Carob brownies

May 17, 2014  •  Category:

I did not know we had some carob trees in our orchard . Salah grabbed a few pods and started chewing them, saying that back in Egypt (that’s where he is from), they make a juice with the pods and drink it for Ramadan; carob is super nutritious and keeps hunger pangs and thirst at bay for hours (so I hear). Plus it is a laxative.  Well, I had a jar of carob molasses handy and thought I’d bake a batch of carob brownies (at the instigation of Mia Rosenthal, a Facebook friend). Carob is significant to me for two reasons: One is the fact that it is loaded with iron. Secundo, it smells of chocolate, a food I cannot live without. Here are some carob brownies, made on the spur-of-the-moment, as an add-on to my stash of chocolates. These brownies are chocolaty/carob tasting, with a crumbling texture due to the use of oat flour, yet rich and satisfying and gooey once they get into one’s mouth.

Salah plucking carob pods from the tree (Chouf Mountains, Lebanon) INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup raw sugar (or brown)
  • 1/4 cup carob molasses
  • 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter mixed with the cocoa powder till dissolved and creamy
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1 1/3 cup oat flour (or regular all-purpose or cake flour)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

blog carob brownies   1. Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a mixer; beat till thick, about 5 minutes. Add the carob molasses and beat to combine. Add the cocoa/butter mixture, tahini, orange juice and mix well; add the oat flour, salt and baking powder and mix to combine. 2. Bake in a 350F oven for about 20 minutes or until set. This batter will use-up a 9″ square cake or brownie pan, lined with parchment paper or greased and floured.

Comments

10 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Mariana says:

    I just love carob! This recipe sounds great, so it’s a must do :). But I think of using instead of cocoa, carob powder. Thank you so much, dear Joumana!

    Best wishes,
    Mariana

  2. Devaki@weaveflavors says:

    Joumana dear,

    Carob smells like chocolate and is super nutritious? No wonder it is also used as a modernist thickener. I love that you made your brownies with tahini paste too. Wish I could’ve been there to taste those fantasic earthy flavors.

    ciao

    Devaki @ weavethousandflavors

  3. Pamela tajildeen says:

    Jumana I remember eating these when I used to spend the summer in the chouf mountains . I was wondering if I could substitute oat flour for almond or coconut flour . I have been trying to follow the Paleo diet and unfortunately no grains are allowed. I also thought of trying Mahmoul with almond flour instead of farina. Do you think it would work?

    • Joumana says:

      @Pamela tajildeen: How nice that you have experienced the carob in the Chouf! It seems to grow very well here; in any case, I am not sure almond flour would work for the Paleo diet, it might be too crumbly, unless you bind it with egg whites to make a type of “japonais” (meringue). it might be tricky though. I would try it first like maamoul madd, in a bar form. Easier to shape into bars…

  4. leaf says:

    How nice that you have carob trees! I started eating carob last year and I love it.

  5. Susan says:

    They must taste delicious, Joumana! I can’t imagine anything better than harvesting your own carob to use.

  6. Marilyn says:

    This looks divine and is already baking in the oven… but why is it filed under “salty”? 😀

    • Joumana says:

      @Marilyn: A big error, when I had the site redesigned a lot of data entry was completed in a hurry. Thanks for pointing it out. I will change it now 🙂

  7. Christina says:

    Hi Joummana,

    What can I replace orange juice with?

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