Sugar-Free Coconut Carob Bars

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Several Sugar-Free Coconut Carob Bars alongside a spoonful each of coconut butter and carob powder

Recently, I came upon a new-to-me ingredient: carob powder! Have you tried it? It’s like cacao powder, but not. And while it tastes like chocolate, it also has hints of coffee and is naturally sweet (unlike cacao).

Once I mixed it with some coconut butter and took one bite (hello, delicious), I knew a coconut carob bar had to happen. Plus, they fit in nicely with the sugar-free theme going on this month. Let’s do this!

Coconut butter, coconut oil, toasted carob powder, maca, coconut flour, and vanilla on a wood cutting board ready to be made into Sugar-Free Coconut Carob Bars

This 7-ingredient recipe is easy to make. It all comes together in a food processor.

The base is coconut butter, which is easy to make at home. It provides a creamy, coconutty, naturally sweet base for these insanely rich bars.

Next comes coconut oil, sea salt, vanilla, and maca powder, though that’s optional. Maca not only adds a honeycomb, caramel-like flavor but also provides health benefits like balancing your hormones and supporting thyroid function. And it boasts minerals like zinc, phosphorous, iron, calcium, and potassium.

The star of the show, though, is carob powder, which supports healthy digestion and has calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, and zinc. It’s also a healthy alternative to chocolate for those who can’t enjoy it.

Ingredients in the food processor for making rich and satisfying Coconut Carob Bars

Once the mixture is blended, simply pour into molds of choice and chill. It’s that easy!

Chocolaty mixture in the food processor for making Sugar-Free Coconut Carob Bars

I hope you all LOVE these bars! They’re:

Naturally (and perfectly) sweet
Coconutty
Chocolaty
Rich
Satisfying
Healthy
& Super delicious

These would make the perfect snack or treat to have on hand throughout the week. It’s like a chocolate bar but somehow sweet without adding any sweetener, which has made it my new favorite dessert!

Be sure to check out our other sugar-free recipes this month: Curried Quinoa Salad, Easy Muhammara Dip, Rich Red Curry with Roasted Vegetables, 1-Pot Everyday Lentil Soup, 5-Ingredient Buckwheat Crepes, Actually Crispy Baked Chickpeas, Sunflower-Coated Cheesy Kale Chips, Moroccan Lentil-Stuffed Eggplant, and Loaded Kale Salad.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram so we can see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!

Stack of gluten-free and Sugar-Free Coconut Carob Bars

Sugar-Free Coconut Carob Bars

Easy-to-make, 6-ingredient coconut carob bars made without sugar or sweetener! A nutrient-rich, high-fat low-sugar treat with rich chocolate flavor.
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Stack of Coconut Carob Bars on a marble and wood cutting board
4.93 from 14 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 12 (bars)
Course Dessert
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Vegan
Freezer Friendly 1 month
Does it keep? 2 Weeks

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup coconut butter (or store-bought // warmed to liquid texture in oven, stovetop, or microwave)
  • 3 Tbsp coconut oil (melted)
  • 4 Tbsp toasted carob powder
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp maca powder (optional // adds adaptogenic benefits and caramel flavor!)
  • 1-2 Tbsp coconut flour (for thickening // or sub almond flour)
  • 1 healthy pinch sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Stevia* (optional // to taste // I didn’t find it necessary)

Instructions

  • Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend to combine until completely smooth, scraping down sides as needed.
  • Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more carob powder for “chocolate” flavor or sweetness, maca powder for caramel flavor, salt for saltiness, vanilla for vanilla flavor, or coconut butter for creaminess. If it appears too liquidy, add an additional 1 Tbsp (9 g // as recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) coconut flour. You’re looking for a pourable liquid, but not too watery.
  • Pour into cupcake liner molds, a lined loaf pan, or silicone chocolate molds like these or these, and let cool until firm. Depending on the temperature of your home, they may solidify at room temperature. If not, carefully transfer to the refrigerator until firm. Then remove from molds and enjoy. Because coconut butter chilled has some texture, don’t be worried if the tops of your bars have a bit of ridging to them – that’s totally normal!
  • Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for 1 month or longer. Let thaw slightly before enjoying for best texture.

