Cherry Blondies w/ Rose & Carob Chunks

I made this Cherry Blondie with Rose & Carob Chunks for the first time two years ago. I had received a sample of a baking mix from Eat Gangster and decided to try some of their products, which tasted fantastic and looked really easy to prepare. The mix did not disappoint.

One of my favorite reasons to use baking mixes like this one besides the fact that it’s just fun is that they make baking that much less tiring for those of us autoimmune compromised folks who struggle with chronic fatigue.

Chronic Fatigue and autoimmune issues seem to be one of those insider things that only autoimmune people understand. I constantly see folks asking their friends or followers on social media if they can relate by saying something along the lines of “IYKYK”. But this is one of those things that I wish I didn’t know about. If you have an autoimmune condition you can probably understand.

I find baking mixes like this one from Eat Gangster to make baking with chronic fatigue a little more pleasurable. If you would like to purchase this mix, you can use my code: Foodbyrachel at checkout for 10% off your total purchase.

Recipe details:

This recipe calls for homemade carob chocolate. I use carob a lot in my baked goods to replace cocoa. This is because chocolate comes from the cocao bean. Beans, including cocoa beans are inflammatory for many people, myself included. And I cannot always tolerate them.

This is partly why I enjoy making my own carob chocolate at home. Unlike the cocoa bean, carob is not a bean at all, but comes from the pod of the carob tree. Research has shown that both the pod and the shell of the carob tree are edible and that the polyphenols and flavonoids in the plant may be responsible for carob’s anti inflammatory effects.

Carob has many other health benefits. It’s caffeine free and unlike it’s counterpart cacao, it does not contain oxalic acid which may contribute to calcium malabsorption. Meanwhile, carob has twice the amount of calcium comparatively.

So, if you find yourself unable to tolerate chocolate for any reason, try carob as a substitute and see how much better your body tolerates it. I like purchasing mine from Terrasoul.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of sugar cookie mix from Eat Gangster

• 225g (about 2 small) bananas

• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

• 2 tbsp water

• 60g collagen powder

• 110g frozen dark cherries

  AIP CHOCOLATE:

• 1/4 cup palm shortening, melted

• 1/4 cup carob powder

• 2 tbsp dried rose petals

To Make:

Prepare the carob “chocolate” the night before. In a small dish, melt a 1/4 cup of palm shortening in your microwave or on a stove. Add in the carob powder and stir until smooth. Pour this mixture into a silicone chocolate mold and freeze overnight or for at least 12 hours. Store this in the freezer until you're ready to use it.

To prepare these bars, mash your banana in a bowl with a fork. Add in the sugar cookie mix, collagen powder, coconut oil and water. Stir together until a batter forms.

Remove your chocolate from the freezer and coarsely chop it. Then, gently stir it and the frozen cherries into your mix.

Coat a baking tray with coconut or avocado oil and pour your batter into it. Top with a couple more cherries and a few pieces of chocolate. Bake at 350F for 8-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.