Lemon Brownies

Have you noticed the ridiculous amount of lemons that I've been using for No Butter Baking? Well, it's because I have a friend who always give me fresh lemons from his lemon tree! Since I'm not too familiar baking with lemons I followed the generic cookies, lemon bars, lemon cake, etc. but I wanted something different - which led me to baking Lemon Brownies. Now, these are "brownies" but obviously, there are no specks of chocolate in this recipe, which may confuse some people. When I baked these for my family, they were like "These aren't brownies!!" So I like to describe them as "lemon desserts that have dense texture like brownies" - which I won't use for the actual name because it's too long! Anyway, these lemon brownies are literally just like brownies without the chocolate. It's not too rich but the right "dense" like brownies. I hope you enjoy them!

Vegan Mexican Wedding Cookies

I love how many people in this country love love to celebrate or have a party. I think it just brings a lot of excitement and something to look forward to! Growing up, I never was aware of any Mexican desserts. Even now, I can only think of not even a handful of desserts: flan, torta de tres leches (tres leches cake), dessert empanadas...are the only ones that I'm aware of which was kind of sad! So in spirit of Cinco de Mayo, I'm hoping that I can learn other Mexican desserts in the near future!

So, the story behind the vegan Mexican wedding cookies is that one day, I noticed that every holiday, I see these "powdered sugar ball cookies" so one holiday season I baked some and then my friend, who is a true Latina told me that it's a Mexican Wedding Cookie which got me so excited. Now I don't have to call them "powdered sugar ball cookies"! I also read that some people call them Mexican Wedding "Cakes" instead of cookies but they're cookies. I'm sure there's deeper history behind these lovely cookies but the point is, they're absolutely delicious!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I honestly can't remember when I started baking - I remember that it was sometime in high school but my hobby just grew with age the more I started to bake for other people. This recipe is my absolute favorite! All bakers have their "best" recipe and I must say, I am always proud of my banana breads. It's not too sweet, not too dense, not too fluffy...just the right amount of bananas and chocolate which makes it so delicious. I actually have family and friends who are not fond of bananas - and they said that they can eat my banana breads! Not only do I like the taste of it, but whenever I bake these banana breads, my entire house smells so good. It's the perfect blend of banana, vanilla, and spice and it makes me feel like I'm in banana bread heaven :)

Ordinary Chocolate Chip Cookies

How about a day of the ordinary?
I decided to go classic with an ordinary chocolate chip cookies recipe today :)
Chocolate chip cookies can be desserts, an after-school snack, or a friendly treat to give to your neighbors and friends! Speaking of neighbors, I've always imagined how great it would be to live in a world where you can be close with your neighbors, check up on each other, bring them cookies and have a cup of tea...etc. I always hear from my older friends that this "world" that I am imagining existed when they were growing up. I really envy that. I think right now, we live in a world where your neighbors are strangers. Or even worse, we're worried that our neighbors will do bad things to us if we get too close to them. There's a lack of compassion in our society where we're constantly fearing other people, and just simply don't have the genuine relationships with one another. Don't get me wrong, I know that there are definitely places in the world where that still exist (and good for them!) I just wish that I will have a chance to be exposed to an environment like this in the future.

Vegan Matcha Scones w/Chocolate Chips + Vegan Raisin Scones w/Brandy

Vegan Matcha Scones with Chocolate Chips 

&

Vegan Raisin Scones with Brandy

Today's blog post is a vegan double trouble fun! When I think of scones, I imagine myself sitting at an outside garden area by the patio, drinking coffee while reading a book as I eat my delicious scones. Not only that but I like my scones soft, yet crunchy on the outside. These scones are EXACTLY like what I just described. The inside is so soft and fluffy. In fact, this is one of my favorite vegan recipes! The reason why I decided to post both of these recipes is because these recipes are pretty much identical. The only difference is that one has raisins vs. chocolate chips. One has brandy inside, one does not. I think it's amazing how I can change a small part of a recipe and something different can be created! Even though the type of food is the same, it's definitely not an identical.

Just for a bit....

Hi everyone, I will be taking a break from the kitchen for a couple weeks!
In the meantime, keep on doing what you love to do, whether it's exercising, baking (like I do), reading, or eating (with the appropriate portions of course!)

I am truly grateful to all of my supporters who loves baking and eating as much as I do. 

In the meantime, check out other #NBB recipes and share with me how your recipe turned out! 

Smiles, 

Mei