Notes

*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
*If you need to sweeten the bars, try stevia. I find liquid sweeteners like maple syrup can sometimes cause coconut butter to seize up.

Nutrition (1 of 12 servings)

Serving: 1 bars Calories: 120 Carbohydrates: 5 g Protein: 1.2 g Fat: 11.2 g Saturated Fat: 9.8 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 25 mg Fiber: 2.6 g Sugar: 1.5 g

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  1. mary erickson says

    Oh thank you, thank you!! I have LPR and my heartburn diet says NO to chocolate but I can have carob. Plus I’ve had to quit coffee. I can hardly wait to try this recipe because I know it’s going to be great!! Except I have to sub the maca with natural peanut butter. I love carob!! Thank you. You made my diet more exciting!!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so happy to be able to help, Mary! Those are some tough changes to make. We hope you LOVE these bars!

  2. Ann says

    This looks awesome! I just want to confirm the nutrition data is for one whole candy bar rather than one serving within a candy bar. In other words 10 grams of saturated fat in one whole candy bar. Thanks!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Ann, thanks for checking! We recalculated and got a similar number, though slightly less (9.4 grams total fat and 8.2 grams saturated fat per serving).

  3. Mtn Mama says

    I don’t usually comment on recipes, but I felt that I had to let you know that I make these bars all of the time and love them. I am gluten free and vegan and also wanted to get away from chocolate so they’re perfect. I make them in my muffin tin in cupcake paper and have one almost every night after dinner. Thanks!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you’re enjoying the recipe! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! xo

  4. Maryke says

    I Tried the recipe but I am not sure what I did wrong…..the oil (most probably the coconut oil?) did not blend well into the mix, it floated to the top. I had to skim of the oil. I am not sure if it is because I used our own carob and not store bought carob powder.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Maryke, sorry to hear it didn’t turn out right! We’re wondering if it’s possible your food processor isn’t very powerful or perhaps it needed to blend longer to emulsify?

  5. Derek says

    MB:

    I didn’t realize that carob has sugar in it already… :-(

    Now I’m wondering if carob would be too high in glucose for me. Any ideas on if I did straight Cacao butter & monk fruit, would that taste like white chocolate even w/low levels of sweetness? (OR does it really need the cacao powder?)

    OR how about Cacao butter/monkfruit & some how significantly decaffeinate the cacao OR cocoa powder? (Any ideas how to decaffeinate the powder? I’ve heard Wondercocoa is lower on caffeine but from what I’m reading would probably still bother me even @ the lower levels… Can I decaffeinate is more myself somehow? OR purchase SUPER decaffeinated cacao OR cocoa powder somewhere?)

    Also what’s the differences between cacao & cocoa powder?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Derek, there are brands of carob without any added sweetener. We haven’t tested with those other modifications and unfortunately don’t think the result would be tasty.

  6. Derek says

    **(PLEASE HELP)

    My goal is to make a bar similar to a 85%-92% Choc Zero Dark Chocolate bar w/monk fruit for night, BUT using Carob instead of Cacao. (The caffeine bothers me) ALSO I would like to make another bar using honey instead of monk fruit for the day time. I’m fairly new to this, so correct me if I’m wrong but could I simply use cacao (butter/carob power/sweetener) melt & mix & pour into a bar? Or would coconut butter be better? I’m also very sensitive to most oils, especially inflammatory, they give me migraines. I feel comfortable w/cacao butter only because I like chocolate bars, just don’t the the sweeteners most people use, nor the caffeine. PLEASE HELP!!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Derek, it may work better to modify from this recipe, omitting the coconut oil, using carob instead of cacao, and subbing your sweetener of choice. Let us know if you try it!

  7. Susan says

    Another fantastic MB recipe! I just used coconut oil as I do not have any coconut butter right now. So delicious. They hit the spot, without any stevia or other sweetener. Mmm!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Susan! Thank you for the lovely review! xo

  8. Dorothy says

    I made this recipe a few days ago and it turned out well. I used monk fruit extract drops to sweeten it and added some Ceylon cinnamon. To me, carob is about as good as chocolate and is a good substitute for cocoa. I used a silicone muffin “pan” to make carob cups. They hardened easily in the fridge. Thank you for a healthy carob snack recipe!!

