Easy Vegan Dessert Recipes

I have delicious news for you: vegans get to have dessert too! It's true that many desserts rely heavily on eggs and dairy, but if you think your non-animal product options are limited to plain fruit slices or dry cookies think again. Vegan desserts can be rich and delicious. Here are just a few of my favorite easy to prepare vegan treats that prove vegan eating and goodies can go hand in hand.

Sweet Baked Apple

1 apple per person, cored but not peeled (Red delicious, Gala, Granny Smith, etc)

For every apple you are making use:

1 Tablespoon of light brown sugar

¼-1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon

½ Tablespoon of vegan butter such as Earth Balance

1 Tablespoon of crushed walnuts or almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Fill the apple(s) up with all the ingredients on the list. Place the apples in a baking pan and loosely cover the pan with some aluminum foil. Bake apples for approximately 30 minutes or until the apples are tender.

Variation: This recipe makes an excellent camping dessert as well. Just wrap each apple in aluminum foil. Twisting the foil over the top of the apple into a little "handle" makes it easy to place the apples into a barbeque or fire pit and for easy removal. The apples will likely cook much faster over a fire so be sure to check them after about 10 minutes.

Vegan Peanut Butter Fudge

¾ cup of vegan butter (I recommend Earth Balance or Smart Balance Light)

1 cup of natural peanut butter

2 cups of powdered sugar

Grease a 9x9 baking dish lightly. Heat the butter in a saucepan over low heat until melted and then remove it from the burner. Stir the peanut butter into the melted butter. Slowly add the powdered sugar a little bit at a time stirring it as you go. When all the ingredients have blended together spread the mixture into the greased pan. You can use your hands to press it down evenly if you need to. Chill the fudge until it has firmed up, and then cut into squares and enjoy!

Banana Avocado Parfait

2 med-large bananas, sliced

1 large ripe but firm avocado, peeled and cubed

¼ cup of crushed walnuts or peanuts

2 Tablespoons of orange juice concentrate

1 teaspoon of light brown sugar

Place the sliced bananas in cubed avocado in a large bowl and mix together. Spoon the mixture into a wine or parfait glass. Combine the orange juice concentrate in a separate bowl and mix together. Drizzle the juice mixture over the top of the fruit in the glasses and top with the crushed nuts. This treat goes well with some banana or vanilla soy yogurt!