What Exactly Are Carob Chips?

If you have dogs, then you are probably familiar with carob chips as they are safe for your dogs to consume, according to the ASPCA. However, carob chips are also safe and tasty for humans too and are a tasty alternative to chocolate chips. At first glance, carob chips look nearly identical to chocolate chips: small, dark brown tear-dropped chunks. That's almost where the similarities end.

Chocolate chips are typically made from cocoa butter, which is derived from cocoa beans; as the name suggests, carob chips are derived from pods that grow on carob trees. Carob pods are also free of caffeine. Carob pods are naturally sweet, unlike cacao beans. And unlike most chocolate, carob has a naturally nutty and roasted flavor.

You can enjoy carob chips just like chocolate chips. Snack on them by the handful or swap out chocolate chips in favor of carob chips in classic desserts such as cookies and muffins. Depending on what you're looking to make, carob chips are available in sweetened and unsweetened versions.

Carob trees originated in the eastern Mediterranean, and they have become known to be the "poor man's chocolate" at least in Italy — the sweet treat was readily available in the country during war and famine. Since then, carob has gained a reputation for being included in desserts like gelato and cassata, a Sicilian cake.

Carob pods have long been touted for their health benefits. According to a study published in the scientific journal "Foods," carob is known for its high insoluble fiber content, which may give a boost to metabolic health. Carob also has twice the amount of calcium compared to cocoa and boasts many vitamins and minerals.

Carob became popular in the food world for its nutritional content during the 1970s. The so-called "natural foods" or organic food movement emerged during this period, and carob was one of the food items that "infiltrated food co-ops and baking books," the New Yorker notes. Although the hype has died down, carob still remains a popular alternative to chocolate, especially for vegans looking to skip added milk solids.

If you're looking to incorporate carob into your desserts,  or you simply want to munch on some carob chips, they are available to purchase at natural foods grocery stores like Whole Foods. They are also readily available at online retailers, such as Amazon.

While you can directly substitute carob chips for chocolate chips in recipes, you may have to test-taste your batch, carob chips aren't as sweet as chocolate chips (which are usually sweetened with sugar). However, a one-to-one ratio substitution should suffice, especially if you want to tone down the sweetness.

Try making gooey chocolate chip cookies or chocolate chip muffins with carob chips — or you can recreate recipes from the carob craze. According to the New Yorker, some recipes from the 1970s that featured carob included carob pudding and even carob confections. In addition to carob chips, carob powder acts as a versatile swap for cocoa powder for when you want hot chocolate, chocolate cake, or even brownies.