I know that the title of this post has struck fear into the hearts of some of you reading this. (You know who you are.)
That’s okay. I accept our differences, and love our friendship regardless. If you’d prefer to run away and come back later, for example when I post about Friday’s restaurant birthday dinner (which was neither raw nor vegan) or the curry I cooked for my parents when they returned from Japan, I’ll understand.
I have to say, though, that in doing so you’ll be missing out.
Well, look, if I’m honest, this isn’t a recipe that will convert you if you utterly hate carob. If you utterly hate carob the way I, for example, utterly hate orange-flavoured chocolate, then make this recipe with cocoa instead. Because apart from the carob, how can you not desire the ingredients used here? Nuts, coconut, vanilla, cinnamon, sweetener. What’s not to love?
I don’t perceive carob as a chocolate substitute in the slightest, but I don’t mind it as an entirely unique and slightly-bizarre flavour in and of itself. I like the way the butteriness of the nuts and coconut play off the carob in this raw biscotti to create a treat that is firm straight out of the fridge, yet melts into a soft and undulating richness in your mouth. Yes, my biscotti undulates. Doesn’t yours?
This recipe is my entry into Ricki’s and Kim’s SOS Carob Challenge. Those of you who stuck around for the entirety of this post and didn’t flee in the opposition direction from the get-go, I applaud you.
After all, life is best approached as an adventure, right?
Raw Vegan Carob Pecan Biscotti
Based on this recipe from Pure2Raw, as posted on Fitnessista
- 1 cup pecans
- 1/4 cup desiccated coconut
- 1/2 cup carob (raw or roasted, depending on what you want/can find. Or cocoa! Cocoa would definitely work too.)
- pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 15ml coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tb (20ml) agave syrup (or more to taste)
1. Put the pecans, coconut, carob, salt, and cinnamon in a food processor, and process until the mixture resembles small crumbs. Or, you know, is small crumbs. Because I don’t think it’s possible for something to look like small crumbs without actually being small crumbs, much like how people who look like they aren’t wearing a hat usually aren’t wearing a hat.
2. Add the coconut oil, vanilla, and agave. Pulse until combined (I had to add a little bit of water to make the mixture compressible. Make a judgement call yourself – I’m sure this will depend on your carob/cocoa and also on the direction of the wind outside your house).
3. Shape the dough into a log on a cookie tray lined with baking paper, and then cut into strips, like normal biscotti. Leave to set in the fridge for a few hours, then store for… days. I think I had mine in the fridge for almost a week.
4. Eat all of this yourself or, conversely, offer some to your friends with more “traditional” palates simply for the joy of watching the fear appear in their eyes.
thanks you for posting this! I’ve been dying to find an easy recipe for a vegan “chocolate” cookie. And for the record, I adore carob
Oooh, if you adore carob, then I’m sure you’ll like these! You’re more than welcome – I’m delighted that you’re intrigued by the recipe
I want to graph the undulation function of biscotti. Sounds like fun. For a Saturday night.
Carob tastes like banana to me. Not saying that’s bad. It just tastes like banana.
You scientists and your graphs…
(A biscotti graph, though? That I can get behind.)
I can see that, actually, the banana/carob thing. I do perceive a kind of tropical fruitiness in carob myself.
not sure about the carob, but the last time i tried it was years ago…..would be loverly with cocoa though.
This is a must try thanks Hannah
Between you and me, I plan to make this again with cocoa myself
Let me know how you go if you try it!
Oh, my goodness, this sounds totally divine to me! And seeing that it doesn’t have the usual dates in raw desserts, I can actually make this–whoo hoo!! Yay! Yippee! Seriously, thanks so much for entering this in the SOS Challenge this month. Such a great entry.
(And sorry to say that I LOVE the combination of orange and chocolate. . .can’t win them all, I guess).
Oh, Ricki! I’m absolutely chuffed and honoured to have inspired such excitement in you, the queen of inventive allergy-friendly sweet snacks and desserts! I’m always happy to find date-less raw recipes myself, as while I can eat them, it’s hard to find medjool dates that don’t cost the earth here.
P.S. I forgive you for the orange thing.
Aw, same here to have you say that about me!
Medjools cost the earth over here, too, so I usually use regular dates (that is, when I USED to bake with them). And glad we can still be friends–ha ha! If we ever meet in person, I promise I won’t show up with orange/chocolate breath. 
Between you and me, Ricki, I think I’d be so happy to meet you in person that I could overlook orange breath. I can’t say that for everyone in this world!