  9. Alex says

    Hi I was wondering how well these would melt? Or if you had suggestions for a good melty recipe as my boyfriend can’t have chocolate but I’d really love to make him something where he could have a smore or two again! Thanks for reading.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Alex, these will start to melt above 78 degrees Fahrenheit. For more of a melty texture, you can play around with increasing the amount of coconut oil. Hope that helps!

  10. Jill Fearman says

    THESE ARE AMAZING! So satisfying, these have become my go-to treat with zero guilt. YUM! My kids love them too and I don’t have to endure sugar or caffeine highs from chocolate, total win.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you and your family enjoy them, Jill! Thank you so much for sharing! xo

  11. Megan says

    I’m doing AIP and I can’t wait to try these! Is roasted carob powder the same as toasted? I just bought roasted so I hope it is. :)

  12. Jane says

    You’re confusing Maca with Mesquite. Mesquite is the caramel tasting powder. Maca has a strong and completely different taste.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Jane, we find maca has a caramel-like flavor when only a small amount is used. But it can definitely be strong in larger quantities. Mesquite would likely be delicious here too!

  13. Lia says

    Thank you so much for the recipe, I’m interested in trying it since I’ve been craving some desserts suitable for my autoimmune condition! I have a question though, would it be okay if I substitute the coconut flour with cassava flour? :)

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We haven’t tried that, but we think it would be okay. The coconut does have a slight sweetness to it though. Let us know if you try it!

  14. Alexis Pate says

    Super excited to make this.. i want to do a spicy curry and cinnamon ancho version. Re the coconut butter – do I need it? Or can I sub with something else? Butter butter doesn’t seem like it would work..?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Alexis, those add-ins sound delicious. The coconut butter is key here- we wouldn’t suggest omitting or substituting it.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Madi, toasted will be more rich and sweet. We aren’t sure whether raw would work, but let us know if you try it!

    • hakim says

      hello,wanna ask some question,may i know how long last it best if i place it in ambient condition?can u suggest what ingridience that i should add to make it long last?thanks

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Hi Hakim, these will start to melt above 78 degrees Fahrenheit. They’re really best if stored in the fridge or freezer.

  15. Andrea Reeves says

    These sound delicious :0) I make something similar with coconut oil, butter, tahini, carob powder, ground toasted black sesame, gelatin, and a pinch of salt. (Add anything: shredded coconut, pecans, sesame seeds, etc. or swap tahini for another nut butter.) Everything goes in a bowl and sits over the pilot light on my stove until liquid. Mix well, then pour into mold or wax paper to break into pieces. The tahini and black sesame taste amazing with carob. I like that this recipe has vanilla and coconut/almond flour, I’m going to experiment with that… thank you!

  16. Cristina says

    How many grams in a bar?
    Calories/bar please ,120 cal how many grams?
    I made it. Tastes very good. I improvised a bit next time I will make it exactly.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Cristina, we don’t have an exact grams measurement for the bars. The serving size is 1 bar which is 1/12 of the total recipe. Our best estimate would be about 20 grams.

      • @MaxaBaking says

        Amazing recipe. I made the coconut butter from your recipe first and then made this. It’s perfect. Wish I could post a Pic here of my finished result. Anyway thx a million.

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Feel free to tag us on instagram so we can see the photo!

  17. Emanuela says

    Hi Dana, looking forward to trying this recipe! Just a few questions. Would olive or rapeseed oil instead of coconut oil work as well? Do you think vegan butter (I use naturli) instead of coconut butter would work?
    Do the bars need to be refrigerated at all times or do they hold at room temperature?

    Sorry for the many questions! Thanks!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      They do OK at room temperature. I wouldn’t suggest the changes you’re considering. It will completely alter the flavor and texture, especially if you go with vegan butter.

