Easter candy is the best for the few like me who can’t eat chocolate. There’s some good cocoa free candy at Christmas and Halloween, though Valentine’s Day was a total bust. But Easter is all about jelly beans, mellowcremes, sour candies, pastel sweets, even blueberry Dots (seriously, guys, pick up a box of Easter Dots – they’re fruity goodness).
A few steps away from the jelly beans, however, are tons of chocolate goodies, mocking me for being unable to eat them. All the staples like Snickers are available in egg shapes; there are Kit Kat bunny ears, and Mom’s favorite Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs. She’s kind enough to not eat them, as the smell of chocolate is enough to drive me up the wall, as I crave it and worry about its presence all at once.
Life has been kind of empty without chocolate and Easter is definitely empty without peanut butter eggs. I’ve thought about trying carob for at least a year now. Even though I knew it was in no way related to chocolate, I was afraid I would be allergic to it too. A bag finally found its way into my grocery cart about a month ago. Then I stared at the bag for awhile before finally trying a chip. I survived!
It was time to make a special treat with carob chips. Considering the season, there was no better treat to make than peanut butter eggs.
Making these Carob Peanut Butter Eggs is kind of messy. Okay, it’s really messy, but it’s so much fun. This would be a great thing to make with kids. You could also substitute any kind of chocolate or white chocolate you like for carob. This is a very flexible recipe, but carob is really worth a try if you’re feeling adventurous.
Maybe it’s just because I’ve been craving chocolate for so long, but I thought these were out of this world fantastic. After a bite or two to get used to the assertiveness of the carob that is surprisingly similar in flavor to bittersweet chocolate, I was in peanut butter egg heaven. The bite of the carob, the creamy, slightly sweetened peanut butter filling. I used Skippy peanut butter here so that I was assured the filling wouldn’t separate. It added great flavor, texture, and stability. I think these are even better than the store bought version. I can’t wait to work with carob more often. And I hope the Easter bunny adds some of these Carob Peanut Butter Eggs to my basket!
Carob Peanut Butter Eggs
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: Varies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
- ½–1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 ½ cups carob chips
- ½ cup Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine peanut butter and sugar. Mix together until sugar is completely incorporated. Add either ½ cup or 1 cup of sugar depending on how sweet you want the mixture and how thick. I ended up adding about 1 cup. Using a spoon and your fingers, form the peanut butter mixture into egg shapes. They may be as big or little as you would like. Place eggs on a sheet tray lined with wax paper. Once you set them down, you may need to form them into the egg shape better. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
- After the peanut butter eggs have been chilled, melt the carob and peanut butter chips in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave them in 30 second increments, stirring well in between to promote melting. Do not over heat – carob seems to scorch faster than other chips. The peanut butter chips have been added to make the coating a little sweeter.
- Place 1 peanut butter egg on a fork, dip the bottom into the carob mixture and spoon some carob over the top, coating the egg as completely as possible. Some of the peanut butter may melt into the carob, this is okay. Allow some of the excess carob to drain off, then place the egg back on the tray, pushing it off the fork with your finger.
- Once all the eggs have been coated, place them back in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving. Eggs should be stored in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 1 week.
This reminds me of an episode of That 70s Show where Kitty tried to get all the kids to eat carob chip cookies and they all shied away. I had never had carob chips before that episode, and I asked my mom what they were, and she laughed saying how everyone thought that it was just diet chocolate in the 70s. Anyway, I put it in my trail mix or the vanilla kind in yogurt all the time – it’s so good!
They make vanilla carob? I’m learning so many different things about it. It is very good and it totally satisfied my chocolate cravings.
You can’t eat chocolate? That sucks 🙁 But I’m glad that you’ve created a fun recipe that comes pretty darn close! I’ve tried carob powder in a sort of pudding recipe and I was undecided on the taste. I think carob chips might be better than the powder. Have you tried the powder at all?
Nope, I’m allergic to chocolate. But I eat more than enough sugar, so it’s okay 😉 I haven’t tried carob powder yet, but it is on the shopping list.
Yum! These look so good! I love peanut butter eggs for Easter. It’s funny I just got back from the grocery store and saw a bottle of carob syrup. Can’t wait to see you make more recipes with carob!
Ooooh, carob syrup! That sounds really interesting. I’ll have to search some out.
YAYYYY!
I’m like….so excited for you lol. These look awesome. I would totes eat them, like a bunch.
★★★★★
I’m pretty excited for me too 😉 I would eat a bunch of them too! Thanks, Kayle!
These would not last 5 minutes in our house! The BOY loves the Reece’s PB cups!
These are crazy good! And they’re healthier because they’re carob, right? 😉
These look like a great sub for chocolate. I have to tell you that when i was in Israel I had real carob right off the tree. Fresh and very sweet, but not overly so. if you ever find real carob pods go for it!
Fresh carob sounds amazing! I will for sure try it if I get the chance! Thanks, Abbe!
Mmmm!
Thanks, Jennifer!
You’re so good about making recipes appropriate to the occasion (Easter, in this case). I am perpetually late in that regard. These peanut butter eggs look so delicious! The chocolate perfectly coats the peanut butter, and the colors are amazing!
Thanks, Julia! I try to do whatever will people interested in my blog. Actually these are made with carob instead of chocolate, but they are delicious nonetheless!
WOW! these are great.
Thanks, Dad!
Glad you got the carob and put it to work and that it worked perfectly!
Yes, carob is my new favorite thing! It’s filling the void in my tummy from missing chocolate.