Hmm, do you use regular dates in raw recipes? Would you soak them first, in that case?
Thanks so much, Hannah (red cheeks!)
Well, you KNOW how much I want to visit Oz! And yes, I do use regular dates in raw recipes–sometimes soak them, sometimes not, depending on the recipe.
Come come come! Just think of how many blogposts you can get written during the 30 hours of travel time!
Oh dang those look SO GOOD. I’m totally making a batch asap!
Thanks!! Let me know what you think if you do!
Oh dang those look SO GOOD. I’m totally making a batch asap!
Looks great
I used to eat carob all the time.
Thanks Fiona! I only ever remember having it as “buds” in lolly-mixes from the canteen in primary school
well I can’t quite come at carob but I could imagine doing these with cocoa – because bizarrely though I am not hugely into raw, I really dislike the crunchiness of biscotti so a raw version appeals – so raw wins over biscotti
I want to try these with cocoa myself
And yep, if the super crunchiness of normal biscotti doesn’t float your boat, these might be just the ticket! (The ticket to the boat? Hmm…)
wow, that looks soooo good!
and per your last comment to me, didnt realize they didnt sell angel food in the stores in your area of the world but you’re right, they probably dont and you’re right, that’s a lot of wasted yolks. lol
Thanks Averie! Sadly, there are about a billion things you guys have easy access to over in the States that we sorely lack in Australia… but hey, you guys miss out on Vegemite!
I had never heard of carob until this post whereby I did some research (Google) and have discovered that they are 100% fat free! Now that is a bonus and I can almost forgive you for another raw vegan recipe
Luxbite does raw vegan desserts, right? Because otherwise I’m not going
My only experience with carob is from primary school. For 10 cents you could get a little paper package of “carob whirls” which were like little chocolate drops. But, you know, made of carob.
As far as I was concerned, they tasted like chocolate. I didn’t realise the horror and disgust that carob caused, and thought it was a pretty good way to spend 10 cents.
Of course, back then my favourite lunch was a sausage roll and choc milk so I think my palate has changed a little. I bet I’m still as crap as lifting up that little flap to stick your straw into the choc milk though.
YES! That’s exactly my experience too, which I shoddily tried to describe in a comment above as “carob buds in cheap lolly bags”.
I, too, didn’t really realise the farce I was participating in. I knew it wasn’t quite chocolate-y, but it was good enough. And a nice way to end my “three chicken nuggets and three chicken chippies and a honeycomb moove” once-a-week canteen lunch
Okay, really, this comment is freaking me out. We clearly had the exact same primary school experience. Those darn too-weak plastic straws that bent instead of breaking through!
The title of this post sent a shiver of excitement down my spine
I love carob (as you say, not as an alternative to chocolate, but in addition to) and biscotti are one of the things I’ve missed since cutting out eggs. Thus, this recipe made me happy. I shall be making it!
Oh Kari, I hope you like it if you do! Make sure to report back!
Well look at you Missy, this actually sounds pretty darn fabulous. Maybe rather than the raw vegan cheese you were going to bring to the party, you might whip up a batch of this here. I wont attempt any raw vegan cooking until our afternoon of baking OKAY?
PS: My invite clearly must have gone missing in the mail…. right????
Cant wait to hear about Curry for the parentals or birthday dinner.
Okay!! I’d absolutely love to make raw vegan desserts for/with you. Pinky promise? (Might do a cocoa version instead, though… and definitely a batch of my raw vegan cookie dough truffles…)
You didn’t get your invite? Oh no! There was a spare seat for you and everything! (P.S. The birthday dinner was my present from a friend, so I promise you didn’t get left out of a big party or anything
)
Let us unite in our hate for orange flavored chocolate! And hmm perhaps you’re right, the best way to approach carob is to not think of it as a chocolate substitute at all. Just a different creature entirely!
Absolutely! Carob is to chocolate what orange is to deliciousness… i.e., completely the opposite
The biggest Hannah-like change I’ve made recently is the regular consumption of Nutella-topped oatmeal. Pretty much half Nutella, half oatmeal.
As for this vegan carob biscotti business, I would purchase it from a store, or I would eat it if you made it for me, but I am not nearly patient or skilled enough to make it myself. The first step is finding out what carob is, I think.
I feel like, having read this comment, I can safely say my work in this world is done. Although, actually, I won’t be happy until it’s a third Nutella, a third peanut butter, and a third oatmeal.
And I would happily, happily make you a trillion batches of these. Skip Taiwan! Come to me!
