the tolerant vegan

Hello kiddos! I’m back from Kentucky and ready to shove some sugar in your faces!

Our visit was lovely. In fact, it was so lovely that I kept my camera tucked away in my bag for the majority of the trip so I could use both hands to snuggle loved ones and continuously reapply SPF 50 to myself and those around me like it was my job.

I do have one photo to show you, though. Look at this big baby.

His name is Burly. He belongs to my parents. He came home from the groomer’s and promptly sat down in a mud puddle.

Adorable.

One more thing before we move on to the dessert bars. I’d like to introduce you all to Megan from Simply Megan. A few days ago, Megan made the tough decision to listen to her body’s cravings and introduce eggs back into her diet. I’m so proud of her for shunning the labels and unrealistic expectations that we sometimes put on ourselves. It’s exactly what being a tolerant vegan is about. No one knows your body like you do. Find what works for you and go with it, and don’t worry about what others have to say. I encourage you to visit Megan’s blog to read about her decision and to see the overwhelming support that she received from the vegan community. It will make you smile. Maybe you should read it while you munch on these brown sugar bars.

Brown Sugar Bars
Recipe adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Makes 16 large bars
Printable recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread, softened, plus more for the pan
• 1 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup soy creamer
• 8 ounces vegan semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

Line a baking pan with wax paper, and then coat the paper and the sides of the pan with Earth Balance and flour.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and sea salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the Earth Balance, brown sugar, apple sauce and vanilla extract on low-medium speed until combined.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick can be inserted and removed cleanly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

In a small pan, bring the soy creamer to a boil. As soon as it begins to boil, remove from heat and pour over the chocolate chips, stirring until all the chips are melted. Let the ganache sit for 30 minutes so it can thicken.

Remove the brown sugar cake from the pan and cut in half.

Spread the ganache on one half of the cake, stopping about 1/4″ from the edges.

My cake halves don’t look that great because I didn’t coat the pan well enough and bits of it got stuck. Don’t worry, though. Those cake bits didn’t go to waste. They went straight into my mouth.

Place the other half on top, making a ganache sandwich

Place your yummy creation in the refrigerator for two hours so the ganache can set.

Remove, cut into pieces, and you’re all done!