3 Healthy Vegan Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes From By Chloe’s Chloe Coscarelli

Saving room for dessert? Overindulgence is par for the course on Thanksgiving, but a decadent finale doesn’t have to mean a wholesale tilt into gluttony. “Thanksgiving is about gratitude, so let’s show a little love to ourselves too,” says Chloe Coscarelli, chef of Manhattan’s buzzy vegan restaurant By Chloe. Coscarelli suggests satisfying post-feast sweet tooths with healthful—yet delicious—desserts that forgo milk and butter in favor of plant-based ingredients like coconut milk and vegan margarine. Here, she shares recipes for three baked treats, traditional in name if not in formulation, sure to complement any holiday spread—post-meal regret not included.

Sweet Potato Pie

“This pie takes the cake. If you love sweet potatoes as much as I do, you will love this easy, delicious pie.”
Makes one 9-inch pie.

Ingredients:
1 (15-ounce) can mashed sweet potato
1 1/4 cups canned coconut milk, mixed well before measuring
1 cup sugar
6 T cornstarch
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 store-bought pie crust (buy a second one if you’d like to make decorative leaves)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan.
2. In a blender, combine sweet potato, coconut milk, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Process until smooth.
3. Remove the single pie crust dough from the refrigerator. If the dough is difficult to roll, let it soften at room temperature until it is easier to work with. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until it is about 1/8-inch thick. Carefully lift the dough and fit it into the prepared pan. Trim overhanging dough using scissors or a sharp knife and reserve scraps for decorative leaves.
4. Fill the pie shell with the sweet-potato mixture until it almost reaches the top. Bake for 60 minutes, keeping in mind that the center will not be completely set when done. If the pie crust edges brown too quickly, loosely wrap a piece of foil (about 25 inches long) around the rim.
5. Let the finished pie cool completely, then chill in the refrigerator for six hours or overnight before serving.
Chloe’s Tip: Decorative Pie Crust Leaves
To make decorative leaves, roll out extra dough scraps and cut out leaves with a small knife. Bake on a baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes until golden, and let cool. Arrange the leaves on top of the pie.

Cinnamon Snowball Cookies

“I call these snowball cookies because they are little domes of shortbread goodness, studded with chocolate chips and dusted in powdered sugar.”
Makes about 30 cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup vegan margarine
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (dairy-free)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 or 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.
2. Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the margarine until fluffy. Add flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon, and beat until incorporated. Add chocolate chips.
3. Scoop about 1 rounded tablespoon of dough at a time onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each scoop. Bake for about 12 minutes until lightly golden around the edges.
4. Remove from oven and sift powdered sugar over hot cookies. Let cool and dust with powdered sugar again before serving.

Pear Pie

“Run to the farmers’ market, grab some pears, and make this sweet pear pie. So delicious, and much more memorable than apple pie.”
Makes one 9-inch pie.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
2 T all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
5 or 6 pears, peeled and thinly sliced
1 double pie crust (see sweet-potato pie recipe) or 2 store-bought pie crusts
Soy, almond, or rice milk for brushing

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan.
2. Whisk together 1/2 cup sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add pears and mix with a large spoon until pears are evenly coated.
3. Remove the double pie crust dough from the refrigerator. If the dough is difficult to roll, let it soften at room temperature until it is easier to work with. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of dough until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Carefully lift the dough and fit it into the prepared pan, letting about 1 inch hang over the sides. Fill the pie shell with the pear filling.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the second disc of dough until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Lay it over the top of the pears and tuck excess and overhanging dough into the pie shell. Crimp the dough between your two index fingers to make a decorative border. Cut slits in the top layer of dough.
5. Brush the top and edges of the pie crust with nondairy milk and sprinkle with sugar for an extra-sweet and crisp top. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until the crust is nicely browned.

 

The post 3 Healthy Vegan Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes From By Chloe’s Chloe Coscarelli appeared first on Vogue.