Vegan Irish Coffee Cheesecake with a Shortbread Crust

Almost 3 years ago, I became newly Irish-ed. See I wasn't born a Shannon. I married one. But somewhere deep down, maybe I always knew in my Mediterranean blood that I was meant to be Irish. Not to brag but I can do wonders with a potato. I adore green, plaid, cute fuzzy haired sheep and castles combined with overcast days.  Boil me a cabbage and I'll smile like you've just made me ice cream. But sadly I am still only faux Irish. So heading into St.Patrick's day, I thought it would make sense to start with a faux Irish treat. 


Traditional Irish Coffee is actually a cocktail of sorts made with hot coffee, Irish whiskey, brown sugar and cream. We took those key ingredients and flavors and transformed them into pretty much the ultimate adult dessert. This vegan cheesecake also has a "buttery" shortbread crust that does more than just hold the cheesecake together. It completes it. It is also probably one of the easiest - yet extremely impressive - vegan treats you could make to impressive even the meatiest eater. Sadly though like its dairy ridden cousin, this cheesecake takes awhile to set. So we should get started. 


Bain taitneamh as do bhéil!

The Cupcakes Unofficially Inspired by The Lorax

Like many vegans in my generation - I haven't always felt that I was surrounded by people who truly understood where I was coming from.

I've always found that strange because to be perfectly honest I've never really understood why because I feel like I can trace my origins back like some kind of circuit diagram through 80s popular culture. I learned that vivisection is cruel from The Secret of Nimh and Project X. I learned that animals don't want to be eaten from The Muppet Movie and that hunting was scary and pointlessly sad from The Muppet Show and Bambi. Circuses are indifferent to the wants and needs of the animals in their care from Dumbo and that wearing real animal fur is more than vanity - it's just mean past the point of being a sane person from 101 Dalmatians. As I was learning that being a human being was a privilege, I also learned that it came with a responsibility to protect those who couldn't protect themselves and that included their homes - from The Lorax.

Now it would be really easy right now for me to rant here about how the new Lorax movie is being used to greenwash companies that aren't doing all they really can to live up to the message of this book but others have already done that and to be honest - this is my happy place. Here is where I focus on the positive things - like how this movie will hopefully introduce our friend with the orange mustache to   a new generation and how I hope a handful of them grow up to continue where I will have to leave off someday.

Here is where I share cupcakes made with organic cotton candy. So please enjoy these cupcakes and remember "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better." 

The Betty Crocker Project : Candy Cane Cake

So the other night I poisoned myself with vodka and orange juice to try and shake this bad case of writer's block I've been dealing with. I did shots and typed. I giggled till I cried and typed and ate pizza and drank more shots. Did it help? Was I able to make some progress on the anecdotal sections of the book? I'm embarrassed to say it did. Though what I wrote needs way more editing than my usual random typing. I know there is a lesson here and I'm hoping it's "don't fall into bad habits like thinking every time I'm stuck on something the answer is doing shots of alcohol so strong it can eat the stain off a table"*.

My Weapons.

Will I be drinking again anytime soon? Dear God No. Yesterday was just awful. What was left of my brain vowed revenge for their fallen brethren and punished me severely for most of the day. I think that although my experiment was a success, it's something that I should hold on to for those rainy brain days. I guess you're also wondering where the cookies are. Well, I made this cake yesterday and it was just too fun to keep to myself and much cuter than the brown on brown hazelnut latte cookies. I already love campy bunt cakes but this one has a brightly colored and flavored peppermint swirly ribbon inside it that is pretty cool too. It's a super sweet treat to bring to a holiday party or make for someone who has a Christmas birthday. It's also super easy.

Don't press on the cake when you cut it - it will crush the prettiness.

'Tis the season for sharing...

The Return of Very Special VegNews Contest & Soy Nog Cheesecake with Buttery Rum Sauce

Almost a year ago from this very day, we posted a recipe for Soy Nog Cupcakes and a contest. A contest that was so epic -- people got so excited that for the year following this little contest -- we were still getting emails asking when we were going to have this contest again... Well. Here it is! 

The return of The Very Special VegNews Contest* and this year's awesome Soy Nog recipe! As we mentioned last year -- this is a magical season! We have excuses to buy and make presents for each other. Which I love. People host parties centered around cookies.Which is as awesome as it sounds. People donate and volunteer more during these winter holiday months than any of time of the year. Which is incredibly important and I wish happened more. There is random mistletoe everywhere to kiss your husband under. Which is one of my favorite holiday traditions**. And the retour au sommet... Silk Soy Nog hits the shelves.

