Raw Carob Chocolates

Chris from Tales of a Kitchen is back with healthy eats. Raw Bits. And occasional indulgence. A whole lotta goodness is coming your way …

What’s rice syrup? Well, it’s another vegan sweetener, in a liquid, syrupy form. For a while now I’ve been meaning to whip up a dessert of some sort using rice syrup and see what the hype is all about. Just never got around to buying a jar. Always in a hurry, always heading to the familiar shelves, always forgetting to browse around. Luckly, the guys over at GoodnessMeBox recently gifted me with a sample of their April box and surprise surprise.I found a jar of rice syrup staring right back at me. Bingo!

Pros:

• It’s a wholefood, made from fermented brown rice and the label should just say brown rice, nothing else added.
• It’s a fructose free sweetener, made up of complex carbs and with a yum flavor.The guys over at I Quit Sugar approve it.
• I found I need very little of it to achieve the desired sweetness in my chocolates.

Cons:

• Because of the cooking process, it doesn’t contain significant nutrients, but has heaps of calories.
• It has a high glycemic index and might pose a problem for people needing to mind their GI load.

My take on it? Despite the many claims out there boosting its benefits, stating how healthy it is, I will treat it like a yummy treat to be enjoyed occasionally. It’s a sweetener that I’ll use to make vegan desserts (I reckon it would be especially yum in baked treats).

Now onto some chocolate. Although the rice syrup itself is not a raw ingredient, I’m calling these chocolates raw because all the other ingredients and the preparation process are raw. If you’d like to keep these fully raw, you can make them with honey. You can also try making them with maple syrup if you don’t have rice syrup.

PS: The puffed quinoa is not raw either. But come on, don’t skip that. Quinoa is a complete plant based protein. How many chocolates rich in protein can you say you whipped up lately? Chuck those babies in.

Prep: 10 minutes

Serve: 7-8

• Melt the cacao butter and coconut oil using the bain marie method.
• Add the rice malt syrup and stir until combined.
• Add the carob powder and mix well until you have a smooth mix.
• Pour the choc mix into your chosen moulds, add toppings and place in the fridge.
• Enjoy straight from the fridge.