Hey there! How’s the last of 2025 treatin’ ya?
This year has been full of…stuff. Good stuff. Bad stuff. Lots and lots of vegan stuff.
Things are getting pretty crazy right now and hardly any of it has to do with the holiday push. I’ve been in the mood for two things lately: writing and baking. Yeah, that’s right. I’ve been in the zone and it’s produced some pretty great results, so that’s what I’m going to talk about today.
I’m not a huge sweets lover but I do love making them and this time of year it just might be my love language. People love desserts and they love receiving them even more, with zero regard to them being vegan or not.
In fact, it might be doubly nice because even my FIL loves them so much that he forgets to remind me that it ‘tastes different’, which I take as a win.
Anyway here’s a few of my creations.
Vegan Hot Chocolate
This is one of my favorite things this season! This isn’t those little powder packs of Swiss Miss (remember those?) from my childhood, oh no, this is hot, chocolatey goodness that is super addictive but also kind of perfect if you’re into holiday markets.
All you need is: plant milk, cocoa powder, melted chocolate & sweetener (sugar, agave or other flavored syrup).
Sometimes I like to add orange zest to change it up a bit or maple syrup. Experiment with it and see what you like best.
For extra points: dip the side of the mug in melted chocolate and press crushed nuts to it. YUM!
Sugar Cookies
I have been making excellent use of my new cookie cutters and as you can see, getting a little artsy with it!
This is a super simple vegan sugar cookie recipe courtesy of Loving It Vegan food blog. All you need is: vegan butter, sugar, baking soda, plant milk, almond & vanilla extract. That base will you get started but you can add different extracts for different flavors, lemon or orange zest or even cinnamon & nutmeg.
Cakes & Cupcakes
I made little dessert boxes for my Romanian family, including Devil’s Food Cake cupcakes with chocolate chips and pumpkin spice butternut squash cake.
Devil’s Food Cake is my go-to chocolate cake/cupcake recipe because it never fails. It is always moist and delicious, so dark that it’s always a striking presentation and the coffee makes it feel like a grown-up dessert.
Add some chocolate chips for those in your life who need/like things a little sweeter and you’re good to go!
As for the butternut squash cake? PERFECTION.
I like to bump up the spices in here to about 1 teaspoon each because it really packs a wallop of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves & allspice. It’s not just a hint here, it is all up in your face. And you know what? They loved it!
It’s always moist and always a hit, even without animals.
You can see I pulled out the donut mold for some yummy super chocolate-y donuts!
What desserts are you planning to make before 2025 is over?
The Spicy Spatula 
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