I was trying to find a way to top last year's cupcakes and then it hit me... everyone loves vegan cheesecake. I mean everyone. Bring this clandestine vegan treat to any party and watch it disappear plate by plate and you are guaranteed at least one "Hmmm. This is vegan?"

This is a recipe that I think might become a new tradition for us - like partnering up with one of our favorite magazines, VegNews--the premier magazine focusing on a vegetarian lifestyle since 2000--to bring you this contest!

All you have to do to win is leave a comment below answering these 3 questions:

• What has been your favorite Meet The Shannons Recipe thus far? This will help us plan out our posts for next year.
• What recipe have you always wanted to see veganized? This will help us make sure the book we're writing covers everything you ever wanted.
• What is your favorite feature on VegNews.com - Book Club, Cafe VegNews, Savvy Vegan...?

Before you leave your comment - Remember in order to win one of our contests, you need to be a "Member" of Meet The Shannons. If we can't email you, then we can't send you your prize! So before you leave your comment with the answers, make sure you use the "Join" button in the right hand column of this blog.

We'll randomly choose a Member from the correct answers posted below on Jan. 1st and send you a MAJOR AWARD! (Please keep in mind that it will take a few days for processing and shipping). What is this major award all the kids are talking about? Well, a gift pack from VegNews, of course! This includes a one-year subscription, the current issue of VegNews, an over-sized tote bag, and six vegan cookies, a gift pack totaling $50!


I know. That is a Major Award! That goes great with vegan cheesecake... let's make some.

The Betty Crocker Project : Mini Pumpkin Pleasecakes (Cheesecake)

 I haven't been sleeping all the great lately. It's not really anything to be concerned about. There is no real mystery as to why. I've been sabotaging myself by doing all kinds of things I shouldn't. I mean what do I expect if I watch American Horror Story right before I go to bed?

The other night I woke up in the middle of the night because the cats were bickering in the kitchen and my first thought in my slightly unconscious mind was "They must have cornered that troll* from the 1985 feature film adaptation of Stephen King's Cat's Eye." I mean obviously. Because that's what happens to your brain when you overdose on monster movies. AMC's Fearfest has had me in it's clutches for weeks now. I skip anything with any real gore and focus more on the classics like Teenage Zombies.

Between the leaves changing color and the black and white movies, it just felt like it was time to add a vegan classic to our little blog. Vegan pumpkin cheesecake is actually one of the first recipes I ever tried out on non-vegans back in my Olympia days when I worked at a domestic violence shelter as a sexual assault counselor. This recipe has evolved a lot since that first Thanksgiving cheesecake I brought for the families and residents in the shelter. That while I have fond memories of it, I am willing to admit was a pale shadow of this recipe. It's a much firmer and creamier pie. I've learned how to have a more logical head around pumpkin. I mean it's a fall tradition I respect but over the years my maturity has brought an understanding that sometimes you don't have to use the whole can**. I also have to admit the New Yorky style of this version's sweet almost cookie-ish crust makes it my favorite but you can also put this filling in a regular old pie crust and not sweat the spring-form pan. Either way, pumpkin cheesecake is awesome.

The Betty Crocker Project : The Impossibly Easy Vegan Macaroni & Cheese Pie

*Read the comment section for updates concerning this recipe*

Not that long ago there was this flood of Mac & Cheese recipes that hit the internet. There was impressive pizzas, ambitious deep fried nuggety things and I seem to remember one that was on a stick. I'm willing to admit that last one might have been a dream I had once. It was marvelous because it seemed like around the world there were all these amateur food scientists working away in kitchen laboratories with boiling posts of pasta and vats of faux cheese*. All striving to recreate the ultimate American classic. Muahahahaa.

Ironically Betty has a bunch of recipes from circa 1970 that did that in a remarkable way. I mean of course she did. What doesn't that lady do? Now you might remember like a year and some change ago we took a stab** at  veganizing Betty's Cheeseburger Pie. It was one of the very first recipes where we really closed our eyes and just fell into Betty's arms like some fraking co-workers on a team building retreat. This recipe is a take on that little gem that is actually pretty amazing. I'm pretty sure that for some of you loyal lurkers, public followers and vegan Betty-heads, this was the kind of recipe you were looking forward to when we decided to take on the challenge of veganizing Betty's Big Red. So I hope you guys give this a recipe a chance. I think next time we make this I might add some Bac-os*** and broccoli florets because this recipe is really good but I think with a little extra is could be super awesomepants. I'm not sure if awesomepants are better than awesomesauce. Sometimes I just type things and make myself laugh.

