If you love chocolate, something you may not have heard of or tried before is CAROB. It’s a slightly different taste to cacao and cocoa – I personally think it tastes sweeter, creamier and less bitter – and unlike cocoa powder and chocolate, carob is caffeine-free plus it contains three times as much calcium and is higher in dietary fibre. I’d definitely recommend giving it a go in place of cacao or cocoa powder in sweet recipes for a change – expect a difference in flavour but it’s still delicious and sweet!
I’ve used carob powder to make a raw ‘chocolate’ topping for these super easy flapjack bars packed with oats, hemp seeds and dried cranberries for a really flavoursome and nutritional burst of energy. You could use a square or rectangular tin and cut into bars if you prefer.
Ingredients:
- 150g rolled oats (I used Quaker)
- 50g dried cranberries (I used Buy Wholefoods Online dried cranberries)
- 6 tablespoons hemp seeds (I used Buy Wholefoods Online organic shelled hemp seeds)
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil (I used The Groovy Food Company)
- 3 tablespoons smooth almond butter (I used Pip & Nut)
- 6 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
For the topping –
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 5 tablespoons carob powder (I used Buy Wholefoods Online carob powder)
- Hemp seeds and cacao nibs, to decorate
Get making!
- Mix together the oats, cranberries and hemp seeds together in a bowl.
- Melt the coconut oil, nut butter and honey/maple syrup. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix well to combine.
- Press into a lined 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin and set aside.
- Melt the coconut oil and honey/maple syrup then remove from the heat and cool slightly. Whisk in the carob powder until smooth then pour over the flapjack to cover.
- Sprinkle over the hemp seeds and cacao nibs then place in the fridge for at least 3 hours to set.
- When ready to serve pop out of the tin, onto a chopping board and cut up into pieces. Enjoy!
