The Best Chewy Carob Chip Cookies

Learn how to make deliciously soft & chewy carob chip cookies with this easy recipe. Carob chips are in the chocolate family, only they are packed full of healthy nutrients and they are lower in sugar and have no caffeine. A tasty and healthier version of regular chocolate chips, carob has been a family favorite since I was a little girl!

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Chocolate is Our Go-To

I love my all natural, all organic cooking. There’s nothing prettier and more delicious than a huge salad, farm fresh veggies, and grass fed local meat.

But I so love when my husband and I sit down on the couch, finally for the first time that day, at about 9 o’clock at night and enjoy one of my homemade desserts.

And chocolate is our go to! I like making homemade chocolate bars or homemade chocolate chip brownies, especially around the holiday season. At our house chocolate is a staple.

Learn how to make your own chocolate bars here.

What is Carob?

If you’ve never heard of it, carob is a sweet treat and healthy alternative to chocolate.

I grew up going to the grocery store with my mom as a kid, and I remember running toward the bulk isle that you would scoop out oatmeal or nuts, etc into big bags. We always went to these niche grocery stores that were super healthy, so I never really saw traditional candy growing up (except of course when I would leave the house).

Carob chips were my go-to at that store. Don’t mind me, I’m just sprinting to the bulk isle to grab several scoops of carob chips to take home 🙂

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Carob taste similar to chocolate, if not better actually, and has some healthy benefits too. It is high in fiber and antioxidants, low in fat and sugar, and doesn’t contain caffeine, dairy, or gluten. It is also higher in calcium than chocolate, making it a great snack to satisfy your sweet tooth! Source

Today I am excited to share this gluten free cookie recipe with you alongside several of my blogger friends! Scroll down to see more warm cozy fall recipes from them.

Tips for Making the Best Chewy Carob Chip Cookies

If you didn’t know this already, it will change the way you bake for sure. Did you know that white and brown sugar can be used interchangeably? And that white sugar adds more crispy-ness to your cookie while brown sugar makes it soft and chewy?

Back when I lived in a tiny apartment, one day I ran out of white sugar but still had to bake cookies. So I used all brown sugar and I loved it! Most of my recipes come from either mistakes or not having an ingredient, so you can get ready for a lot more of that if you follow along the blog 🙂

For a fun and light flavor you can also use coconut sugar for this recipe.

More Homemade Cookie Tips

I have been making cookies almost once per week for the past 10+ years now, and this is my biggest tip. Do not over bake your cookies. You want to pull the cookies out of the oven when they are just starting to turn brown. They won’t look done yet, but they will keep cooking once you take them out, so if you wait too long you will end up with crunchy burnt cookies.

The time to bake the cookies may vary per oven, but for me and my oven it is is a consistent 12 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Also, make sure your butter is room temperature before using it. If you didn’t take it out ahead of time, you can microwave or heat it up on the stove partially. Just don’t melt it. It should still hold the form of a butter stick but should be very very soft.

Use a drying rack immediately when you pull the cookies out of the oven. They will cool off perfectly on the rack, whereas if you leave them on the baking pan they will keep cooking.

Can I make these gluten-free?

Yes. I use regular flour in this recipe but sometimes if we have it on hand I’ll use a one-to-one gluten-free flour, so you can just substitute your GF flour in the same amount as the recipe lists below.

We are not gluten-intolerant at our house, but I actually really enjoy cooking with this flour. It tastes lighter and has almost a nutty flavor to it.

When I do want to eat the healthiest grains possible, I use my sourdough starter. Lately I have also been experimenting with using einkorn flour. We make things like sourdough pizza crust, tortillas, and of course rustic sourdough bread. The fermented grain in sourdough is much easier to digest than processed, non-fermented flour.

How to Get Soft Chewy Carob Chip Cookies

One way to get your cookies nice and soft is to use more brown sugar than white. You can even use all brown sugar if you like, but I found a ratio of about 2/3 cup brown to 1/4 cup white is perfect for me.

Another way to make sure your cookies are soft and doughy is to take them out of the oven before they look done. They will keep cooking on the baking sheet. I know I sound like a broken record here, but it’s so true.

