Spiced Carob Cocoa – Warm or Iced

Carob – you either love it or you hate it.  I LOVE it!  It has a delicious malty flavor, yum, yum, yum!  Carob is a great alternative for those who can’t have chocolate or are looking for a caffeine-free version of chocolate.  It's high in fiber, a great source of calcium, and contains many other vitamins and minerals.      

Hot Spiced Carob Cocoa is so comforting and soothing on cold days.  It’s also so yummy poured over ice (my favorite way to drink it).     

Spiced Carob Cocoa – Warm or Iced

Carob clumps easily, so I highly recommend using a blender to make this.  If you don’t have one, you can add carob powder to a small bowl with the honey/maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon, stir with a spoon and work the carob into a paste, then add to the milk. 

Equipment: Blender or Small Bowl w/ Spoon, Medium-Size Saucepan

·      2 cups raw whole milk* or full fat coconut milk  (See Resources)

·      3 tablespoons roasted carob powder

·      1-2 tablespoons honey or organic maple syrup grade B

·      1 ½ teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract (I use Simply Organic)

·      ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (I use sweet cinnamon, See Resources)

·      Ice – optional, for cold version only

1.    Place all ingredients in the blender.  COVER with lid, you don’t want everything all over your kitchen. 

2.   Blend on medium speed until combined and smooth, about 15-30 seconds. 

3.   Pour into saucepan and heat over low heat to desired temperature OR pour over ice to have a cold version (it’s DELICIOUS iced!). 

4.   Serve immediately. 

Yield: Makes 2 cups. 

Vegan-Option: Use coconut milk instead of milk and organic maple syrup grade B instead of honey. 

Note: Recipe can easily be doubled.

* For California residents, check out my favorite raw milk from Claravale Farm.  They sell to stores and co-ops all over CA.  


This post is part of Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager, Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist, Homestead Barn Hop @ The Prairie Homestead, Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival @ Hartke Is Online, Traditional Tuesdays @ Cooking Traditional Foods, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday @ Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free, Allergy-Free Wednesdays @ Gluten Free Pantry, Hearth and Soul Hop @ Premeditated Leftovers, Make Your Own! Monday link-up @ Nourishing Treasures, Sunday School Blog Carnival @ Butter Believer, Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop, and These Chicks Cooked Recipe Swap @ This Chick Cooks.

Carob Sorbet Recipe (Vegan)

We eat sorbets instead of ice cream in our house, and I wanted to create a sorbet not made from fruit for a change. We love carob, so I came up with this recipe using carob powder and light agave nectar (carob and agave go *great* together). The sorbet is rich and sweet, just the way it should be. We really enjoy this dessert.

Carob Sorbet Recipe

2 cups water
1/2 cup light agave nectar
1/2 cup toasted carob powder (Bob's Red Mill brand)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

In a small saucepan over Med. High heat, whisk together all of the ingredients until well combined. When it starts to boil, remove it from the heat and let it sit out for a while to cool off. When it's cooled for the most part, move the saucepan to the fridge. Let the mixture cool in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, and pour it into to an automatic ice cream maker to make the sorbet (I run the ice cream maker for 16 minutes). Makes 1 pint (2 cups) of sorbet.

Carob Brownies Recipe (Vegan)

I developed this recipe when Sam started reacting to cocoa/chocolate. We love chocolate in this family, and these carob brownies have been filling the void for us nicely. These brownies are rich and moist and they freeze well. The carob powder can be replaced with cocoa powder for chocolate brownies.

Carob Brownies Recipe

1-1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup toasted carob powder (Bob's Red Mill brand)
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

1 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp distilled white vinegar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Batter will be thick. Spray a 9x12 pan with non-stick spray. Spread batter evenly into pan with a spatula. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

If using rice flour to make these brownies use the following instead of the unbleached flour above:
1 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp white rice flour
2 tbsp binder (potato starch, tapioca flour, arrowroot powder, etc.)

If using agave nectar and rice flour to make these brownies use the following instead of the sugar above:
1-1/3 cup light agave nectar
Also, use 3/4 cup safflower oil and 3/4 cup water instead of 1 cup each
Bake it at 350 degrees for 25 minutes instead of 375 degrees
And generously spray your baking pan