It’s fairly safe to say that chocolate is the most popular dessert item in the world. Many people, however, are allergic to chocolate, or to one of the common ingredients in chocolate products. Erika in Lansing bakes chocolate cakes and chocolate chip cookies, but her mother is unable to enjoy these confections because of her chocolate allergy. Is there anything they can do?

In a word: carob. Carob has been embraced as the “unchocolate” for a long, long time, both by people allergic to chocolate as well as by people seeking a more healthy alternative. Unlike chocolate, it contains no caffeine, phenylethylamine or theobromine, which have several side effects, and it is naturally sweet, so most carob products contain less sugar than chocolate products. Carob products of all varieties are available, including powder, chips, bars, candies, etc., and can be used to directly substitute any of their chocolate counterparts in recipes.

So don’t hesitate to make carob cake, frost it with carob frosting, or make carob chip cookies. Mom, and everyone else, will love them. Have fun baking!