just say this was devoured fast.  Maybe normal people might get four servings out of this but I get two.  I love my fruit desserts.  This tasted like Summer, the jammy sweet blueberries a perfect pairing with the flaky nutty maple scented biscuits that topped it off. If you have blueberries on hand, give this a go, you will be happy you did!
    Vegan Blueberry Maple Cobbler with Pecan Biscuits

    Serves 4

    Fruit:
    • 3 cups fresh organic blueberries
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 2 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour
    • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

     

    biscuit topping:
    • 3/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour
    • 1/2 cup pecan meal*
    • 2 Tbsp maple sugar or coconut sugar
    • 1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking powder
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 2 Tbsp solid coconut oil, cut into chunks
    • 1/4 cup cold full fat coconut milk (chilled in the fridge is best), mixed well
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 tsp maple extract (optional)

     

    6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the rack. Oil a 6 inch wide pie plate or bowl with coconut oil. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, flour. Spoon into prepared bowl or pie plate, and cover with foil. Place plate on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.
    2. Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make biscuits, in a large bowl, combine the flour, pecan meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the coconut milk. Add the milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not overmix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. Place dough on a floured work surface, and pat into a 1/2 inch tall rectangle.
    3. Remove baking fruit from oven. Cut small shapes out of the dough using a cookie cutter (or free form it), and place on top of the cobbler. When all biscuits are on top of cobbler, sprinkle with coconut sugar and return to the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes until biscuits are cooked through and lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on they could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!

     

     *raw pecans ground to a flour consistency in a food processor



  • Vegan Chipotle Peach Cobbler with Pecan Biscuits

    Vegan Chipotle Peach Cobbler with Pecan Biscuits

    chipotle peach cobbler with pecan biscuits 4
    When I see a recipe that looks amazing on TV or Facebook or wherever I happen to be, I say to myself, I need to veganize that. I saw someone making peach cobbler a few weeks back on a cooking show, and it wasn’t vegan at all but I said to myself, I need to make an even better vegan version of that.  The version that was being made had loads of dairy, eggs, and refined sugars (just so much sugar I could not even comprehend it, like 2 full cups in the recipe).  Mind you, I make my cobblers a different way than this one was made, but I just wanted peach cobbler after watching that show and becoming hungry for it.  I got busy though, and had to wait a few weeks but finally I got around to making it last weekend!  Fresh, ripe peaches and nectarines are one of the highlights of my Summer.  Anyone who lives in a state where they are grown, and can get them locally is really lucky!  Just sayin’.  We don’t have them here in Minnesota, but we can still buy them.
    chipotle peach cobbler with pecan biscuits 3
    So, I got some for my special cobbler I had been waiting weeks for.  I didn’t want a plain old cobbler though, I wanted something a little more fun.  So, I added some chipotle powder to the filling, because I like a little heat with my fruit sometimes.  It goes beautifully with peaches!  I added just a touch of cinnamon too, because it adds a hint of sweetness.  I sweetened this all with maple syrup which also loves chipotle and peaches.  It was an amazing combination!  I chose to make pecan biscuits to top it off.  Cornmeal biscuits sounded good too, but I figured I would save that for another day…maybe paired with blueberries.  I love peaches and pecans together, I recently made some peach and pecan muffins that were wonderful, so I went with that combo again.
    chipotle peach cobbler with pecan biscuits
    These smelled amazing while baking, the most heavenly aroma filling my home.  Like peach jam and pecan scones together!  My biscuit topping is after all, my scone dough.  Which is why they are so good.  The cobbler tasted wonderful too, sweet peaches with a little kick of chipotle and the flaky nutty biscuits to top it off…simply heavenly!  If you have access to fresh peaches, do give this recipe a try, I am almost certain you will love it as much as I did, especially if you top it off with some cool ice cream and eat it warm!
    chipotle peach cobbler with pecan biscuits 1
    Vegan Chipotle Peach Cobbler with Pecan Biscuits
    Serves 4
    Fruit:
    • 3 cups organic peaches, sliced
    • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 2 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour
    • 1/4 tsp ground chipotle powder
    • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

     

    biscuit topping:
    • 3/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour
    • 1/2 cup pecan meal*
    • 2 Tbsp coconut sugar
    • 1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking powder
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 2 Tbsp solid coconut oil, cut into chunks
    • 1/4 cup cold full fat coconut milk (chilled in the fridge is best), mixed well
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

     

    6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate
    Instructions:
    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the rack. Oil a 6 inch wide pie plate or bowl with coconut oil. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, maple syrup, chipotle, cinnamon, lemon juice and zest, vanilla, flour. Spoon into prepared bowl or pie plate, and cover with foil. Place plate on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.
    2. Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make biscuits, in a large bowl, combine the flour, pecan meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the coconut milk. Add the milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not overmix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. Place dough on a floured work surface, and pat into a 1/2 inch tall rectangle.
    3. Remove baking fruit from oven. Cut small shapes out of the dough using a cookie cutter (or free form it), and place on top of the cobbler.  When all biscuits are on top of cobbler, sprinkle with coconut sugar and return to the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes until biscuits are cooked through and lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on they could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!
    *Raw pecans ground to a flour consistency in a food processor