  18. Bev says

    I had to make some dietary changes and I’m not able to eat some of the things I absolutely enjoy. Foods like chocolate, mint, coffee, and garlic-so I’m working on the changes and I like the carob switch for the cocoa and chocolate. It’s actually very good and it would be great if you add some to your recipe collection. I can change the chocolate in the BB Brownies to carob. Thanks, I enjoy your recipes.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks so much for the lovely review, Bev. Sorry to hear you have to avoid some of your favorite foods, but we’re so happy you are finding alternatives! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo

  19. Heather says

    Thank you so much for this recipe! My daughter is doing the Auto-immune Protocol in order to figure out food allergies, and not having sweets is tough. This recipe works for this strict diet + it is really tasty! I left out the maca (not allowed), vanilla (vanilla powder is allowed, but expensive) + stevia (not allowed) and used 2 Tbsp of the coconut flour. I don’t have molds, so I just poured the mixture onto parchment set into a lid (to give it some boundaries) and put it into the fridge. Half an hour later, I broke it into pieces (like candy bark). This is an AIP win! We’ll be making it again + again. Thank you so much!! :)

  20. Betty Mac says

    I haven’t made your recipe using carob yet, because I just found it.What I did want to say was that we have grown our own carob tree.It has taken several years to mature but finally, last year, we had pods.We have dried them and ground up the pods and have about a medium sized jar of powder waiting to be used.Quite exciting!

  21. Rachel says

    I was wondering why it’s only good for 2 weeks refrigerated. I assumed it’s similar to chocolate bars which last longer and can be kept room temperature.

  22. Alexandra Hebden says

    Hello, would this work if you just had mixed everything together? We are currently without a blender or processor!

  23. Piper says

    What a relief to find this recipe!
    I just have a question, though:
    When you say “Makes X bars,” what-size bars do you mean? (How many ounces of candy does one recipe produce?) I just purchased some candy bar molds that hold 2.7 oz each; how many molds would one recipe fill? Or, what size mold would you recommend for one batch?
    Thanks so much; please keep those carob recipes comin’!

      • Piper says

        It does!
        Woof! Those are some monster bars; thank you!
        This actually prompts another question, though:
        Would this recipe make carob pieces that hold up as, say, chips/morsels in baked goods, or would the resulting mix require some special treatment first? (And carob doesn’t need tempering, does it?)
        Thank you again!

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Hi Piper, we think they would melt in baked goods, but we haven’t tried it! And we aren’t aware of it needing any tempering. Hope that helps!

  24. Bryan Kimmel says

    I made this and used a little date sugar and cinnamon and insteam of coconut flour used tiger nut flour. I will make it again and use cassava flour a little less grainy. Very good thank you for the recipie.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks so much for the lovely review, Bryan. We are so glad you enjoyed them! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo

  25. Joanna says

    This is a wonderful recipe, I added a tab and a half of maple syrup and put them into small rectangular silicon chocolate moulds and put a blanched almond on the top. I used creamed coconut, I think that is the same thing as coconut butter. it comes in a block and melts nicely, very sweet? They Look very attractive and have a unique flavour with the carob. A box of these would be great as a Christmas gift instead of chocolates as they could be decorated with pumpkin seeds as petals to make a flower shape or ground or whole pistachios to give some colour and sprinkled with desicated coconut. Lots of creative possibilities. Many thanks.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hmm, we haven’t tested anything other than coconut butter. Perhaps melted cacao butter?

    • Amber says

      We gently heat unsweetened and unsalted almond butter (instead of coconut butter) with the coconut oil only until it’s smooth, thinner, and easily stirrable/pourable. My son doesn’t really like much coconut flavor and this substitution works for him. (He also likes half sunbutter and half almond butter in this recipe. He’s somewhat more accustomed to natural foods with a restricted diet, though, so not quite a typical thirteen year old.)

  26. Marie says

    Would this work in the blender instead of food processor? My food processor is currently unavailable.

      • Marie says

        The blender worked great! However I didn’t have coconut butter because I couldn’t find it at the store. I used natural peanut butter hoping for the best, needed the extra sweetener, and the peanut butter didn’t set up properly. Put it in freezer for a faster hardening time, but it softened pretty fast after taking it out. I’ll take another look for the coconut butter when I’m out again and not in such a hurry.

  27. Rosa says

    Hi there! I tried this recipe without coconut butter just used des. coconut and no food processor as my kids are all asleep! Used almond meal instead of maca powder and put some gluten free rice puffs in. It’s just awesome I could eat it out of the bowl! Only added a tiny few drops of maple syrup and Mmmmm mmmm so good my kids will love me tomorrow! Healthyish school treats yay! :) Thanks for the recipe

  28. Deborah says

    I have a question. I can’t find toasted carob powder anywhere, only carob powder. Will this work?