Are you ready to be awesomepants? (ones you can dance in and make romance in - again sometimes I just type)

A moment of silence for a pair of Feijoa...

You were two for $1 at the fruit stand. So we figured we'd give you shot. I am so glad that we did.  You may look like a cucumber on the inside but you taste more like kiwi and were lovely with breakfast. Not to mention a good source of vitamin C.

I hope our paths cross again soon!

The Super Chocolate Vegan Hootenanny Continues! Episode IV : Vegan Mississippi Mud Pie Cake

In my defense, it *is* called a mud pie... what'd you think it was going to look like?

Yesterday was apparently "Jerk Tuesday." I'd forgotten to mark my calendar, so you can imagine my surprise. It's like forgetting it's the Fourth of July and then spending the day surrounded by exploding things and patriotism--only instead of someone offering you a beer or inviting you to a BBQ, they're just a jerk.

Man, it was a long day. It was the kind of day that makes you understand why someone would start a Fight Club. But let's not focus on the those grumpy little black clouds... instead, let's talk chocolate.

To be more specific, let's talk about the ultimate chocolate dessert: vegan Mississippi Mud Pie Cake. Yeah, this little buddy lives up to the name and isn't the prettiest little baked good on the block. But this pie-cake has heart! This super rich and gooey yummy pie-cake is perfect with a scoop of vanilla soy or coconut ice cream and will help you forget - if only for a moment - why you hate your job or whoever it is that was being a rude jerkface monster.

You know what else was really helpful yesterday? This photo. I keep a copy of this photo on my desktop for tough days, and not for the reason you might think.

God Bless you Happy Wolverine & Stan Lee.

Yeah, this guy has been posted all over the internet and people have said some pretty mean things about him... but look at that smile in his face. This might be a photo of the best day of his life! No one can ever take this moment away from him. I want to be more like Happy Wolverine and focus on what makes me happy, and not those who want to steal my joy.

This is not a healthy recipe. This is not something that is designed to help you lose weight. It is just a compassionate version of chocolate awesome.

The Betty Crocker Project : Mojito Bars

This will be my last post before I turn 36.
I feel like I should tell you that this is when I stared at my computer screen for about 5 minutes.

See I've been a little distracted lately. I've been prone to these strange fits of optimism and silliness. An example of this is when I recently watched the movie Kick-Ass* again and found myself saying to Dan : "I think I may have to rethink my position on Nicolas Cage. He's kinda sweet." I mean Kick-Ass is a great movie but is it really good enough to make me forget this? Or this? What about this? Sigh. I'm just not sure.

For now, let's file that statement away with the time in college when I was slightly intoxicated and argued for longer than is reasonable that Henry Rollins is a modern day Renaissance Man**. There are other comments like this in that unnamed file but I think I have shamed myself enough for one day.

Let's get back to the business at hand. This weekend is not just the rapture - it's my birthday. So in case this is my last post before I'm sucked away to paradise***, I wanted to make sure that all you vegans could celebrate in style with Betty's Mojito Bars. They are perfect for bringing to farewell potlucks or to just enjoy at home with some real Mojitos - which is what we plan on doing tonight. I mean it is Friday and that means Mexican food at The Ol' Shannon homestead.

We make some marvelous mojitos around here - just saying...

I know some of you are wondering what the big plans are for my birthday weekend and to answer your questions : Dan will be planning our weekend events. GASP. I know the mystery and suspense is killing me. You're welcome to follow along on Facebook because I can't help but post things constantly and of course join us Sunday at Foodswings in Brooklyn at 1:30pm for lunch.

I know I should be using this post to reflect on this past year and all that has happened during the 35th year of my life but you guys don't want to hear about that... you want vegan Mojito bars and I'm happy to oblige!

The Super Chocolate Vegan Hootenanny! Episode III : German Chocolate Cupcakes

If you'd asked me a month ago why it was called German Chocolate Cake, I would have grasped at straws and guessed it had something to do with Germany, even though that doesn't make sense really. I mean, Bavaria isn't really known for their coconut trees. (insert shrug here)

The truth is that an English immigrant named Samuel German developed a certain type of sweet chocolate for the Baker's Chocolate factory in 1852 that became quite popular, so the company named it after him. Over 100 years later, a homemaker in Dallas, TX used Mr. German's signature chocolate to create this baking masterpiece, and shared her recipe with the world in the local newspaper. The rest is cake history!

