Soy free, Milk free, Cane sugar free chocolate chips

Actually, these chocolate (or carob) chips are pretty darn healthy -- at least in moderation. One of the main ingredients is coconut oil, and if you've done some research on coconut oil, you've found that a lot of hype is going on about this oil. It is one of the few non-animal sources of rich saturated fat, and I have read that the research is showing that the saturated fat in coconut oil has almost the opposite effect on the body that animal saturated fat has -- even promoting weight loss! Then there's the antioxidants in the cocoa powder.

These chocolate chips are extremely rich with a taste that is very slightly sweet. I made mine with Agave nectar instead of cane sugar, and I must say that I have to practice restraint not to grab a few to munch on every time I walk by the fridge. Here's the recipe:

Chocolate (or carob) Chips

1 cup coconut oil

1 cup cocoa or carob powder

3 Tbsp sweetener -- I used agave nectar. (The recipe says you can substitute 3 scoops stevia extract or to taste)

2tsp vanilla

Melt coconut over very low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in carob, sweetener, and vanilla. Pour mixture into pan (8x8 works well -- I used some parchment paper underneath the mixture for an easy clean-up). Place in refrigerator or freezer until solid. Remove from pan and cut into chunks of desired size. Store in a cool place until ready to use (I think storing in the fridge works best).

I used these in a couple batches of gluten free cookies for Eli and still have some left over!

I used a square, plastic container to pour my "liquid chips" into. The parchment paper allows you to pull it out easily and cut the chips without worrying about the sides of the container.

Unfortunately I used most of my chips before taking a picture of them (it made about three cups), but here are a few of them.

And I know these aren't the prettiest cookies ever (they do taste great, and my six-year-old loves them), but it gives you a view of the chips baked in cookies.