I do know who I am. And I think as I read the title of this, my shoulders slumped somewhat. I am definitely in the carob hater camp. I hadn’t had any in years, until I tried some a few weeks ago. Had to spit it out, it was so awful. It was something bizarre like carob coated crispbread or something. Bitter, and horrible. Anyway, I read the whole post- how could your loyal public not? And then I found your cocoa suggestion, and thought, hmmm maybe that would be ok. And then, I realised that I had everything I needed sitting in the cupboard except the pecans. And then, I was going out shopping in half an hour anway. So – I bought some pecans. And then I made this! It’s in the fridge right now. I know why you didn’t have a picture of the whole uncut biscotti- it’s rather scatological isn’t it? I’m not going to sell it as raw vegan biscotti to the family- although I suspect I may get more of it to myself if I did. I’m planning on calling it pecan slice. And seeing what they think (they don’t turn down dessert all that often). I made a slight adjustment of course, but you’ll have to wait for my post to see what I did.
Wheee!!!! This post absolutely delights me, Louise. I very, very much hope you enjoyed your version, and can’t wait to read about it on your blog. And yes, scatological fun doesn’t often make it onto the blog (I absolutely just accidentally wrote “bog” then)!
I tried carob once a long time ago and thought it was yucky, but that’s also probably because I was thinking of it as a healthy chocolate substitution…not saying I’d like it anymore now, but perhaps!
Either way, these look yummy!
If you get the chance to try it again, make sure you think of it as “that weird, slightly pleasant, NOT CHOCOLATE powder”
Sounds like an amazing addition to the SOS Round-Up this month! I’m slowly gaining an affinity for carob. I think a bite of biscotti might just push me over the edge into adoration.
I think that’s generally biscotti’s goal in life – to convince people to like flavours they might have been uncertain about
That said, I shall continue to refuse to touch orange-flavoured biscotti with a twenty-foot pole.
See you next post. BFF out!
Bahahahaha!
Whee, fancy!
Fancypants, even?
I love the stuff! I love orange chocolate too though. What about orange flavored carob, would that make your head explode?
No, not explode. Just vomit. Wheee!
Your non-traditional shapes look quite stylish! Like a more modern interpretation, perhaps? I’m also a fan of carob, and feel like it’s very much sold short because everyone compares it to chocolate. It will always disappoint in that case, because nothing like chocolate, other than chocolate! Anyhow, you’ve done carob justice today- These look fantastic!
*laughs* Thank you, Hannah. I had a bit of trouble shaping the log, so ended up with those pointy ends. I like your positive take on the appearance! And hurrah for doing carob justice! Couldn’t ask for a better compliment than that
I’m sure I’m one of those you thought would be scared away. I would definitely eschew carob in favor of cocoa, but I have trouble with the idea of a raw biscotti. I mean, doesn’t biscotti mean “twice cooked?” These aren’t even cooked once! What’s the deal with that?
I agree Camille. I decided to call them uncotti. Definitely not biscotti- which does mean twice cooked. There is a lot in a name though. I made these yesterday. I told the family it was “pecan slice”.
Uncotti! Love it!
Pecan slice sounds WAY more appetizing than uncotti.
Teehee! Yes, Camille, you shared that honour with Agnes and Louise
Also, you’re right. As a language pedant, colour me ashamed of myself.
From the first photo I briefly thought I was looking at some sort of ocean-dwelling clam or mussel. I suppose I left my brain (and heart!) down south at the beach:)
Heavens to betsy! I’m glad I’ve already finished eating these, or else I’d be scared to try them now
With my oven still down (yeah, the new one!) these sound like the perfect thing to make! I love using carob as a chocolate substitute.
Perfect excuse indeed! I hope to play around more with carob in future myself
No, Hannah, I LOVE the idea of this. Although the curry does sound amazing too…
Heidi xo
Thanks Heidi! It might be a while before I post the curry recipe. I made it for the “hearty” theme of the cookbook challenge, and then realised that theme doesn’t occur until July… :S
You know what?
… I’ve never eaten carob before… *blush*
*ducks*
No need to duck – most self-respecting people haven’t
That said, it’s worth experimenting with!
the raw food trend does intrigue me, looks really tasty, i quite like carob but i hate orange and chocolate too
Wooot! Soon we’ll have an army of anti-orange-chocolate crusaders!
ooooh t-t-tasty indeed!!!
Indeedy-deedy!
