Double Chocolate Snack Cake

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup brown sugar or organic cane sugar
1/4 cup cocoa or carob powder
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable
1 tsp. organic apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup vegan chocolate or carob chips
1/4 cup chopped pecans, optional
Powdered sugar, for sprinkling

Heat oven to 350°F. Mix all but last three ingredients in a greased 8x8 square pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans over batter. Bake 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Fluffy Banana Cake with Creamy Carob Frosting

Vegan cakes, especially when made with whole wheat flour can often turn out to be either gooey mound or a hard brick. Bananas keep this cake soft and moist without weighing it down or making it gooey, while using whole wheat pastry flour keeps it lighter than regular whole wheat flour would. The frosting is a mock buttercream made with avocados of all things! This just came to me while wondering how I was going to make a "buttercream" frosting for my husband's birthday cake with no butter, margarine, or powdered sugar. I had a basket full of ripe avocados, so I thought, "Hey, it's worth a shot". I had to tweak it a bit to get the consistency and taste I wanted, but I turned out great, and no one at the table was any wiser about the lack of butter.

Cake:
2 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp stevia
1/2 cup xylitol
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup almond milk
3 small ripe bananas
3 1/2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Frosting:
2 ripe avocados
3 - 4 Tbsp carob powder
1/4 tsp stevia
3- 4 Tbsp xylitol
1 - 2 Tbsp honey or agave (optional)
Pinch of salt
Splash of almond milk

For cake: beat all ingredients with electric mixer on low speed for about 30 seconds, then on high speed until well mixed and smooth. Do not over mix. Pour into cake pan(s). Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes for rectangles, 30-35 minutes for 9-inch rounds, 20-25 minutes for 8-inch rounds, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.

For frosting: beat all ingredients with electric mixer on high until smooth and whipped. Adjust sweetener and carob powder to taste. Frost cooled cake as desired.

Carob Fudge Cookies

Coming from a family of chocolate lovers, I learned to enjoy chocolate at a young age. Now that I'm older, not only do I realize the high fat and sugar content in chocolate deserts, along with caffeine and theobromine, I also have a chocolate sensitivity. Carob, a low fat and more nutritious substitute for chocolate, gives this cookie a rich, decadent taste, without the need for copious amounts of fat and sugar to mask the bitterness and make it palatable. Carob is also free of insect parts (yes, you read correctly, insect parts!) and is much better for diabetics.You may use cocoa powder if you want, but many people find that once they get used to the subtle differences in carob, they prefer it to chocolate.

1/2 cup xylitol
1/4 tsp stevia
1 banana, or 1/4 - 1/3 cup peanut or almond butter
1/2 - 1 tsp vanilla (optional)
6 Tbsp carob powder
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp flaxseed meal
1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 chopped nuts (optional)

Mix xylitol, stevia, banana or nut butter, vanilla, carob powder, water, and flaxseed meal in a medium bowl with an electric mixer set to low until smooth and no chunks of banana/nut butter remain. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix well. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet, spreading out the dough a bit to flatten. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Remove from cookie sheet on to wire rack immediately and allow to cool.

No-Bake Carob Crunch Cookies

These were inspired by a sugar-laden classic recipe that had rolled oats. I cut the sugar way back, cut the fat in half, and substituted carob for the cocoa powder for even less fat, no caffeine or tannin, and more fiber. These cookies still have full flavor, though, and are a great treat! I've also used whole millet here instead of oats for a crunchy, high protein change. Millet is actually a plant-based source of complete protein, is very easily digestible, and its high in iron and other essential nutrients. You can use oats if you want, but the millet is where the crunch comes from!

1 1/2 cup date sugar
1/4 tsp stevia
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup dairy free milk
1/4 cup carob powder
1 cup peanut butter (any other nut or seed butter could be used here if you have peanut allergies)
1 1/2 cup whole millet

In saucepan, combine all ingredients except peanut butter and millet. Heat and mix until smooth. Add peanut butter and millet, and stir until well combined. Roll in your hands to form a ball, then press to flatten. Place on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet, and chill in freezer or fridge until set.

Chocolaty "Cream" Pie with Raw Nut Crust

This is a real treat! The crust is raw and gluten free, and can be used in any pie or tart recipe, and the filling is raw with the exception of the carob powder and Roma. Bet you can't eat just one piece!

3 large ripe avocados
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup carob powder
3 Tbs Roma instant coffee substitute (to make gluten free, use 1 1/2 Tbsp brewed roasted dandelion tea)
1 cup molasses or agave
1/2 tsp salt

Put all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth and no chunks remain. Pour into crust, and put in freezer for at least 30 minutes before serving. This makes it easier to cut.

Crust:
1 cup almonds
1 cup walnuts
1 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil
2 Tbsp molasses or agave

Grind nuts in your blender or food processor until fine. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Press into a pie pan.