As a vegan baker, I’ve come to the conclusion that it takes multiple attempts at trying something to get it right. I think that’s true about any kind of baking, but vegan baking is especially hard because some ingredients have different substitutes based on the recipe. Eggs are a perfect example of this. Depending on the recipe, eggs can be substituted in a variety of ways:

Brownies: applesauce, soy yogurt, bananas

Bread: water, flax seeds, bananas

Cakes (where egg is used as a leavening agent): pureed fruit, arrowroot powder, vinegar and baking powder

Cookies (where egg is used as a binding ingredient): soy flour, vegetable oil, Ener-G Egg replacer

Muffins: applesauce, bananas, flaxseed

There are so many ways to substitute this ingredient that it is almost overwhelming for a beginner like me. I am not a professional baker and I don’t have the skills needed to decipher which ingredient is best to use when. Although I’m constantly relying on the helpful website Chef In You, I still have to make sure that the taste of the substitute does not interrupt the taste of my recipe.

That makes for a lot of trial and errors in my baking. And believe me; I have had quite a few.

Let me introduce you to one of my first failures. I had wanted to make granola bars for some time because I could not find a flavor that I liked and could eat. Whenever I’d find a flavor that looked good, it would turn out that the bar had one of the ingredients that I was allergic to. Ugh.

So, last summer I decided that I would attempt making my own granola bars. I remember the recipe had called for chunky peanut butter and tons of nuts, two of the ingredients I cannot eat. I thought I would substitute applesauce (I don’t know what I was thinking—applesauce doesn’t have the same consistency) for the peanut butter and dismiss the nuts all together. I added instead dried mango pieces. This recipe also called for a little honey, but since I wasn’t using peanut butter at all, I added some more honey (bad decision!) to the mixture so it would stick.

The problem was that not only did the bars fall apart (even after they were left in the fridge overnight), they tasted as if I was eating straight up honey—and I don’t love honey.

Here’s what it looked like in the pan:

Disaster number two was a few nights ago. I had every intention to make yummy blueberry bars that would finally satisfy my sweet tooth without all the extra calories. Unfortunately, those bars did not agree with me. This time I followed the recipe exactly how it was described and instead of coming up with this my recipe came out like this. I think the disaster is self-explanatory. Not only did the bars look horrible, they also tasted like I had shoved a spoonful of molasses in my mouth.

Finally, last night I found a recipe that was delicious and came out perfectly. I’m not going to lie and tell you that I came up with this one on my own because I didn’t. I got this recipe from Amy’s Healthy Baking. I simply added a quarter cup of chopped, dried cranberries and replaced the honey and skim milk with maple syrup and rice milk. I am very proud of myself for finally finding something that looks like the original and tastes good after I try my hand at it.

While I was baking the last recipe, I came to the realization that due to my severe allergies, my mother probably had to experience the frustration that I felt when I couldn’t find the right recipe. Of course my frustration hardly compares to hers, as her frustration came from feeding me and keeping my alive whereas mine came from a want not a need.

So while my bars were in the oven, baking to perfection, I asked my mother a few questions to find out how she was able to handle all of these frustrations and how she became so creative in her cooking and baking.

I have had so much trouble finding recipes that work and that look and taste good. What do you suggest for me?

The most difficult thing is to adapt and to be so flexible that you really have to be open to new ideas, new flavors, and new textures. It’s not going to be exactly as how the market products are with all those other additional ingredients that makes it perfect. You have to play with it and you have to try, throw it away, taste it but eventually as you persist through it, you get to something that you enjoy and it looks good and it’s the right thing.

What was most frustrating about cooking food for me when I was a kid?

I guess it would be just doing it all on my own. Not having any support whatsoever. Even trying to figure out what you were allergic to, because the tests were not always correct. It was like trying to find a door in a dark room with no knob. It just changed recently as all this new information came about, before it was so frustrating. But I never gave up.

How did you get over the hump of frustration?

You become resilient, you become resourceful and you become extremely open minded. That’s how you overcome anything. So before when you never thought that you could have a flavor, a texture, a combination of things, then you’re saying “you know what, this isn’t so bad”. And you have to because then you never move from that spot, saying “I wish I could have this or that”, but you can’t use it. You’ve got to move ahead without it.

Do you have any advice for me or for my readers, for when we get stuck?

Be very curious, look for things. Don’t allow fear or a challenge or a new thing to stop you. Don’t wait for somebody else to solve your problems or give you a perfect recipe—you go ahead and try it. Just make it up. Make your own path.

Follow my mother’s advice and just make your own path. With those lovely words in mind, let’s move on to the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 tsp coconut oil, melted

½ C unsweetened applesauce, room temperature

1/3 C rice milk

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 ½ C old-fashioned oats

1 C frozen unsweetened raspberries, diced

¼ C dried cranberries, chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat an 8”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together the oil and applesauce until smooth.

Mix in the milk, honey and cinnamon until thoroughly combined.

Stir in the oats until evenly coated with the applesauce mixture.

Gently fold in the raspberries.

Press the oat mixture into the prepared pan, and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan before slicing into 12 bars.

Enjoy!