Fudgy and healthy, these Banana Walnut Carob Brownies are a delicious paleo treat even chocolate-lovers will enjoy! With only a few real food ingredients, they’re easy to whip up and easy to devour.

Fudgy and healthy, these Banana Walnut Carob Brownies are a delicious paleo treat even chocolate-lovers will enjoy! With only a few real food ingredients, they're easy to whip up and easy to devour. #carob #walnut #brownies #banana #paleo #glutenfree #dairyfree #refinedsugarfree #realfood

Room for both.

It’s no secret that I love chocolate. There have probably been days where I ate it for every meal, dessert included. For one of my pregnancies, I even ate Chocolate Applesauce Cake every day for breakfast. ‘Cause applesauce is a breakfast food, ya know?

But before my relationship with chocolate I had a different friend I enjoyed spending copious amounts of time in the kitchen with… carob.

I know, there are a lot of people who turn up their noses at carob, pushing it aside for chocolate. But not me. I have room in my heart for both. Especially when the carob is in the form of these delicious Banana Walnut Carob Brownies…

A lone carob walnut brownie from raiasrecipes.com

Chocolate-free childhood.

When I was growing up, my mother would. not. buy chocolate. Or cocoa powder. Pretty much everything I eat with chocolate now I grew up eating with carob instead. Cake, brownies, milkshakes, chocolate chips cookies… All with carob. Yep, even my chocolate chips were actually carob chips.

I can’t remember why she did it, but I’m glad she did. If she hadn’t insisted on keeping our house pretty much chocolate (and dairy) free, I probably never would’ve know how delicious and nutritious carob is!

Top shot of carob walnut brownies from raiasrecipes.com

Health benefits of carob.

What do you mean, you didn’t know carob was nutritious? It is! To start with, unlike it’s counterpart chocolate, carob is completely free of caffeine! Not that I personally mind caffeine, but this makes carob a great option for kids (every mom knows they don’t need any help in the energy department!) and anyone who needs to cut caffeine out of their diet.

Carob has high amounts of macro-minerals potassium and calcium. More calcium than milk, even! It also contains magnesium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc and manganese. 

Stack of carob walnut brownies from raiasrecipes.com

A different kind of treat.

If you’re a fan of chocolate, it’s probably because of the sweetness, not the cocoa. Conventional chocolate always has sugar added, which puts it on the unhealthy-ier side. Unlike cocoa, carob pods have a natural sweetness because it doesn’t contain theobromine, which is what makes cocoa bitter without any sweeteners added.

Of course, just because chocolate has added sugar, doesn’t mean it can’t be healthy. I have plenty of ways you can enjoy chocolate in a healthy way, if you’re interested… But either way, I’m sure you’ll enjoy these Banana Walnut Carob Brownies!

Fudgy and healthy, these Banana Walnut Carob Brownies are a delicious paleo treat even chocolate-lovers will enjoy! With only a few real food ingredients, they're easy to whip up and easy to devour. #carob #walnut #brownies #banana #paleo #glutenfree #dairyfree #refinedsugarfree #realfood

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Banana Walnut Carob Brownies

Free from grain, gluten, dairy, and refined sugar, with egg-free option.

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325. Line an 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper.

In bowl, mix bananas, honey, eggs, and oil until smooth and creamy. Add in remaining ingredients and stir until combined.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes. Cool as much as possible before devouring.

Notes

I modified this recipe from these paleo vegan brownies

Raias Recipes - https://raiasrecipes.com

Landscape stack of carob walnut brownies from raiasrecipes.com

Looking for more delicious ways to enjoy carob… or brownies? Here are a few of my favorite ways to include both delicious options in my diet!