Twenty.

Hey guys.
Hey guys.
Guess what. 

It's my birthday. 
That's right, I have finally said good riddance to those teenage years and jumped into my twenties!

I try not to hype my own birthdays up too much in general, because, well, nothing can ever beat my pirate birthday party when I was 5, so might as well not raise the expectations. My friends and I will celebrate tonight, but for now I'll take this birthday morning to reflect.

I won't pretend to be a life expert. Twenty years is nothing in the grand scheme of things. But you can learn a lot in twenty years, so I thought I would share these little gems of wisdom and advice with you. You can take it or leave it :)

Twenty Things for Twenty Years

1. You can try to ignore it, but no matter what, family will always be the most important influence in your life.
2. Friendships, like any relationships, take a lot of work. If you’re not willing to work for it, it’s probably not worth having.

3. Never underestimate the power of heels and a little lipstick.

4. Boys are not as complicated as girls make them.

5. Not sleeping enough = getting sick. It may be un-cool to actually sleep in college, but sleep is good. Get some.

6. You should never feel like you to have to be anyone other than yourself around your best friends.

7. Things are only awkward if you make them awkward. Usually a smile solves it.

8. If you want something from someone, ask for it. No one can read minds. Except Voldemort.

9. You never know what will happen if you put yourself out there, but it’s worth the risk. Starting this blog was definitely putting myself out there and it has paid off so far!

10. If you have a really great idea, don’t just keep it in your head. Tell someone or write it down somewhere- then at least it’s out there, waiting to become something real.

11. Never shop for anything on an empty stomach.

12. If you have a stressful day ahead of you, wear a cute outfit. It helps, I promise.

13. It’s nice to have friends outside of your age range. Younger people bring you optimism and older people bring you wisdom.

14. No one can make the big decisions for you. In the end babe, it all comes down to your gut feeling.

15. Most people like meeting new people. So go ahead and chat up that guy that serves you coffee every day, you might make a friend.

16. If you’re not happy, change something. No exceptions or excuses.

17. Never be embarrassed about the music you listen to. Why yes, I do listen to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack while I do my homework sometimes.

18. Always always always make lists.

19. People will always question why you want to be an artist. As long as you  know the answer, nothing else matters.

20. You should never feel guilty about indulging yourself once in a while. So go make these cupcakes- now.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting (adapted from Recipe Girl)

makes 1 dozen cupcakes

Cookie Dough:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegan margarine, softened
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp soy milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Cupcakes:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tsp egg replacer mixed with 2 tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Cookie Dough Frosting:

1/3 cup margarine
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour 
1 tbsp soy milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

extra chocolate chips to decorate

1. Prepare the Cookie Dough Filling: Cream together the margarine and sugar. Whisk in the soy milk and vanilla, then mix in the dry ingredients until smooth and creamy. Fold in the chocolate chips. Scoop rounded tablespoons of cookie dough onto a cookie sheet and stick in the freezer for about 30 minutes, or until completely hardened.
2. While the dough freezes, prepare the cupcakes. Preheat your oven to 375º and line a cupcake tin. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add in the wet and stir until combined. Pour the batter evenly between 12 cupcake cups. Take out the frozen cookie dough and press a ball of dough into each cupcake.
3. Bake the cupcakes for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (from the cupcake part, not the cookie dough).
4. Prepare the frosting: In a medium bowl, cream together the sugars and margarine. Add in the soy milk, vanilla and flour and stir until smooth and fluffy.
5. Let the cupcakes cool for at least 30 minutes, then frost them generously. Decorate with chocolate chips.

Oh my.

Okay I'll admit, these cupcakes weren't actually made for my birthday. I baked them last weekend for my friend's 21st and I think they might be the best cupcakes I have ever made. Three people asked me to marry them after taking a bite. These are sinfully delicious.

Time to go celebrate my day!

