bake, bake, bake

I've been busy!

Today I made my own vegan white chocolate! I used the recipe from this website: http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/2008/02/18/the-white-stuff/

I have never had vegan white chocolate (haven't been able to find it) so last week I bought some super expensive cacao butter, and today I had a chance to try it out. It turned out pretty good! I used it melted to drizzel over some biscotti that I made, and then I used some hardened stuff to put into some cranberry scones.

Matcha Green Tea Macadami Nut Biscotti (modified from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, originaly recipe calls for walnuts but I had none!)
1/4 c soy milk
4 tsp matcha green tea powder
2 tbs ground flax seeds
1/2 c canola oil
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 c flour
1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
2 tbs cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 c macadamia nuts (chopped up a bit)

Preheat oven to 350F. Whisk the matcha powder with the milk until there are no lumps, and then add the flax. Add oil, sugar and vanilla. Sift in the dry ingredients, mix, and kneed in the nuts. On a baking sheet covered in parchment, form a log of the dough 10 by 4 inches. Bake for 30 minutes, take out, let cook for 45 mins, and bake again after slicing into 1/2 inch slices for 26 minutes at 325F. I usually try to plan to bake something or use the oven in some way while the biscotti cools, rather than turn off the oven.
Once these were cooled, i drizzelled them with the melted white chocolate!

The other thing I baked today was something of my own creation. Well, kind of. I couldnt find a cranberry white chocolate scone recipe I liked so I used the recipe for "Sweet Biscuits" from How it All Vegan:

2 1/2 c flour (I used one unbleached white flour, 1 1/2 whole wheat)
1/4 sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 c margarine
1 cup soy milk (I also added a splash of apple cider vinegar to thicken the milk)

My additions: 1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 c vegan white chocolate
1 tsp sugar to sprinkle on top before baking

Preheat the oven to 400F, sift together dry ingredients, cut in margarine, mix in milk, cranberries and white chocolate. I used my hands to mix, form into a ball, flatten, and slice into 6 triangles. Place on baking sheet covered in parchment, sprinkle with sugar, and bake for 16 minutes (give or take a couple minutes!). Some of my chocolate leaked out (the cacoa butter melts a lot I think) but it was still delicious!