I'm really excited to add our version of Vegan German Chocolate Cupcakes to our Pantheon of Baked Treats. Even though we didn't use Mr. German's chocolate to make it, I feel like these cupcakes really capture the spirit of this classic American dessert. And when you make it, please give a little tip of your hat to all those generations of creative and talented women who shared their recipes with us in newspapers and home journals. Here's to the first food bloggers!

Soy Nog Cupcakes & A Very Special VegNews Contest!

There's not really much more I can say about Soy Nog Cupcakes, other than that they're fantastic and you should try them! I mean, I guess I could talk up how moist and distinctively enjoyable they are for the holidays, but those would only be words. Something wonderful about this time of year is that you don't just talk about some pretty marvelous things - you actually get them! Think about it. You get to make a list of things you've always wanted and you get at least some of them - unless you've been bad. You get to bake all kinds of wonderful projects and warm up your house at the same time. People donate and volunteer more during these winter holiday months than any of time of the year. There are countless parties to throw and go to. Mistletoe to kiss your husband under. Still don't believe me this is an awesome time of year? You get to drink hot chocolate. You're drinking warm liquid chocolate! And one of my personal favorites - Silk Soy Nog hits the shelves.

These cupcakes combine 2 things that we love: Cupcakes and Silk Soy Nog! (insert starry eyed lovesick swoon here) They also seemed like a great post to announce our next contest. That's right, we're partnering up with one of our favorite magazines, VegNews--the premier magazine focusing on a vegetarian lifestyle since 2000--to bring you A Very Special VegNews End of the Year Contest!

All you have to do to win is leave a comment below answering these 3 questions:

• What has been your favorite Meet The Shannons Recipe thus far?
• What recipe have you always wanted to see veganized and would like to see next year?
• What is your favorite feature on VegNews.com - Saavy Abby, Book Club, Cafe VegNews...?

Before you leave your comment - remember in order to win one of our contests, you need to be a "follower" of Meet The Shannons. If we can't email you, then we can't send you your prize! So before you leave your comment with the answers, make sure you use the "follow" button on the side of the blog.

We'll randomly choose a follower from the correct answers posted below on Jan. 1st and send you a MAJOR AWARD! (Please keep in mind that it will take a few days for processing and shipping). What is this major award all the kids are talking about? Well, a gift pack from VegNews, of course! This includes a one-year subscription, the current issue of VegNews, an over-sized tote bag, and six vegan cookies, a gift pack totaling $50! I know - It's like a Christmas Miracle!

Let's bake some cupcakes!

The Betty Crocker Project : Vegan Baked Latkes

If anyone had told me there would be so many Latke recipes hitting the internet the first day of Hanukkah - Well let's just say I wouldn't have believed it. I had been looking forward to posting this recipe since I found it hidden in the Vegetable section of Betty's Big Red under the title Potato Pancakes. But in a world of Latke recipes here's what makes this one special :

• Vegan 
• Baked not Fried 
• Super Tasty 
• Um - Like Extra Super Tasty! 

We've been enjoying these this Hanukkah with some Vegan Sour Cream while we watch basketball (How sad was it that Lebron didn't get his butt kicked last night? I'm not even from Cleveland but I don't like selfish people. That Gibson kid played his heart out though) and The Wire ( Can you believe Dan has never seen it? Really one of the best TV shows ever) ... We've also been playing a new game. We still love our Zombies but ya know it's cold and we wanted something we could play while I remain warm snuggled under 3 blankets on the sofa. Enter into our lives : Munchkins.

Yes - This game is as adorable as it sounds and you how I love those adorable things. It is full of inside old school D&D and RPG jokes (Oh yeah - We're going there). It  makes sense since it is put out by Steve Jackson Games - the Milton Bradley of RPGs. Though Munchkins isn't a RPG - just a card game that requires you to be super competitive and turn on those you love the most with curses like Chicken on Your Head and Duck of Doom. So obviously it has become a pretty popular way to spend a quiet night at home for us Shannons.

But enough nerdery for today - here's a song to grate potatoes too.You have to at least enjoy the LARPing by this Jewish Boy Band  if not the tune.  Thank you goes to Rachel S. who sent this song after seeing our Matzo Ball Soup featured on Peta2's blog. Happy 15th Birthday Rachel!

OK that's a lot of chatter. Let's make some Latkes! OH and for you folks who are feeling left out - We're making gingerbread cookies and some other Christmas stuff this weekend!