Lime & Blackberries & A Whole Lotta Blog Love

Is your mouth is watering yet? Mine sure is just remembering the taste of these incredible cupcakes. But you're just going to have to hold your horses for a bit because before I share my recipe, I would like to thank Jesica from The Pencil Kitchen for honoring me with a Kreativ Blogger Award! She is one of my oldest and most loyal followers, so I really appreciate the gesture :)

Here's how this award works, I share 7 interesting facts about myself and then pass the award along to 7 other bloggers who I admire.

Here are several interesting things about me that may have not come out yet on this little blog...

1. I have this weird habit where instead of actually laughing out loud when something funny happens, sometimes I'll just wiggle my shoulders up and down and smile. No idea why.
2. I wear cowboy boots about every other day. They're my power boots: super worn-in and comfortable, but look pretty badass (in my head, at least...)
3. Peter Pan is my absolute favorite story in the world. Period. Not many stories or movies make me cry, but Peter Pan does every single time.
4. When I'm in a bad mood or stressed out, I tend to blast loud & dirty rap music while I bake something with chocolate. It' a nice contrast :)
5. I have synesthesia, which means that I associate people, letters and numbers with different colors. It sounds kind of hokey, but when I meet people and get to know them it's almost as if they radiate a certain color!
6. My brother ran away with the circus. Okay, he didn't run away, but he goes to circus school after his normal high school classes 6 days a week. I am simultaneously proud and jealous of his life.
7. I love to read. I tend to bring books or a newspaper or something with me wherever I go on campus, just in case I have a couple minutes of downtime. I even had a shirt in 5th grade that said "Serious Reader." Obviously, I was the coolest kid in school.

Aaaaand the fun part, here is who I get to pass on the award to (in no particular order):

1. Peaceful Plate: Noelle always has such gorgeous photos and delicious recipes! I have tried a few of them and they have never failed. I love her down-to-earth voice, too.
2. The Tomato Tart: I can't believe Sabrina has only had this blog going for less than a year! It is so beautifully put together and has some of the most mouth-watering photos. For example, I have been drooling over this pumpkin and chocolate cake forever- I've got to get around to making it soon.
3. Cookies for Alligator: I'm a sucker for any vintage-looking photo taken with a 35mm, and this girl has got some beauties. Her pictures and recipes are so original, as is her open and honest blogger voice. 
4. Hungry Gnomes: These ladies are some of the funniest bloggers I've ever seen. I love the stories they share to go along with each recipe (which always look delicious, by the way). A few of their posts have actually made me laugh out loud!
5. Oh, Ladycakes: I have always loved the clean, fresh look of her blog. Her recipes are usually fairly simple and so beautifully presented! The name Ladycakes is downright adorable, too.
6. Scissors and Spice: I love how this blog combines crafts and food. She is so endlessly creative- I don't know how she does it along with keeping up her own etsy store!
7. Papillon: I love the artful simplicity of this blog. It really lets the pictures stand out, which is great because they never cease to be absolutely stunning.

Okay. Now back to the food. My mom showed me a non-vegan version of these cupcakes on Pintrest and I fell in love. I decided I had to make them that very night, so I did, and they were amazing. Seriously. I know I say a lot of things are my favorite, but the flavor combo of fluffy and moist lime cupcakes with tart and creamy blackberries really just can't be beat.

Key Lime Cupcakes with Blackberry Filling and Blackberry Buttercream Frosting (inspired by Baked Perfection)

makes 1 dozen cupcakes

Cake:

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup earth balance

3/4 cup sugar (these are very sweet, so feel free to adjust this slightly to your taste)

3 tsp egg replacer mixed with 1/4 cup water

juice from 1 lime

zest from 1 lime

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup plain soy yogurt

Filling:

3 cups frozen blackberries

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice

2 tbsp cornstarch

pinch of salt

Frosting:

