chocolate

While many online donut recipes are for cake-like donuts, my favorite donuts are fried yeast donuts. Those are the light, airy, chewy donuts that are the base for glazed donuts and frosted donuts with sprinkles (and the donuts we'll be making in this recipe). I've included a recipe for a classic glaze as well as a chocolate frosting, so you can choose to make whichever one you'd like. (Each coating recipe makes enough for all twelve donuts and donut holes, so if you want to make half and half, make sure you cut the recipe for each coating in half as well).

If you've ever eaten the glazed donuts from Krispy Kreme, you probably know that they have a light in the window to let you know when the donuts are fresh. Just like theirs, these vegan donuts taste best just after the glaze has set. So it's best to make only as many as you and your family can eat right away. If you do have leftovers, I recommend freezing them as soon as possible using freezer bags. Then, when you're ready to eat them, take them out of the freezer an hour or two ahead of time to defrost. After they're defrosted, you may want to pop them in the oven for 2-3 minutes at 275°F (135°C) to warm up a bit. Keep in mind that the glaze may melt a little if you put them in the oven.

I called this chocolate-açaí smoothie a pudding smoothie, because that's what it tastes like. More accurately, it tastes like something of a cross between pudding and chocolate-raspberry cheesecake. Either way, it's absolutely delicious. I'm happy to use this to replace dessert, without feeling like I'm missing anything at all.

The flavors in this smoothie are so nicely balanced, as the cacao brings out the açaí's flavor, and the bananas and yogurt add creaminess. It's a little bit of an indulgence, but as indulgences go, this one's relatively healthy!

When I quit coffee, I felt so much better after only a few days (if you want more information on that, click here). But I was feeling a little lost without a comforting warm drink to start my day off with. So I started drinking this hot cacao with maca root. (Cacao is just the raw form of cocoa. Personally, it tastes equally chocolatey to me, but feel free to use cocoa if you prefer!)

This version of hot cacao has maca root, which is a type of natural stress-reliever known as an adaptogen. I like to drink it in a hot beverage like hot cacao because I personally find the maca root more effective when it's heated slightly.

Many years ago, I had a small baking business selling cupcakes at pop-up markets. I was obsessed with creating the perfect cupcake recipes, and I was known to most people as "the cupcake lady."

Now that I'm vegan, I can't use those recipes anymore. But lucky for you, I've been in the kitchen working hard at making vegan versions of some of those recipes! Chocolate is always my first choice of flavor for any sweet food, so the first recipe I've veganized is, of course, my famous chocolate cupcake recipe. I made these over and over, tweaking amounts and ingredients until I had them just right. I knew I finally had a winner when I almost made myself sick from eating so many of them.

As a vegan, I have been chocolate brownie-deprived for a very long time. I've tried many vegan brownie recipes, and none quite stacked up to the brownies I made from a box as a child, with the chewy edges and fudgy middle. Until now.

These are hands-down the best vegan brownies I've ever had. With a rich chocolate flavor, these fudgy brownies are not only the best vegan brownies I've had, they may be the best brownies period.

“It's just one cup of coffee a day, I know people who drink 3, or 4, or 5... I'm definitely not addicted.”

“Most days, coffee is the only thing I have to look forward to—it's my self-care ritual.”

“I can't focus without my coffee.”

These were all things I told myself to justify my caffeine habit. I'm not the type of person who likes to be dependent on anyone or anything, but I felt sure I wasn't addicted. Until one day, I was really short on money and I couldn't get groceries until payday. That was 5 days away. And I was out of coffee.