these are fairly healthy (and delicious): not too rich in fat (especially if you use a milk alternative other than soy creamer), made with whole-grain flour, and containing no refined sugar.

they also look pretty dark because the carob powder I’m getting now from Bulk Foods is, well, darker than the ones I used to get before for some reason. it’s also tastier, so no one’s complaining.

for 6 muffins:

preheat oven to 325F. line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.

1/4 cup agave nectar

1/2 cup + 2 T pumpkin purée

1/4 cup soy creamer [can use milk alternatives instead]

2 T canola oil

whisk together in a medium bowl.

1/2 cup + 2 T whole wheat pastry flour (spoon and level for the cup, scoop and level for the T)

1/4 cup carob powder [or cocoa powder if you prefer: be sure to add about 2 T dry sweetener as carob sweetens things up far more than cocoa does]

1 t baking soda

pinch sea salt

if you have access to Butty’s Pain d’Epices spices, add 1 t of it instead of the following. otherwise, this should do the trick:

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/4 t ground ginger

1/4 t nutmeg

pinch ground cloves

pinch cardamom

sift together in a medium bowl.

1/4 cup carob chips [or chocolate chips]

mix wet + dry + chips together until well combined. fill all 6 muffin cups. bake for 22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

let cool on a rack

why let the black beans have all the fun?

I love them that way, but I’m planning on playing around with the ingredients a bit in the future.

1 x 15oz can white/cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 T vegetable oil

2 t pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup sugar in the raw

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce [one of those individually-packed applesauce containers is what I used]

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup pecans halves

1/3 cup quick-cooking oats

2 T light spelt flour

optional: throw in 1/3 cup vegan butterscotch chips or 1/3 cup vegan white chocolate chips or 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

preheat oven to 350F. prepare 8×8 square pan with non-stick cooking spray.

place oats in food processor, pulse several times and process until coarse flour consistency is reached.

add remaining ingredients in your food processor and blend until combined and smooth. pour into prepared pan, bake for 30 minutes or until brownies appear to be set and firm.

let cool completely before attempting to serve, and even better: let the blondies chill in the fridge overnight or at least for a couple of hours, otherwise your blondies will be mushy.

for the raspberry sauce: feel free to double this, as I only needed to cover half of the blondies.

1 cup frozen raspberries

2 T agave nectar

2 T arrowroot powder

in a small saucepan, thaw rasbperries on medium heat, stirring often.

in a small bowl, whisk together agave and arrowroot until dissolved.

pour arrowroot mixture into now-thawed out raspberries, let cook for a few minutes.

let cool before pouring on top of blondies. top with chocolate chips, shredded coconut, or nuts, if you’d like.

the subtle flavor of nutmeg goes really well with the eventual nut butter you might slather upon these babies. I know my taste buds are still dancing for joy…

adapted from my gal Betty Crocker’s Bread Machine Cookbook, but no bread machine involved here.

for 4 rolls:

1/2 cup sweet potato purée [I used homemade but you can find it canned too; if it was in the fridge prior to use, bring it to room temp. if it is still hot, you want to let it cool down to being lukewarm, so as not to kill the yeast]

1/3 cup + 2 T pure water

1 T canola oil

2 T pure maple syrup

1 cup bread flour [spoon and level]

3/4 cup white whole wheat flour [s & l]

1/4 cup dark rye flour [s & l]

1 T soy milk powder [optional, but it helps with the texture and adds protein, albeit a trivial amount]

4 t vital wheat gluten

1 t sea salt

1/4 t ground nutmeg

3/4 t bread machine or instant-rise yeast

if your yeast isn’t too fresh, proof it by whisking it in lukewarm water along with the syrup for about 10 minutes. it should bubble up and foam. you’re good to go if that’s the case, if not? toss and grab a new pack of yeast and do it all over again.

I usually don’t bother because I buy so much yeast that it doesn’t have time to go bad.

whisk in oil and sweet potato. start adding the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon, until you need to start using your hands to knead the dough. place on a clean, lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, for about 5-10 minutes. you might have to add a little more flour (a little at a time!) until it’s not too sticky anymore. shape into a ball.

lightly coat a large bowl with oil, swirl the dough around to coat it so that it doesn’t go dry while rising. cover with lid or plastic wrap, let rise in a warm area for 90 minutes.

20 minutes prior to dough being done rising, preheat oven to 400F.

lightly coat 4 mini Bundt pans with non-stick cooking spray, add flour and shake it around so that it covers the whole pan. if you don’t want to use Bundt pans, simply line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat.

punch down dough, flatten it a bit and divide into 4 equal parts. shape into balls.

if using mini Bundt pans: make a hole in the center of each ball of dough, like you would with a bagel. place it in the pan and press it down with the flat of a spoon.

if not using Bundt pans: place on prepared baking sheet.

bake for 20 minutes, until the bottoms sound hollow when tapped, the rolls look golden brown, and that an instant-read thermometer reads the rolls to be 200F in their center.

(there’s no need for a second rise with the type of yeast used here, but if you use active dry yeast instead? definitely cover them up with plastic wrap and let them rise again before putting them in the oven.)

let cool on a rack.