Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from Tiramipursuit!
Yesterday the Baking Club hosted a bake sale by the Mills tea shop. I made vegan brownies and cookies, gluten free cupcakes and purple velvet cupcakes to sell. We definitely made a profit, which is exciting!
I had some great help from two of our club members, Ryan and Emily, not to mention the support of my friends who are awesome and tasted the desserts for me without complaint ( ;

The bake sale, with Ryan and Emily.

I made these with a gluten-free mix, then whipped up an icing using butter and powdered sugar.

A happy accident...I guess "mauve" is more purple than pink. They turned out cute though!

Vegan cookies with dream chips!

The vegan brownies!

 Shannon and I fed some brownie to a squirrel and he loved it!

The recipe is squirrel-approved.

Sinful Vegan Brownies
I slightly adapted this recipe from a recipe by SANDYWIFEY31S at Allrecipes.com. The brownies taste rich and chocolatey but are also cakey.

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A handful of vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Prep a 9x13" pan by spraying it with canola or vegetable oil and pressing a sheet of parchment into it. This will make it easier to remove the brownies afterwards.Spray the parchment lightly too.
 Sift together all dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the eggs, vanilla, oil and water and mix well. Spread evenly into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the vegan chips. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the center is cooked through.
Let cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting into even squares. I recently learned that brownies are actually a form of caramel, which is why they can fall apart when cut too early and refuse to be cut once they have cooled. You learn something new every day!
Enjoy with your sweetheart, with friends or keep a secret stash just for yourself!
Happy Valentine's Day