  • Individual Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler with Almond Biscuits

    Individual Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler with Almond Biscuits

    Individual Strawberry Rhubarb Cobblers 4

    A lot of times when I go out running, I admire the gardens in people’s yards as I run past wishing they were mine, and I was able to grow all of the good stuff they are.  I live in a townhome, so all I am allowed is small pots.  I grow herbs, but that is about it. There isn’t much growing this time of the year, but there is rhubarb, which got me to thinking I want strawberry rhubarb something or other. It is such a delicious combination.  My Grandma used to make the most delicious strawberry rhubarb sauce, and I would eat so much that she would say “Careful, or you will get a stomach ache!” I assume from all of the sugar.  I never did though.  I loved that stuff.

    Individual Strawberry Rhubarb Cobblers 2

    My Dad grows rhubarb, and I hope to go over to his house and pick some soon, but I caved and bought some at the store because it was there,  and I had loads of strawberries at home and I wanted to make something strawberry rhubarb!  I had recently seen some individual strawberry rhubarb cobblers on Facebook, and I admit they made me crave them hard core.  They were not vegan, but I said to myself, I can veganize them and I bet they will taste even better.  So I did.  I one upped them too, and made almond biscuits.  I made a few cobblers with nut biscuits last year and I fell in love with them.  My Mom enjoyed them so much she asked me to make them a couple times, so I shared some of these with her too.  OMG…did they ever smell amazing while baking. Like strawberry rhubarb pie, but these were so much easier to make.  They were so delicious!  The perfect way to end my strawberry rhubarb draught (both items are seasonal here in Minnesota in the Spring, and we have been eating winter produce for so long)!  Also, nothing beats having your own cute little individual dessert!  It is all yours, and portion controlled.

    Individual Strawberry Rhubarb Cobblers

    Individual Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Cobblers with Almond Biscuits
    Serves 4

    Fruit:
    1 1/2 cups organic strawberries, quartered
    1 1/2 cups sliced organic rhubarb
    1 Tbsp maple syrup
    2 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour
    1 Tbsp lemon juice
    1 tsp pure vanilla extract

    biscuit topping:
    3/4 cup all purpose gluten free flour
    1/2 cup almond meal
    2 Tbsp coconut sugar
    1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking powder
    1/8 tsp sea salt
    2 Tbsp solid coconut oil, cut into chunks
    1/4 cup cold full fat coconut milk (chilled in the fridge is best), mixed well
    1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the rack. Oil four 1 1/2 cup (capacity) ramakins with coconut oil. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, flour. Spoon into the ramakins, and cover with foil. Place plate on baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.
    Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make biscuits, in a large bowl, combine the flour, almond meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the coconut milk. Add the milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not overmix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. Place dough on a floured work surface, and pat into four circles slightly smaller than the ramakin’s width (they don’t have to be perfect).

    Remove baking fruit from oven. Place biscuit circles on top of the cobbler. When all biscuits are on top of cobblers, sprinkle with coconut sugar and return to the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes

    until biscuits are cooked through and lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on they could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!