1/2 cup earth balance

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup blackberry filling

3 cups powdered sugar

1. Dump the frozen blackberries in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Let them thaw while you prep your cupcakes. 
2. Preheat the oven to 350º and line a cupcake tin. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and soda and salt. In a separate larger bowl, cream together the earth balance and sugar until fluffy. Whisk in the egg replacer, then add the lime juice, zest, and vanilla. 
3. Slowly add the flour mixture to the larger bowl, alternating with stirring in the soy yogurt. Mix until combined. Pour the batter into the cupcake tin, filling the cups about 3/4 of the way full.  Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (ovens may vary, so check after 20 minutes if yours tends to bake things faster).

4. While the cupcakes are baking, prepare your filling and frosting. Once the blackberries have thawed completely, drain them to get rid of the excess liquid, but save this liquid in a measuring cup. Add water to the blackberry liquid until it reaches 1 cup. Place the drained berries in a mesh sieve and mash them thoroughly, leaving the seeds behind and set this aside. In a saucepan, mix together the blackberry liquid, lemon juice, cornstarch and salt. Stir until it begins to boil and thicken. Remove from heat and pour in the rest of the mashed blackberries (excluding the seeds) and let cool.
5. To make the frosting, cream together the earth balance, vanilla, and blackberry filling. Whisk in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until thick and creamy.

6. When the cupcakes are done baking, let them cool for about 20-30 minutes, then time to fill 'em up! Grab a Ziploc bag and fill it with about 1/4 cup of the blackberry filling. Cut off one of the corners of the bag to make a tiny hole where you can squeeze the filling out. Poke a hole in the top of each cupcake and use a knife or your finger to dig a little well in the center. Squeeze in the filling until it starts to bubble out of the top. Repeat for each cupcake- you may need to refill the bag a couple times. Top with a thick layer of buttercream frosting and a fresh blackberry!

If you have leftover filling (I had about a cupful!) it is super delicious swirled into your morning oatmeal or yogurt with some extra berries on top.

We served these to my cousin and her husband when they came over for dinner... and all twelve were gone in about an hour. Needless to say, they were a huge hit. 

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes for My 50th Post!

You know how everyone is talking about the winter that wasn't? Well, now it is. I woke up this morning to find a blustery winter wonderland outside of my window and even though it feels about 2 months too late, I'm not complaining. I woke up my friend at 9am this morning so we could venture out into the blizzard together for brunch and a steaming cup of coffee. I love snow :)

On a different note, I can't believe I'm already on my 50th blog post! I guess that's not a whole lot in the long scheme of things, but when I started this thing up I had no idea how far it would go. I am so flattered and grateful for all of the support I've received from friends and readers who continue to follow That's So Vegan! I wish I could send you each one of these cupcakes... but somehow they magically vanished. Oops. 

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Chocolate Banana Glaze

makes 1 dozen cupcakes

Cake:

1 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup mashed raspberries

Glaze:

1 ripe banana
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 350º and grease or line a cupcake tin.
2. To make the cupcakes, combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and the wet ingredients in a large bowl. Add the dry to the wet and stir until just combined. 
3. Pour the batter into your prepared pan- about 3/4 of the way full for each cupcake. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
4. While the cupcakes are baking, make the chocolate banana glaze by mashing the banana with a fork, then whisk in the vanilla and cocoa powder. Add the powdered sugar a little bit at a time, whisking as you go. Once it is all added, stir until smooth.
5. Let the cupcakes cool for about 10 minutes, then spread the glaze on top. Enjoy!

These cupcakes are sweet, tart, moist and delicious. If you don't like bananas (aka if you're crazy), they would also be awesome with cream cheese frosting. 

I hope everyone has a great pre-Valentines weekend!

Clementine Cupcakes

Slowing down is one of the hardest things for me to do. I'm so used to having every minute of my day filled up and even though I get stressed, I kind of enjoy it. I like having purpose. So now, having time to just sit at home and do nothing is really bizarre. It was an adjustment at first, but now I'm finally relaxing into just reading a book, doing crossword puzzles or listening to music while I can! I started a new book- Tinkers- and it's amazing so far. New Years Resolution: read more books for fun.

