Friday, September 13, 2013

Melt In Your Mouth Carob Sunbutter Fudge - and pictures of gorgeous sunflower fields

This carob fudge came about when I was experimenting with my nut-free nutella.  One batch became very fudge-like after a few hours in the fridge.  I shared a little teaser about this recipe on Facebook last week.  I don't know about you, but I don't do a lot of chocolate for my kiddos.  It's highly stimulating.  For us, chocolate is really a once in a while treat.  But carob...carob we eat often.  And I like that I can give a "chocolate" treat after dinner for dessert.  This recipe really does melt in your mouth and actually tastes (I kid you not) like chocolate.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.
  Melt In Your Mouth Carob Sunbutter Fudge 

Ingredients
-1/2 cup room temp homemade sunflower seed butter
-1/4 melted cup coconut oil
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-2 tablespoons honey (vegans use grade B maple syrup)
-5 drops stevia
-3 tablespoons raw carob poweder  
-Pinch of salt 

How To:
1.  To a food processor add the sunflower seed butter, coconut oil, vanilla extract, honey, stevia and blend until smooth.  Add in the carob and blend until well incorporated.  
2.  Set some wax paper into an 8x8 Pytex dish and spoon the mixture in.  Don't spread it around to all sides too thin, just give it little smooth over.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
3.  Cut into pieces and enjoy.  Store in fridge.  
I freaking LOVE sunflowers.  Love, love, LOVE them.  I love them so much, I had one tattooed on my back!  Sunflowers are my happy place.  They are my go-to calming visual.  I wanted to share these gorgeous pictures with you.  I took them back in June (on Father's Day actually) after a trip from those there hills you see in the background (went for a hike with the kiddos).  We are surrounded by sunflower fields here in Davis.  This field pictured below is like two miles from my house.  If you're not familiar with whereabouts we are located, we are roughly 15 minutes west of Sacramento (the capital of California), and about an hour away from San Francisco.  Even though we are only 15 minutes from Sacramento, we are quite isolated here in Davis and surrounded by agriculture.  It's sorta nice.  Like best of both worlds.  When I want to meet up with my girlfriends for some city action, they are just a few minutes away.  Anyway, very rural here in our smallish town.  It may be rural, but proudly liberal/progressive (thankfully), and houses one of the finest Universities in the State (UC Davis).  And might I add, we are surrounded by some of the best organic farms around.  Damn, I am such a Northern California snob,  My husband and I worked so, SO very hard to land here in this wonderful town, so yes, I am proud.  And I could not be happier with all these comforting, warm and lovely sunflower fields embracing me every summer.  
Swoon.  
Shared on:  Allergy Free Wednesdays, Wellness Weekend, Allergy Free Alaska, Healthy Vegan Fridays, My Meatless Mondays 

14 comments:

  1. Looks delicious Amber! I agree on the carob. My girls often want a chocolate milkshake, so I'll blend hemp milk, avocado, honey, and carob, and they love it! I hope you have a happy weekend girl!

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  2. Emily @ Recipes to NourishSeptember 14, 2013 at 11:38 AM

    Your pictures are stunning! SO beautiful! I love all the Davis sunflowers, I don't get to see them as often as you do though. One of these days we have to meet. We're in Davis about every other month for our midwives potlucks.

    The fudge sounds so yummy too.

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  3. Thanks for sharing your happy place. Such gorgeous photos! I spent a year in Auburn, CA, and we would often drive your way to go to the Palms Playhouse in Winters. Singing/songwriting is my husband's happy place. :-)

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  4. gfe--gluten free easilySeptember 14, 2013 at 12:48 PM

    Amber, I am so thrilled that you have a close-up photo of the sunflowers that shows two honeybees! I just LOVE that! I'm like you about sunflowers. They bring such instant joy! :-)

    And this fudge looks absolutely amazing! I love that in getting to your success to raw Nutella, you discovered this creation. That is often the best part about recipe creation, isn't it? The unexpected discoveries along the way. ;-)

    xo,
    Shirley

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  5. This looks delish... I'm w/you about sunflowers...thanks for the beautiful images.

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  6. Thank you Amber. I needed some happy news this week and your gorgeous sunflowers cheered me right up :) And carob fudge...oh YES! Perfect for my kids and me!

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  7. Hi! It sounds like you live in a very beautiful part of the world Amber! Wonderful photos of sunflowers - I'm a little jealous - the most we ever see in our part of the world is the odd one planted in a pot!

    What a gorgeous and healthy recipe! I'm just about to pin it for later xo

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  8. hi could i use Onc Again brand sunflower butter, and cocoa powder in this recipe? thanks

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    Replies
    1. Yes. Just note that using cocoa powder will yield a much stronger and more bitter flavor, so increase the sweetener. I've also made it with cocoa, but it really needed some extra sweet. That all being said, check your sunflower butter brand to see if they add any sugar. Some brands do add in cane-sugar.

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  • GlutenFreeHappyTummySeptember 18, 2013 at 4:45 PM

    i agree, sunflowers are such beautiful flowers. i love how dramatic yet whimsical they are! So question for you Miss Amber, do you eat carob on the SCD? I stay away from chocolate and cacao, but have always wondered if carob is scd legal? you mentioned it is a "sometimes" treat...do you eat it? thanks! have a beautiful evening!

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  • Hi Amber,
    I'm playing catch up from preparing for our trip and being out of town. This fudge looks so good! I can tell just by the picture that it's really creamy and melts in your mouth. I can't wait to try it!

    I love all of your sunflower pictures! Thank you for sharing them. I planted 2 sunflowers this summer. They are easily over 6 feet tall now, and are SO close to blooming. I really hope at least one of them blooms before the frost hits (it's been pretty chilly here - in the 50's during the day). Last year I planted a sunflower and it froze before I got a bloom. :( Keep your fingers crossed for me that this year will be different!

    Off to pin and share this fab recipe on FB!
    Hugs and love!
    Megan

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  • I'm allergic to coconut. Can I replace it with something else?

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  • Looks great, Amber! Gotta give this one a try. :)

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  • Heather @Gluten-Free CatSeptember 20, 2013 at 2:51 PM

    What breathtaking pictures! There's just something about sunflowers that are magical. They are one of a kind and spread so much joy with their bright, happy faces. Thanks for sharing those photos.

    And thanks for sharing your delicious fudge at Raw Foods Thursdays! I'm going to try to make them this weekend. :)

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