Carob Cake Bars

One of my dearest friends gave me a package of Carob Powder for my birthday. At first I was overwhelmed because the only childhood memory of carob is somehow a blur, but also horrible. I just couldn't stand carob when I was a kid; the smell and the looks were awful. 

My birthday is in August and until this day I just couldn't find any good-looking recipe on the internet with carob powder as the main ingredient. Crazy, right? Do people resent carob powder as much as I did? Anyway, I called my grandma for advice and she gave me the following recipe. It included chocolate so I decided to give it a try. Guess what, I am hooked! The carob powder is not dominant in these bars, and I love that it has some fruity flavor because of the apple. Carob powder for the win.

You need:

2 cups milk

2 cups carob powder

2 cups sugar

2 cups self-raising flour

1 cup sunflower oil (or any other neutral oil)

4 eggs

1 apple, peeled and grated

For the chocolate ganache:

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup sunflower oil

Put all of the ingredients in your stand mixer and mix it up. You can also use a hand-mixer, if you wish. Pour the batter into a greased baking tin of your choice (the bigger the tin, the flatter your bars will be) and bake for 25 minutes on 190°C. Once baked, let cool and prepare the chocolate ganache meanwhile. 

For the world's easiest chocolate ganache just put the chocolate chips and oil in a small oven-proof dish and put it in the still hot oven. Leave it there for five minutes, then stir until smooth. Now pour the ganache over the bars. Leave to cool completely. 

Enjoy!

Pecan Date Bars

Hello dear TCB readers! Long time no see, right? I was literally shocked when I saw that there was no entry in September. Not even a Pinteresting post. Wow! A lot has happened since I last posted a recipe. As you know I tend not to reveal much of my personal outside-the-blog life, but I sure can tell now that life happens when you're busy making other plans. 

I am delighted to share a great recipe with you today. It is another vegan, no bake recipe which I love so much these days. Pecans are my number one snack - they are so nutritious and rich in taste you should definitely buy some. I carry a small zip-lock of pecans in my bag as an emergency when I get hungry or need a snack right away. 

These bars are totally addictive. I love them as an afternoon snack or pre run fuel. You can even enjoy them for breakfast if you wish.

You need:

1 cup pecans

1 cup dates, pitted

1 cup shredded coconut

a pinch of salt

1/2 cup unsweetened dark chocolate (I used 80% cocoa)

Gather your ingredients and put them in your food processor. Mix until everything holds together and it is a sticky mess. 

Put the mixture in a brownie pan or any other pan you have on hand (just make sure it is not too big). Press down with your hands firmly. Put the pan in the fridge for one hour to set. Meanwhile melt the chocolate - my trick is to put it in the microwave for one minute and there you have it. 

After one hour, remove the pan from the fridge and drizzle the chocolate over the bars. Let cool in the fridge for another hour. Slice into bars and dig in.