chocolate-substitute

Among the many things I’m not supposed to eat after my illness last summer is chocolate. I’ve always had a sweet tooth and my go to sweet has always been chocolate. I used to take a mini candy bar to work every day to eat as my after lunch dessert. Now I take dates.

I knew there was a natural chocolate substitute out there from the very beginning, it was on the diet guidelines the doctor shared with me. I just never got around to actually trying it until this past week.

The only place we could find the substitute was at a local health food store. If you live in a larger area your grocery might carry it. The name of the substitute is carob. You can get it in various forms just like you can chocolate. The girls got me some carob powder and some carob morsels.

I have a Fudgy Cream Cheese Frosting that I’ve been making for years. I thought the recipe might just be the ultimate test for carob.

Fudgy Cream Cheese Frosing

  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 4 tablespoon butter softened
  • 3 tablespoon milk
  • 3 cup powdered sugar
  • 2/3 cup cocoa OR carob
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Beat cream cheese, butter, and milk at medium speed until smooth.

Add sugar, carob (or cocoa), and salt; beat until well blended. I add the sugar a little at time to keep from making a mess.

Add vanilla and mix well. Cover and chill for 30 minutes before using (sometimes I skip this and it seems ok and other times the frosting really needs to chill to firm up).

Frost your favorite cake and enjoy!

I thought the frosting turned out great. Even The Deer Hunter, who is a regular chocolate consumer, said the frosting tasted just like chocolate to him. A quick google will give you more information about carob and let you read the varying opinions about how successful carob is as a chocolate substitute.

Tipper

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11 Comments

  1. Tipper, I have never tried Carob, but have to be careful of sugar. I love the recipe, but so far haven’t found a substitute for powdered sugar.

    1. Stevia is a great substitute for sugar. It’s plant based with no chemicals in it and comes in liquid and granulated forms and can be used in beverages, baking, etc. It’s great for diabetics because it doesn’t affect your blood sugar levels. You can often find it in grocery stores near the baking products. I love it and have used it for years.

  2. I like chocolate but not so much that I would suffer without it. But bacon, now that’s another story. “No, Doctor! Not my bacon! Go ahead and kill me now! I can’t live without my bacon.”

  3. Tipper,
    Even my Peppermint Pillars are Chocolate filled. I love Chocolate, but many years ago, a doctor took me off Chocolate to cure the bumps on my face. My daddy said he was crazy and it went away soon as I got about 15. I recon it was Acne that a lot of folks have when they were young. Anyway, when I was little, we couldn’t afford Chocolate often and that would have been a Special Treat.

    I never heard of carob, I’ll look for it at the grocery store. Maybe it’s because I make a Bee Line for
    those little Hershey Bars. …Ken

  4. Oh, Tipper, I can sympathize! My doctor took me off chocolate 3 years ago. When you get used to carob (which doesn’t take long), you’ll forget all about chocolate.

  5. You know the tongue-in-cheek saying “If you like it, it is bad for you.” It would be better if the message didn’t change back and forth over time.

    I don’t have any experience with carob. We got our daughter some in her efforts to avoid caffeine. But she didn’t like it. Seems to be an acquired taste. But we all tend to forget that tastes vary among individuals for the same food.

    I hope you are completely satisfied with carob.

  6. Tip, I don’t know if I’ve ever eaten carob, I have no memory of it. I’m glad you found it and liked it. I don’t eat a lot of chocolate but I sure do enjoy it when I do!

  7. I love chocolate and do eat some every day. I am sure that dark chocolate with its anti-oxidents is good for me. A piece of dark chocolate every afternoon is a must in my life.
    I know you have heard that the three food groups are white, milk and dark chocolate.
    Well, I do eat my veggies and fruits but chocolate is surely my next choice.

  8. I am do sorry to hear you can’t have chocolate. The worst. I have eaten carob, not bad I have to say. I will give your recipe a try.

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