Peanut Butter Mousse
1 (14- to 16-ounce) package firm tofu
(2 cups), blanched and drained
1 cup maple syrup
3⁄4 cup smooth peanut butter, at room temperature
3⁄4 cup light natural cane sugar, or more to taste
3⁄4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Chocolate Candy Cups
8 ounces nondairy chocolate chips

Tip: Admittedly, this is a time-consuming process, but chocolate cups can be frozen for up to a month in an airtight container, so make them when you have time to play.

Peanut Butter Mousse in Chocolate Candy Cups
Yield: 4 cups mousse

I practically lived on peanut butter cup candies one semester at college. I don’t know why I was so drawn to them, but I do know it wasn’t a good thing. Tofu and organic peanut butter, both healthful foods, are the main players in this more healthful version of the popular treat, but it’s still not okay to eat too many. Of course, if peanut allergies are an issue, you can use another nut butter in its place.
To make the Chocolate Candy Cups, you’ll need paper candy cup liners or small cupcake liners (mini cups) and a clean, small watercolor paint brush, small pastry brush, or spoon. A pastry bag will be needed to fill them with the mousse.

1. To prepare the mousse, crumble the tofu into a food processor and process 1 minute. Add the maple syrup and process 1 minute. Add the peanut butter, sugar, cocoa, vanilla and almond extracts, and salt, and process until the mixture is perfectly smooth and creamy. This can take up to 5 minutes. Stop the processor a few times to clean the sides of the bowl.

2. The mousse is ready to use, but can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to two days. Bring to room temperature when ready to use.

3. To prepare the chocolate cups, fit the paper liners into mini muffin tins or place on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap. Melt the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Do not overheat. Remove the bowl from the saucepan.

4. Spoon some melted chocolate into each cup. Use the brush to coat the liners as thoroughly as possible. Make sure to coat the inside rim; you want to prevent it from breaking when the paper is peeled off the chocolate.Wipe off any chocolate that drips onto the outside of the rim. Refrigerate or freeze the cups until the chocolate has hardened; this will take 10 to 30 minutes depending upon how cold your freezer is, and how thick a layer of chocolate you have made. Place the bowl of melted chocolate back on the saucepan and keep it warm over barely simmering water.

5. Check the cups for thin spots. Add another layer of chocolate, coating the thin spots more generously. The chocolate doesn’t have to be smooth; the cups will be filled. Chill again until hardened.

6. Slowly and carefully peel the paper off in a spiral motion; don’t pull straight down, or the rim may break. (You may find it easier to peel the paper from the cups after you have filled them. Test one or two and decide which method works better for you.)

7. To assemble the candy cups, spoon or pipe some peanut butter cream into each cup using a pastry bag fitted with a plain or star tip. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve.

INGREDIENTS
Nut Filling

1 1/2 cups walnuts, toasted, cooled, and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup organic sugar, or maple sugar
1/4 cup organic whole cane sugar (such as Sucanat or Rapadura)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 to 4 tablespoons organic canola oil or mild tasting extra virgin olive oil

Cake
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup organic all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons organic sugar, ground if coarse (see notes)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, freshly grated is best
1/4 cup organic canola oil or mild tasting extra virgin olive oil
7/8 cup maple syrup, grade B or dark amber
3/4 cup any nondairy milk
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Cinamon Streusel UNcoffeecake
Yield: one 9-inch cake, 8-12 servings

from More Great Good Dairy Free Desserts Naturally
Copyright © by Fran Costigan. All rights reserved.

When I baked at Angelica Kitchen, this moist cinnamon-scented cake was my signature desserts, and a popular choice at the restaurant. Since that time, the cake continues to be one my most popular recipes. It's won several first prizes in the Coffee Cake category (non-vegan contests) and has morphed into minis baked in panetone papers and cupcake tins.

Pastry Chef Notes and Variations:

• Use any nut you like.
• It is essential that you use whole-wheat pastry flour, not whole wheat flour, which would make the cake tough.
• I prefer organic ingredients, aluminum-free baking powder and sea salt, but non-organics will work too, as long as they are fresh.
• The recipes in my book specify organic canola oil, which is not GMO. Any neutral tasting oil can be used. I've switched to a mild tasting extra virgin olive oil for nearly all my desserts.
• The proportions of flour and sugar can be changed as long as you maintain the total amount listed in the recipe.
  

Filling

Mix the walnuts, maple sugar, dark whole cane sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the oil. The nuts should be damp, but not wet. Add the remaining oil, if necessary.

Cake

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350F. Oil an 8 or 9-inch deep springform pan, and line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit.

To make the cake, place a wire mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Stir the flours with a fork. Measure and add the pastry flour, all-purpose flour, sugars, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg to the strainer, and whisk to sift the ingredients into the bowl. Whisk to aerate and distribute the sifted ingredients.

Combine the oil, maple syrup, nondairy milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and vinegar in a separate medium bowl, and whisk until completely blended. Pour into the dry mixture and stir with a whisk until the batter is smooth.

Pour about half the batter into the prepared cake pan and sprinkle with half the sweet filling. Pour the remaining batter over the nuts, using a small spatula or thin knife to spread, if necessary. Sprinkle the remaining filling over the batter.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes (or longer), until the cake is golden and firm at the center when touched gently, and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs. The deeper 8-inch cake will take longer.

Place the pan on a wire rack and carefully run a thin knife around the inside of the pan to release the cake. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the outside ring of the pan. Cool completely on the rack before cutting.

Copyright © by Fran Costigan. All rights reserved.

1/4 cup oats, toasted and cooled
1/4 cup almonds, toasted and cooled
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch fine sea salt
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown rice syrup, warmed
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract