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.
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…
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!
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.
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!
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Banana Walnut Carob Brownies
Free from grain, gluten, dairy, and refined sugar, with egg-free option.
Ingredients
- 1 cup bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 small bananas)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 organic and/or free-range eggs, or flax eggs
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I like to make my own)
- 1/2 cup carob powder
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
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.
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!
Oh goodness gracious! These brownies look incredibly moist! I want one for breakfast…ok maybe two:)
Haha! Thanks. 😉 I have trouble limiting myself, too…
I’m on my third batch of these brownies in this last month. I’ve been getting friends to try them , I haven’t had one complaint. These are great for me as I have acid reflux and I have 2 little squares a day. I follow an acid watcher recipe book and welcome more gets friendly recipes . THANK YOU! For helping me by putting this recipe out to share. 😘
You’re so welcome, Melanie! I’m glad you’re enjoying them!
I can not wait for the carob powder and carob chips I ordered online a couple days ago to arrive so I can make this awesome sounding recipe! Will be on a low acid diet for the next two months so chocolate free recipes, that are also lower in sugar are key.
I hope you enjoy them, Eva!
These are a dream! They look so moist and chewy! I want to bite my screen LOL!
Haha! Thank you!
Mmm I am ALWAYS on the hunt for brownie recipes- I’ll have to give this one a try. they’re my guilty pleasure.
I approve of your guilty pleasure. haha. Hope you enjoy them!
I can’t wait to try this! I have been allergic to cocoa for 50 years, I don’t usually bake with carob. Can I use all purpose flour instead?
Thank you for your time,
Cynthia
I have never tried them with all purpose flour, so I can’t say whether they would work or not. 🙂 I would probably just look for a regular brownie recipe and substitute the cocoa powder for carob. 🙂 I hope you find something you enjoy!
I can’t wait to try these! I have acid reflux and the book I am following for recipes suggested carob powder. Can you use coconut flour instead of almond flour? I’m also looking forward to the carob chips. My name is Gina and I am an CHOCOHOLIC 😉 Thank you for these recipes.
Haha! As a fellow chocoholic, I hope you enjoy these! I wouldn’t use coconut flour in this recipe, do to the differences in liquids/eggs needed with coconut flour. BUT you could totally make my coconut flour brownies and use carob powder instead of the cocoa the recipe calls for. I think that would work better than messing with the flour in this recipe. 🙂
https://raiasrecipes.com/2016/09/perfectly-easy-coconut-flour-brownies.html