Carob. I used to eat it. Then somehow I forgot about it….until I had a recent gap in my clinic and went for a wander around the nearby health food shop. A dangerous place to leave someone like me as I will always buy something, I came out with Carob powder…and no idea what to do with it.

Carob is made from the roasted and ground pods from a Carob tree, found in the Middle East and Mediterranean. Some people think John the Baptist lived off it on his diet of locusts and honey as it is also known as the “locust bean”. Carob is low in fat, caffeine free, high in calcium and free from tyramine (high in chocolate which can be linked to migraines).

So armed with the nutritional knowledge I took the plunge and decided to have a play, so here is my first foray into Carob cooking. Even if I do say so myself, I was pretty impressed 😉

Recipe:

1 1/3 cups gluten free flour (I used a mix of rice flour, corn meal and tapioca starch), you could use wheat flour too.

1 tsp xanthum gum

4 tbsp carob

300g dates

100ml juice (I used some homemade elderflower cordial we had as there was no juice)

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped pecans.

Mix the dry ingredients together and set aside. Using a blender or food processor blend the prunes with the juice to make a thick puree. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Now mix the dried ingredients in and finally stir in the nuts.

Place into a lined and greased baking tin and bake at Gas Mark 4 for 30 minutes.

Leave to cool then slice and remove from the tin.

They are delicious warm out of the oven and pretty good when cooled too. Don’t expect them to taste like chocolate as they don’t….but they are slightly sweet and smell divine. With no added sugar or fat they are a pretty healthy option to have as a snack and if they stop a chocolate craving then that is even better!

My husband rated them 7/10, which I was pleased with. Next time I think I’d add either a few carob drops or some dark chocolate drops.