Simply sweet

DITCH THE OVEN FOR THESE CLASSIC—AND COMPLETELY VEGAN— NO-BAKE CONFECTIONS

Recipes by IRENE NGO Produced by AIMEE NISHITOBA Photography by ERIK PUTZ Food styling by JOHN KRUUSI Prop styling by MADELEINE JOHARI

CRISPY BERRY RICE SQUARES P 92

SALTED PEANUT BUTTER CUPS P 92

Pistachio and Rose Halva

Serves 8 to 10 Prep 10 min; total 2 hrs 10 min

1 cup coconut milk powder, such as Grace (100 g) ¾ cup icing sugar (90 g) ¾ cup well-stirred goodquality tahini, at room temperature 1 tbsp rosewater or 1 tsp vanilla ¼ tsp salt ¼ cup coarsely chopped roasted pistachios ¼ cup food-grade dried rose petals, coarsely crumbled

1. Line an 8 × 4-in. loaf pan with overhanging parchment. 2. Combine coconut milk powder, icing sugar, tahini, rosewater and salt in a medium bowl. Stir until combined, and then use your hands to mix until it resembles a crumbly dough. 3. Sprinkle pistachios and rose petals on bottom of prepared pan. Scrape tahini mixture overtop. Press down very firmly until top is smooth. (If you have another loaf pan, you can use it to press down on the halva.) Refrigerate until halva is firm, about 2 hrs. 4. Using parchment, lift halva out of pan and place on the counter. Invert onto a cutting board. Slice to serve. Halva will store well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks. Kitchen tip Different brands of tahini contain varying amounts of oil. If your halva seems too wet, add more coconut milk powder, 1 tbsp at a time. If it seems dry, add more tahini, 1 tbsp at a time. Mixture should not feel sticky; it should feel dry but still stick together easily when pressed.

Crispy Berry Rice Squares

Makes 16 squares Prep 15 min; total 1 hr 20 min

¼ cup refined coconut oil 1 283-g pkg vegan marshmallows, such as

Dandies, cut in small pieces 1 tsp vanilla ¼ tsp salt ½ cup white corn syrup 6 cups vegan crispy rice cereal, such as

Nature’s Path 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries, coarsely crumbled

1. Line a 9 × 9-in. baking pan with overhanging parchment. 2. Melt coconut oil in a very large non-stick pot over medium. Add marshmallows, vanilla and salt. Cook, stirring often with a rubber spatula, until melted, 8 to 10 min. (Adjust heat if necessary to keep marshmallows from browning. Marshmallow mixture may still look clumpy when melted, but will flatten easily when pressed with the spatula.) 3. Remove pot from heat. Stir in corn syrup until combined. Stir in cereal and strawberries until well coated. Press into prepared pan. Let cool completely, about 1 hr. 4. Using parchment, lift out of pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares. Squares will store well, layered between parchment in a sealed container at room temperature, for up to 5 days. Kitchen tip Dandies marshmallows are very sticky on the inside. Coat your knife in coconut oil to make cutting easier. If you use another brand of vegan marshmallows, your results may vary.

WHAT IS VEGAN CHOCOLATE?

In its pure state, all chocolate is vegan: The fermented, roasted beans of the cacao plant are ground, heated and separated into cocoa solids and cocoa butter. It’ s during the processing of these two ingredients that milk or animal fats may be added. When shopping for vegan chocolate, check the ingredient list for items such as whey, casein or lactose, which are also milk-based.

Salted Peanut Butter Cups

Makes 12 cups Prep 15 min; total 15 min Plus setting time

200 g vegan dark chocolate, coarsely chopped ½ cup smooth natural peanut butter 1⁄3 cup icing sugar (40 g) 1⁄8 tsp salt 2 tsp flaked sea salt

1. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. (Or use 12 silicone cupcake liners.) 2. Place chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium, stirring every 30 sec, until almost melted, 1 to 2 min. Remove and stir until smooth. 3. Scoop 1 tsp melted chocolate into each liner. Tilt pan so chocolate covers bottoms of liners. Freeze until firm, about 5 min. 4. Meanwhile, stir peanut butter, sugar and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Mixture will be pasty. Roll into 2-tsp balls and flatten into patties. Place 1 peanut butter patty into each liner with chocolate. Press down on patty to flatten, leaving a 2-mm border. 5. Scoop heaping 1 tsp melted chocolate over each patty, carefully spreading so it fills in edges and covers peanut butter mixture completely. Sprinkle with sea salt. Set aside until chocolate is firm, preferably overnight. Cups will store well, in a sealed container at room temperature, for up to 5 days. Kitchen tip Once chocolate is firm, trim paper liners for a neatly packaged look.

Chocolate-Covered Coconut Bars

Makes 8 bars Prep 15 min; total 1 hr 15 min Plus setting time

2 cups unsweetened desiccated coconut (180 g) 1⁄2 cup icing sugar (60 g) 3 tbsp white corn syrup 1⁄8 tsp salt 200 g vegan dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

1. Line an 8 × 4-in. loaf pan with overhanging parchment. 2. Stir coconut with icing sugar, corn syrup and salt in a bowl until mixture is sticky and moist. Using slightly damp hands, press and compact coconut mixture firmly into bottom of prepared pan. Press down mixture until top is smooth. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hr. 3. Using parchment, lift coconut block out of pan. Invert onto a cutting board. Cut into eight 1-in. -wide bars. Press down any craggy edges to form smooth bars. 4. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Place chocolate in a shallow microwavesafe bowl. Microwave on medium, stirring every 30 sec, until almost melted, 1 to 2 min. Remove and stir until smooth. 5. Dip each bar into melted chocolate until completely coated, letting excess chocolate drip off. Lay on prepared sheet. Let stand until chocolate is firm, preferably overnight. (If some of the chocolate has pooled around the edges, trim off excess with a knife before serving or storing.) Coconut bars will store well, in a sealed container at room temperature, for up to 5 days.