I remember having carob as a child and really hating it. Iv not tried it in my adult life – I’ll have to give it a go
Just remember… it ain’t chocolate! Ain’t chocolate!
lol, way to put up something I could maybe have just as I am finishing my fast and megga hungry. Looks good, we will have to do a raw food dinner sometime
How was Melbourne?
PS now have a blog. Very exciting. Probably need to post less but have been having a good time with it.
A raw food dinner would be AWESOMEPANTS. Glad to hear your fast is over… much prefer the idea of eating to derinking myself
Melbourne is this weekend, actually! And whee, time to check out your blog!
I don’t even like carob that much, but even I have to admit that these look pretty darn delicious. I love biscotti!
I highly recommend trying these with cocoa then! Best of both worlds
I never understood orange chocolate until a stint in the UK where it’s EVERYWHERE. Terry’s Chocolate Orange? So much fun!
Oh, Helen, I know you didn’t mean it, but you just made my stomach twitch with nausea. Our neighbours used to give my brother and me those Terry’s Chocolate Oranges as thanks for feeding their cat when they were away, and that’s one of my earliest memories of my orange chocolate revulsion…
lol. Oh dear! Maybe it’s like fruit cake. You know you’re old when you start to like the stuff!
I think I’m a lost cause. I’m already sooooo old.
Bookmarked, I am making this today! I actually like carob esp. the chips! Cannot wait to see the curry you made for your parents.
Oooh, and *I* can’t wait to see/hear what you think of this! I wish I could get carob chips here – I loved the vegan version from the States!
Oh my gooosh, these look wonderful! Like fudgy brownie carob fridge-cookies. I don’t think I would’ve even bothered shaping them.
“Fudgy brownie carob fridge-cookies” is the far more appropriate and accurate name. I think we can tell which one of us is the cookbook author
So curious! I think my friends will be clamoring over this. Thank you, Hannah!
Yay for clamouring! I hope your friend like it if you make it!
This looks yummy….you have a lovely blog…I am having a giveaway in my blog..Y dont you check and join that
http://yummytummy-aarthi.blogspot.com/2011/05/chocolate-recipe-and-chocolate.html
Thanks Aarthi!
Hi Hannah! I love your take on raw biscotti – I would have never thought to make it that way. I host a weekly link-up event at my blog called Slightly Indulgent Tuesday – I’d love for your to join in. Your spin on food would be a great addition to the other recipes there.
Hugs,
Amy
Hi Amy! Thank you so much for popping by! That event sounds brilliant, though I might have to check out the rules. Does it have to be posted on the Tuesday? Time difference might make that tricky for my brain
your sweet and savory carob biscotti looks fabulous!
and congrats on winning that cookbook! i got the maple syrup and i’m psyched!! yay~~ 
have a good day! just found you on twitter! mine is “juniakk” at mis pensamientos!
Thanks so much Junia! I’m so excited about having won the e-book, particularly as I don’t think the maple syrup could’ve been sent to Australia! Good luck making lots of deliciousness with your prize!!
Am I the only one who has made this recipe?
I liked them – they are like the raw nut truffles that are so popular right now.
The carob gives these a special, quite well pronounced, flavor.
A nice change to the usual chocolate truffles.
I made them like normal cookies, flat and round.
Thank you for the recipe and for having such an entertaining blog!
Yvonne, I’m so incredibly delighted and excited that you made these! Wheeeee! I think making them into normal-shaped cookies would be awesome (and easier!), or rolling them into truffles… well done you!
Thank you so much for your lovely comments
Visiting from A Strong Belief in Wicker
This sounds great. Will be giving it a try. My post today is a vegan book by interantional award winning athlete Brendan Brazier.
Lovely to meet you! Let me know what you think if you make this
I have now made this for several family and friends, and they all love it. Will be sharing a link to it in a blog post tomorrow. Thanks so much.
Oh, how utterly fantastic!! Can’t wait to read your post about it!
http://www.heatherpearson.com/2011/08/endurrun-run-2011-recipe-round-up.html
Well it just so happens that I’m a carob fan, and the idea of raw biscotti is most tantalizing!
I like your comment about the direction of the wind outside one’s home affecting the food processing =p
Yay! I honestly thought I was going to get more anti-carob crusaders here. I’m pleasantly surprised that this wasn’t the case!
Oh, and that’s what I’m here for. To fill you in on all the little known facts of science and nature and physics that you might not have learned in school
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I love carob. But the whole beans. My grandma used to have a carob tree and she used to give us (and the goats!) carob pods to chew on. yum