  29. Markus says

    I’m sure this recipe is delicious. I wonder how the bars get hard. I made some with carob powder and bananas and a blender, but they only get hard if they are frozen, so my question is, how to make them hard without a freezer? I don’t know if coconut oil makes them hard, but If coconut oil is the only ingredient that makes them hard, how could I make them hard without coconut oil or any oils or fats? I’m trying to make oil free sugar free salt free gluten free hard vegan carob bars. Thank you very much!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Markus, the coconut oil and coconut butter both harden in the refrigerator (and potentially at room temperature). Adding the banana could cause them to not harden. We aren’t sure of other ways to make them hard without oils or freezing. If you come up with something, we would love to hear!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      It will depend on the temperature of your room. If your room tends to be warmer, it is best to store in the fridge. It may melt slightly on your fingers, but not significantly. Hope that helps!

  30. Andrea says

    For two medical reasons, I can’t have chocolate. However I didn’t think I liked carob very much until I tried this recipe! They’re the nearest to chocolate that I’ve found so far (I didn’t add maca).

    Just awesome! Thank you :)

  31. Emma says

    I used a liquid carob syrup that we have in Australia. It made the texture weird and not like it should be . Next time I’ll use the powder .

  32. Jasmine says

    Caron is high sugar and not the good slow releasing glucose, it is sucrose. Why would you eat carob powder in a ‘non-sugar’ recipe? It would be high in sugar, regardless of if it were naturally occurring or not.
    Thank you

    • Dolores says

      Carob has sugar but also lots of fiber. Eating foods high in fiber counter acts the augar content when metabolizing food
      It’s not the same when one eats sugar versus sugar with fiber together.

  33. Crimson says

    Thank you so, so much for including this. It’s super hard to find a diabetic-friendly recipe cos a lot of subs are high on the glycemic index, or that’s what I’ve found so far. I forget that GF doesn’t necessarily mean diabetic-friendly.

  34. Tara says

    Would this work as an ingredient for baking? Specifically, in a brownie recipe that calls for chocolate (the recipe author used a chocolate bar made of cocoa butter and cacao powder, etc). Would it melt and make gooey brownies as the chocolate bar would, do you think?

  35. Susan says

    I didn’t like these immediately.But I did find that the taste gets better after a day or two in the fridge and then it’s quite more-ish.Not sure why.

    • Marie says

      Just curious how long these take to harder at room temperature (potentially 72°F currently without a thermostat)? Or the fridge? Hoping to have them done in 2 hrs, but unsure on the time.

  36. Erica says

    I made this last night and it was really delicious!! However is was never a liquid consistency- more like a thick brownie batter consistency. Is that what “seizing means”? I only added the ingredients in the recipe and then just pressed it into a loaf pan. It tasted great anyway- just wondering if there were any suggestions for the next time I make it. Thank you!

  37. Cassie Thuvan Tran says

    Oh wow, I could eat an entire bar for the same amount of calories in a regular dark chocolate bar–with almost a third or fourth of the sugar content! Amazing! Definitely going to be a new go-to chocolate recipe :)

  38. Aditi says

    Hi,
    Is there any other sweetner I could use rather than Stevia? Is coconut butter naturally sweet ? So it would taste like dark choc ?

  39. Ilene Ungerleider says

    Hi, I am the reader who asked about the add-ins. Even before I added them the mixture seized up in the food processor. I cannot think of why. Was I supposed to cook the coconut butter/coconut oil? I ended up adding some maple syrup, a bit of almond milk and then some hot water, but it still wasn’t pourable. I have patted into molds, and will see what happens, but am not optimistic. What do you think?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Ilene. I’m sorry you had trouble. It shouldn’t have seized up – in all my testing that never happened. I do know sometimes when adding maple syrup to coconut butter it can seize up, which is why I don’t recommend it. I added my coconut butter and coconut oil in still warm and it had no trouble. Sorry again! I’m not sure why you experienced that.