  • Vegan Peach and Blackberry Cobbler with Pecan Biscuits

    Vegan Peach and Blackberry Cobbler with Pecan Biscuits

    Blackberry Peach Cobbler
    Eric calls me kitty because he thinks I act like a cat. Including hating getting wet.  I am not much of a swimmer and I can’t stand getting rained on and wearing soaked clothes. So, I surprised myself last week and actually enjoyed getting rained on while running.  It was not raining when I started, and I decided to run an 8 mile route with a few big hills because I was feeling good.  55F degrees felt absolutely heavenly to me after a few hot weeks of humidity here in Minnesota and I was basking in it.  About 4 miles in it started to sprinkle.  No big deal, it was cooling me off.  Those big hills didn’t seem so bad.  Then it started pouring when I had about 2 miles left.  I could not see, and my shoes were going squish slosh, heavy with water.  But it felt good. I was actually enjoying rain for once.  I had to laugh once I arrived home all soaked.  At least it washed off the sweat.  I felt refreshed and happy not like a drowned rat at all.  I guess it is all in how you look at things.  I chose to see the positive in the soaking run.
    Blackberry Peach Cobbler 1
    Also, while I was out running, I had time to dream up a delicious dessert to make.  You see running is my favorite time to think and dream up recipes when I am not making up new words to songs in my head.  Seems to bring out my creativity.  What I finally decided on was Peach and Blackberry Cobbler with Pecan Biscuits.  I was pretty excited about it!
    Blackberry Peach Cobbler 4
    I was gifted some blackberries, and I had bought a bunch of peaches so it was perfect!  I just scented them with vanilla and sweetened them a touch (they didn’t need much since the fruit was so flavorful).  The filling smelled simply heavenly while baking.  I topped it off with some pecan biscuits (my scone dough modified so this is really good stuff).  OMG I was sooo ready to dive in!  I even had some sweet corn ice cream to serve with it!  I can not resist a warm fruit dessert topped off with cool ice cream.  Trust me, you need this deliciousness in your life!
    Blackberry Peach Cobbler 2
    Vegan Peach and Blackberry Cobbler with Pecan Biscuits
    Serves 4
    Fruit:
    2 cups organic peaches, sliced
    1 cup organic blackberries
    1 Tbsp maple syrup
    2 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour
    1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
    1 Tbsp lemon juice
    1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    biscuit topping:
    3/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour
    1/2 cup pecan meal*
    2 Tbsp coconut sugar
    1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking powder
    1/8 tsp sea salt
    2 Tbsp solid coconut oil, cut into chunks
    1/4 cup cold full fat coconut milk (chilled in the fridge is best), mixed well
    1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate
    Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the rack. Oil a 6 inch wide pie plate or bowl with coconut oil. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, maple syrup, lemon juice and zest, vanilla, flour. Spoon into prepared bowl or pie plate, and cover with foil. Place plate on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.
    Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make biscuits, in a large bowl, combine the flour, pecan meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the coconut milk. Add the milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not overmix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. Place dough on a floured work surface, and pat into a 1/2 inch tall rectangle.

    Remove baking fruit from oven. Cut small shapes out of the dough using a cookie cutter (or free form it), and place on top of the cobbler.  When all biscuits are on top of cobbler, sprinkle with coconut sugar and return to the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes

    until biscuits are cooked through and lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on they could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!
    *raw pecans ground to a flour consistency in a food processor
    Blackberry Peach Cobbler 3



  • Vegan Triple Berry Cobbler with Hazelnut Biscuits

    Vegan Triple Berry Cobbler with Hazelnut Biscuits

    Triple Berry Cobbler
    I was craving something fruity…like a pie or crumble, but I was also craving scones…what to make?  This is what I was thinking about on my walk after work on Friday.  I had lots of berries and I knew I was going to use those, but I equally wanted a pie (for all of that jammy delicious filling) and scones.  But then it hit me.  Cobbler!  I hadn’t made one in ages, at least 4 years.  But I used to love them!
      Triple Berry Cobbler 3 
    I could have my jammy filling and scones on top of it (since I use a dough similar to scones for my biscuits).  It was perfect!  I had some strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, so I decided to throw them all into the filling with a dash of lemon juice and vanilla.  They needed only a little sweetener because they were very flavorful.  For my biscuit topping I used my vegan scone dough, but added in some hazelnut meal for extra flavor and richness.  I have been loving that stuff lately.
    Triple Berry Cobbler 4
    It smelled amazing while baking and when I pulled it out of the oven and it was all bubbling and delicious I was getting really excited.  That is how I get when I haven’t made something in a while (who am I kidding, that is how I get every time I make dessert).  Anyways, it was sooo good!  The fruit was so flavorful, the perfect balance of tart and sweet and the rich biscuits were perfect atop it!  Add some vanilla coconut cream and you have pure heaven in a dish!
    Triple Berry Cobbler 2
    Vegan Triple Berry Cobbler with Hazelnut Biscuits
    Serves 4
    Fruit:
    2 1/2 cups mixed raspberries, strawberries (sliced), and blueberries
    1 Tbsp maple syrup
    2 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour
    1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
    1 Tbsp lemon juice
    1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    biscuit topping:
    3/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour
    1/2 cup hazelnut meal
    2 Tbsp coconut sugar
    1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking powder
    1/8 tsp sea salt
    2 Tbsp solid coconut oil, cut into chunks
    1/4 cup cold full fat coconut milk (chilled in the fridge is best), mixed well
    1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate
    Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the rack. Oil a 6 inch wide pie plate or bowl with coconut oil. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, maple syrup, lemon juice and zest, vanilla, flour. Spoon into prepared bowl or pie plate, and cover with foil. Place plate on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.
    Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make biscuits, in a large bowl, combine the flour, hazelnut meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the coconut milk. Add the milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not overmix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. Place dough on a floured work surface, and pat into a 1/2 inch tall rectangle.
    Remove baking fruit from oven. Cut small shapes out of the dough using a cookie cutter (or free form it), and place on top of the cobbler.  When all biscuits are on top of cobbler, sprinkle with coconut sugar and return to the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes

    until biscuits are cooked through and lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on they could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!