The Betty Crocker Project : Snickerdoodles

I won't bore you all (or possibly offend you) with some of the Snickerdoodle jokes we were making last night. Let's just be honest here - the name Snickerdoodle is begging for some filthy 5th grade humor.

There are multiple theories on where this "whimsical  name" comes from but this little cookie that might have originated in New England or maybe Germany has been around since at least the 1800 and has remained a popular cookie to pair with coffee and tea since the day of Gibson Girls and when "Official Bathing-suit Checker" was actually a job. That pretty much makes them popular with us Shannons too. I mean who doesn't love a nice little cookie with a big mug of their favorite warm beverage?

So let's get to what you're here for - A Vegan Cookie Recipe that just made your morning sweet!

The Betty Crocker Project : Thanksgiving Parade #2 - Easy Pumpkin Pie?

Is this pie have that warm slightly spicy flavor that can only be described as "Pumpkin Pie"? Yes. Does it have that smooth & creamy texture with just the right amount of crispy baked edges? Yes. Is this a pie? Eh. Not really... Is it an amazing baked pumpkin custard type of thing? HELL YES!

Yeah I know kinda a disappointment if you're one of those folks who needs the "pie" label and had hopes that you really could make a pie in like 5 minutes (not counting baking) but you want to hear an even greater disappointment? Soyatoo Vegan Whipped Cream. Yeah, I know I'm saying it. Soyatoo - You owe me 5 cans of Vegan Whipped Cream because EVERY TIME I get you - you barely work and then fraking die with a full can of vegan whipped cream that I have no way to access. I always convince myself - I got a bad can or maybe it's I'm too dumb to work this thing... but you know what? I'm not. It's not me - it's you. Soyatoo - we're breaking up.

Here's hoping I learn to love again and that you all find a spot in your heart and holiday meal for this wonderful baked pumpkin custard type of thing.

The Family Album : The Urban Housewife makes Betty Beautiful!

Melisser lives in Europe so her ingredients look cooler than mine.

For The 5th day of Vegan MoFo we had the privilege of  having  Melisser Elliott A.K.A The Urban Housewife  contribute to Our Family Album with a European take on The Betty Crocker Project Oven Pancake and it looks OH so good!  Melisser has been making the world a beautiful place for years with everything from recipes, cruelty-free make-up tips to travel and restaurant guides.  She's taken all her years of kind-living and written a pretty awesome book titled The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life that expands on her webprojects and includes so much more... If you're lucky enough to live on the East Coast - you're going to want to swing by and check out one of these events from her book tour and pick up one of these books for yourself! I can't wait to get my copy! OX - Annie

Here's Melisser!

When you look at the vast selection of dishes on Meet the Shannons,
it's impressive. So impressive that when I was faced with a million
veganized Betty Crocker dishes I could test out, I was shell shocked
and had one hell of a choice to make. After digging through tons of
options, what did I choose? PANCAKE. Yes, I said pancake. You see, I
was so intrigued by the oven baked pancake and it had easy to gather
ingredients in my new home of Vienna, so I went for it.

This dish come together very easily and you start to wonder, is this
going to work? The good news is, it does! One minute you're baking
some batter in a Pyrex pan and 20 minutes later you have a big ol'
pancake to split with friends (or not). It would be a great thing to
make while you're working on a stove top tofu scramble or other dish.
One thing I noted was the lack of sugar in the batter, so I was sure
to top mine with lots of maple syrup and jam, despite the berry and
powdered sugar suggestion. What can I say? I'm a rebel.

Anyway, get out there and make yourself a big, buttery, spongy oven
pancake. What have you got to lose?

I'm Back & Look What Dan Made! Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

I may have gotten a little crazy with the frosting - I swear the roll is in there.

I was MIA. I admit it. I could list my excuses or make up something exciting like ninja training or doing this*. But we're all friends here so I'll come clean. I had an out patient procedure that while not life threatening or anything exciting like that... pretty much kicked my ass and left me stranded on the sofa for about a week drugged and ridiculous. Fable III was launched but I was too deliriously well delirious to even play really or do much of anything really. Most weeks I would find a way to enjoy this. I'm a pretty positive person but this is was pretty much the worst week it could have happened because I missed some really great stuff... in no particular order.

• Halloween! I missed Halloween. I'm not one of those gals who needs to go out every night and drags Dan to dance clubs or parties. But when it comes to Halloween. I'm a party girl. I love it more than anything and this Halloween we played Civilization V and I was asleep by 9pm. 
• The Rally to Restore Sanity. I would have done anything to go. I looked forward to it for months but it was not meant to be. I will forever have to live through the photos and anecdotes of my friends. Soon we'll be living in LA and I can't help but get a little sad thinking about all those times I've marched on Washington. This would have been a really nice high note to end my East Coast Era on. 
• We had to postpone having a food writer and her photographer over for dinner because I just couldn't get off the sofa. It pretty much broke my heart.  

