Raw Carob Raspberry Brownies

Let's just be clear, there needs to be dessert in the house or I get cranky. Actually....scratch that. There needs to be CHOCOLATE in the house or I get cranky. But with insulin resistance (or on the mend from it!) there's not much dessert I can have....or so you'd think.

Lucky for you, I wrote a whole ebook (available here) on sweets that are low-glycemic with barely a drop of sugar in them (I can't say completely sugar free since I do use raspberries...but other than that, no dates, maple syrup, honey, sugar, raisins, none of that!) 

I've enjoyed raw brownies made with dates for a long time, topped with chocolate ganache (made with maple syrup) and raspberries...but I wanted to try something even better. Something you can eat without guilt!

Enter....The raw carob brownies...of your dreams. 

And yes, while carob doesn't necessarily make everyone's head turn or toes curl, this is actually a glorious marriage of dark beautiful chocolatey goodness. A blend you'd never suspect, but one that works perfectly.

Brownies:

3 cups walnuts

1/2 cup cacao powder

1 scoop sunwarrior protein powder, chocolate (optional)

pinch salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 dropper full of hazelnut or english toffee stevia

scant 1/4 cup water (or herbal coffee if you feel adventurous)

2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut

Pour the coconut evenly on the bottom of an 8x8 brownie pan. Set aside.

Pulse walnuts in a food processor until they resemble rice. Add in the other ingredients and process until mixture starts to crumble into even smaller bits. As machine is running, start to pour in the water little by little (you may not need all of it) until mixture starts to stick when pressed together between your fingers. Taste for sweetness and adjust with stevia. Pour this mixture in the brownie pan and press down to form a smooth surface. 

Ganache: 

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup cacao butter, melted

pinch salt

1/2 cup carob powder

2 dropper fulls hazelnut or english toffee stevia

Decorate: freeze dried raspberries and 1 tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut 

Blend ingredients together in a high performance blender until smooth. You might add a few tablespoons of water if you need to get it running, but try not to if at all possible (it sort of separates)..... The ganache might look lumpy...that's ok. It's not going to be super smooth and that's actually a desired effect (more surface area means you get taste all of that ganache goodness!)

Pour ganache over brownies, and decorate with freeze dried raspberries and the remaining coconut. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Cut one out and enjoy it...eventually you'll want to tear them out of the pan like an animal, which is ok too (see the photos I enclosed). 

The Most Chocolate-y Un-Chocolate Bar

If you read my last chicory coffee post, you saw that I’m taking a break from chocolate. Why would anyone in their right mind to that, you ask? Just as an experiment. I figure, I crave it, I eat the highest quality chocolate, but are there ways around it? Primarily, I’m trying to stay away from caffeine and the very little that I get in these beautiful little nibbles of chocolate here and there sometimes make my ticker, well, tick faster.

I mainly miss the aroma of chocolate. The taste is great, but really, it’s the scent of it. If I could have a chocolate candle burning in the house {without getting a headache from it}, I’d be in heaven. But for now, I must resort to stealth & experimental ninja moves in the kitchen to procure that which I desire most: the most chocolate-y un-chocolate bar.

What, what?  Yes, yes.

The best part? NO sugar. That’s right. It only uses stevia and two little raspberries that are completely optional by the way. It’s like a raw, paleo, low-glycemic, gluten free, cruelty-free, magical, good for you unchocolate bar. The other best part? It uses carob, which is a dreamy substitute that, when used the right way, can fool any palate. 

Carob powder

It’s summer, so lately I’m in the house less and outside of it more, tending to the voracious garden and getting some activities in. Because of this, most of my recipes are quick and no fuss.

I gathered some ingredients together and the first time, it was a FLOP. The chocolate was amazingly good, but 80 degrees in the house made it fall apart on contact. The second time, instead of using coconut oil, I used cacao butter and that fixed everything. Live and learn, and eat as you go, but this is as chocolatel-y an un-chocolate bar can get! 

Cacao butter wafers. 

So what are these secret incredients: 

Carob: it’s the winner when you want to have something chocolate-y.

Salt: in all desserts to bring out the flavors – a pinch of salt.

Cacao butter: keeps it stable, although I still recommend keeping it in the fridge.

Cacao nibs (if you have no issues with caffeine, put them in there as they add a crunch, otherwise don’t include)

Almond butter: keeps it raw and adds some protein.

Raspberries: take it over the top.

Method: 

4 tablespoons carob powder

pinch sea salt

1 tablespoon cacao nibs {optional}

4 tablespoons melted cacao butter {in dehydrator for truly raw, or stovetop in a double boiler}

2 tablespoons raw almond butter

1 dropper full hazelnut or original stevia

2 freeze dried raspberries, optional {I found mine at Trader Joe's}

Combine all ingredients except for raspberries together and smooth. Taste the "batter" and make sure it doesn't need more salt or stevia, per your palate. In a silicone mould {I used a chocolate bar mold but also little ones for surplus}, pinch the raspberries into a powder and sprinkle into the moulds. Pour the chocolate mixture in. Place in fridge for at least 3 hours. Un-mould and enjoy! This makes enough for one chocolate bar and about 5 little mini moulds for the surplus batter, roughly 1 tablespoon each.