  40. Amanda says

    I made these the day the recipe was posted and WOW they were delicious. All the ingredients were so easy to find and not expensive and it was incredibly easy to make! I made a couple that were just plain and then added almond butter to a few before refrigerating and they were great! This will be something I make until the day I die! Haha

  41. Jen Sorochinsky says

    I just made these and they are scrumptious! I put them in some silicone shapes ice cubed trays from IKEA and they were a perfect size.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi! Toasted carob is so rich and amazing in flavor, which is why we recommend it. But if you’d rather, raw would probably work well, too! We have not tried toasting it, and can’t say for sure!

      • Tamara says

        I would think the carob pods are toasted before being ground, so toasting raw powder might not have the same effect, but can’t hurt to try!

        I was also delighted to hear Dana’s started using carob; we don’t eat chocolate so I always sub carob powder for chocolate recipes (including turtle brownies ;), but it’s not quite the same for recipes geared towards cacao. Hope to try this!

  42. Jeff Stroud says

    Hey I will have to try these! I just may make the with Coco powder, because that is what I have.
    I had to go look for your blog, I saw it on Instagram last night but it hasn’t appeared in my email.

  43. Ilene says

    These look great and I am going to make them for a carob loving friend. Is there any reason not to add somethings in like nuts or dried fruits?

  44. Aggie says

    Thanks for this awesome recipe! Just made, and it is just perfect. I am gluten free and can’t eat chocolate so go me it’s like being able to have a chocolate bar! Next will double the recipe!!

    • Elle says

      April,

      I’m not Dana, and I haven’t tried the gelatinzed, but I think either would work since they are both powdered. It’s my understanding that the gelatinized is just maca that has undergone a process to remove the starch and it’s also cooked. Since you’re not cooking the maca in this recipe, I would imagine that they’re quite interchangeable due to the rendered product being the same (powder.)

      Don’t hate me if it doesn’t work ;)

  45. Laura Dembowski says

    I am allergic to chocolate so I work with carob quite frequently and have made some awesome decadent desserts and healthy treats with it. I often crave a plain old chocolate bar, so I cannot wait to try this!

  46. Lena says

    THese are DELICIOUS! I’ve had a bag of carob powder burning a hole in my pantry so I made these ASAP. These make a great energy snack while I’m in class or when I usually go for a chocolate bar at work. Thanks!!

  47. Jordan McGregor says

    Thanks Dana! My mother had her thyroid removed a number of years back and it has had an effect on her hormone balance. This is the first time that I have heard of carob powder and after reading this article I researched more about the positive benefits of carob powder with thyroid function and it was very eye-opening! I forwarded this article on to my mother so that she can have a sweet treat that will also benefit her thyroid. Thanks!

  48. Lianne says

    This looks great, and I have juuuust about everything in my pantry. I did just find an unopened bag of carob chips, and wanted to do something with them. Do you think i could melt them down instead of using carob powder? Would i need to cut down on the amount of coconut butter?

  49. Cecilie says

    OMG Yes!! I do not actually like cacao or the taste of chocolate, but I am crazy about carob, so I am definitely going to make these! Thank you for this recipe, Dana, when I saw it in my inbox, I knew it was made for me :D

  50. Sara says

    Is there any nutrition lost in the toasted carob powder over raw carob powder? These look delicious! I hope to try them very soon! Thanks for sharing so many awesome recipes.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      I’m sure there is, but the flavor of toasted is so rich and amazing. But if you’d rather, raw would probably work well, too!

  51. Lisa says

    Carob is a blast from my past when I worked at a health food store! Such a great substitute for people with a caffeine sensitivity, and it boasts some health benefits, too, similar to dark chocolate. Thanks for this recipe!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      I think so. The texture would be smoother and the sweetness wouldn’t be as present. Let me know if you try it!

      • Jasmine says

        It’s way sweeter with Cacao butter. And has a richer, creamier and more chocolate flavour. Cacao butter is the best for healthy ‘chocolate’ options.

  52. Daniela says

    I’m glad you discovered carob powder! It’s a great alternative to chocolate! Now….. for something even more insane, use some hazelnut butter instead of coconuts flour, and at the end, add whole hazelnuts to that mix and you’ll go gaga!