On a positive note though there is a lot to look forward to...

• This morning we got up to have one of our favorite dates - Voting Day Date! Getting up before dawn to beat the rush and take steaming hot travel mugs over to the elementary school to do our our part as good citizens**. Don't forget to vote today! Especially if you are in Missouri. Those puppies need you to support Prop b.
• Yesterday was our first post as part of Vegan MoFo! What's that? It's a clever little project created by the gals over at Post Punk Kitchen where basically we're going to post at least 20 blog entries this month (that's every weekday) about being vegan. Yeah - I know that's what we do around here anyways... but It's OK to belong to something that supports what you do - especially something that is doing so much to help animals by making vegainism cool! 
• Thanksgiving is coming! We love Thanksgiving around here. We have pretend Thanksgiving dinner a few times a year... So yeah... our Thanksgivings are kinda a big deal and this year I'm hoping we can really bring it!
• The much anticipated Vegan Girl's Guide to Life is out! If you live on the East Coast you should check out one of these events! 
• Dan's Birthday! YAY! (if you never click on any of my links - this time make an exception)

There's more but let's just get back to these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls that Dan made and we'll get to the rest in good time...

The Betty Crocker Project : A Halloween Treat - Vegan Devil's Food Cupcakes

You knew they were coming. All the signs were there. I mean we're a blog that spends a lot of time veganizing Betty Crocker recipes. It was only a matter of time before we made adorable holiday cupcakes. I won't bore you with chit chat about what our cats have been up to, what video game is kicking my ass this month or various other random updates. You're here for chocolate cupcakes and I'm here to help you out.

Now if you're not familiar with Devil's Food Cake it is light, fluffy chocolate cake that has a hint of coffee to it. Now some doesn't have the coffee in it but the fancy ones do and who doesn't want to be fancy?

Who's ready to bake some cupcakes?

The Betty Crocker Project : Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

Yeah that's a mini pumpkin. These muffins aren't the size of a birthday cake - which could be cool too but we went the other way this time and made them mini. The leaves are changing outside and we're hitting serious Halloween countdown time. I don't like to brag (too much) but Dan & I are pretty legit when it comes to Halloween.

As are these Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins. With all the candy floating around right now - sweet can feel a little played out but these muffins have just the right amount of tangy cranberries, warm spices and of course pumpkin to feel at home this time of year without getting lost in the goodie avalanche (that I look forward to all year).

The Betty Crocker Project : The Peanut Brittle Cupcakes

I hope you're not frantically flipping through your Big Red right now looking for the not-vegan version of this recipe... because it isn't in there. This is an adaption of the Peanut Brittle and Starlight Yellow Cake recipes into, well, something quite lovely that goes great with your morning coffee. I made them mini, because that's how I roll*. They are a little sticky, but that's kinda part of their charm. They are perfect breakfast cupcakes! These little guys aren't your mama's cupcakes; they're almost like mini - coffeecakes or monkey bread, and would be great for a brunch potluck or to help make a hard week a little better.

They do have a lot of steps, so let's get going so you can have these ready in case this week is already looking a little rocky. This recipe will make around 2 1/2 dozen mini-cupcakes with some Peanut Brittle filling left over to drizzle over some Soy or Coconut Ice Cream. Yeah, it's that good.

The Betty Crocker Project : New York Cheesecake - Pleasecake

I grew up with New York Cheesecake. Big, thick, virtually crust-less slices of dreamy creamy cheesecake. I could never finish a slice alone, and suspect they were always secretly intended to share. I've always had these romantic ideas of this dream date: two people splitting a huge slice of NY Cheesecake in a place like Carnegie's at like 3 am, after seeing a show or a night of wandering the city. I've never done that, but I have walked through NYC at 3 am and seen this scene a dozen times. By the time I was wandering the city with the love of my life, I was vegan. This isn't Carnegie Cheesecake, but to be honest, it's been so long since I've had it that I don't think even Carnegie's is really what I remember it to be.

But this "cheesecake" is better. It's vegan, and I can share with the love of my life anywhere I want. I didn't even realize how much I missed this cheesecake till I took these pictures. Funny... I'm 35, married to the most amazing man, and can finally have my childhood dream date.