With all this spare time, I can finally experiment a little more with baking! I'm not exactly sure why, but my family tends to go crazy buying clementines in the winter. I decided I would put them to better use than just sitting in the fruit bowl...

These cupcakes are the perfect mixture of sweet and tart and are just so pretty! Because of the usual holiday overload of decadent sweets, I decided to make these super low-fat. However, if you don't like the texture of low-fat desserts (think less fluffy but more moist), you're welcome to sub out the applesauce for more canola oil.

Clementine Cupcakes with Clementine Vanilla Glaze

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp clementine zest (about 4 clementines)

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups soy milk

1 tbsp egg replacer

3 tbsp applesauce

1 tbsp canola oil

3 clementines, peeled

1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350º and line or grease a cupcake tin. 

2. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, zest, baking powder and soda and salt.

3. In a cup, whisk 3 tbsp of the soy milk with the egg replacer. Puree the three clementines in a blender until liquified, then pour only 1/4 cup of the puree into a small bowl and mix it with the "egg," milk, applesauce, vanilla and oil.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners- about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup clementine puree
2 tbsp soy milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Combine the wet ingredients in a bowl and slowly add in the powdered sugar. Whisk until smooth.
2. Once the cupcakes are done baking, dip just the tops into the glaze for about 10 second each so that they can absorb the sugary goodness. Let cool on a baking sheet and serve with a clementine slice on top.*

*I attempted to make caramelized clementines by slicing them and coating them with 2 tbsp of oil and 1/4 cup of sugar and baking them in the oven for about 20 minutes at 400º. I'm not sure if they ended up completely caramelized, but they taste delicious and look good on top of the cupcakes! You can try this if you want and maybe vary the method a little.

These would be excellent to bring to a New Year's Eve Party! It's always good to bring your own dessert if you are vegan, because otherwise you just have to cry silently in the corner while everyone else eats cake. It's pretty sad. These will save you, I promise.

Cinnamon Bun Cupcakes

Since I'm still in the thick of studying for finals, it's sometimes even hard to find time to eat! This cupcake is the perfect solution: breakfast and dessert all in one. I just need a big cup of coffee and I'm set. Who needs healthy meals like lunch and dinner... right?

Don't worry, I'm actually eating real food too. I just wish I could eat one of these for every meal- they're that good. I brought a plate of these cupcakes over to a dancers potluck and they were a hit. I was sneaky and didn't tell anyone they are vegan, but no one even guessed!

Cinnamon Bun Cupcakes

makes 1 dozen

Cinnamon cupcakes (adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World):

1 cup almond milk (or any other kind of non-dairy milk)

1 tsp vinegar

1 1/4 cups flour

2 tbsp cornstarch

3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup canola oil

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2  tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350º and line a cupcake pan.

2. Combine the almond milk and vinegar in a large bowl and set aside to curdle for at least 5 minutes.

3. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. 

4. Add the oil, sugar and vanilla to the almond milk mixture and stir well.

5. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until just combined. Then fill up the cupcake tins about 2/3 of the way full.

6. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Make the frosting while they bake. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/4 cup vegan cream cheese
1/4 cup earth balance
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

1. Cream together the cream cheese and earth balance in a medium bowl. Stir in the vanilla.
2. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, whisking as you go until it is smooth and fluffy. You could either use an electric mixer or good old-fashioned elbow grease, like my friend and I did!

Mmm just look at that melt-in-your-mouth frosting.

These were definitely worth the extra-long study break!

If you're in the midst of finals like I am, here are a couple of my favorite relaxing study songs: 

Jose Gonzales

Iron and Wine

Regina Spektor

Does anyone else have good suggestions for study music?