How long to cook carob chip cookies

Over the past several years I have found it is best to bake cookies for about 12 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Of course, this may vary depending on your oven and the placement of cookies in the oven. For example, they will cook faster if placed higher in the oven. If you’re not sure, put the cookies on a lower rack so you can monitor them as you go.

Also, don’t forget that cookies will continue to cook after you take them out of the oven. You know they are done with they’ve lost their white color, starting to get brown but definitely not crispy. They should still look “doughy” when you pull them out of the oven. Trust me on this one!

Kitchen Tools Needed

You will need a handheld or stand up mixer. I spent the past several years using this handheld mixer which works just fine. This year, my husband bought me this stand-up mixer and I have to say, it’s so nice to not have to tire my hands out when baking so much!

Small mixing bowl for the flour mixture (technically, you’re supposed to keep the flour mixture separate and slowly incorporate it with the butter mixture. But just so you know, I will frequently just eye ball it for the sake of having one less bowl to wash and everything always turns out great)

Measuring cups and spoons (I like these steel cups and these wooden spoons)

Two baking trays

Parchment paper (make sure to buy it in pre-cut sheets. Makes life a lot easier!)

Cooling rack (optional, but very important if you’re concerned about having too crisp a cookie. The cooling rack allows the cook to cool faster and more evenly, yielding a softer, more chewy final product)

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup regular flour (sometimes we also use gluten-free one to one flour)

Half teaspoon salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

One stick butter, softened at room temp

1 egg

One teaspoon vanilla extract

Two thirds cup brown sugar

One quarter cup white sugar

1 cup carob (or you can also use regular chocolate chips)

The Process

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to a small bowl. Set aside.

Then add the softened butter and all the remaining ingredients except the carob chips to a large mixing bowl or stand up mixer.

Mix the wet ingredients and sugar in your mixer for about 30 seconds.

Gradually add the flour mixture to your mixer, about 1/3 at a time and mix until flour is fully incorporated.

Next add the carob chips and stir until combined.

Line two baking trays with parchment paper sheets.

Roll cookie dough into about 1″ balls and place about 2″ apart on the cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

Carefully place the cookies on a cooling rack to cool. Then, pour some milk and enjoy!

Chef Notes

Make sure to place the cookie trays on the bottom racks of the oven, not the top. You know the cookies are done with they are no longer white in color and barely just starting to turn brown. You will pull the cookies out of the oven before they look “done” because they continue to cook on the cooking pan once removed.

FAQs:

What can I do with carob chips?

Carob chips are good enough to eat on their own, quite honestly. But they’re also good in yogurt with granola, or smeared with peanut butter on a celery stick, or of course, you could put them in cookies. You can use them in baking like you would use regular chocolate chips.

Are carob chips the same as chocolate chips?

Carob chips have less sugar and are caffeine free. They are known as a more diet-friendly, healthy alternative to regular chocolate chips. Personally I just like their taste. We used to eat them by the handfuls when I was a kid 😉

Can you replace chocolate chips with carob?

Yes. However at least at my grocery store the carob chips are a little smaller in size than most regular chocolate chips, so you might want to just use more of them.

More Desserts from the Homestead

Sourdough Discard Einkorn Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gluten Free Dairy Free Sugar Cookies with Coconut Oil

Best Chewy Gingerbread Cookies with Essential Oils

Naturally Sweetened Homemade Mocha with Whipped Cream

How to Make Raspberry Ice Cream Naturally Sweetened

Homemade Chocolate with Flavor Variations

Sourdough Pie Crust

Go Grab More Warm Cozy Fall Recipes!

Butternut Squash Sweet Potato Soup by Harris Homestead Blog

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage by Our Oily House

Harvest Roasted Veggies with Avocado Chimichurri by Justine Marie

Fall Harvest Apples by Azure Farm

Spicy Gingerbread Cake by Lemon Grove Lane

Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls by Hopewell Heights

More from the Duvall Homestead

Homemade Tomato Soup

Best Roasted Chicken Dinner

Sourdough Bread for Beginners

Come see our farmhouse in the summer!

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