Healthier chocolate chips

My daughter came up with this recipe because her son had to go on a low-sugar diet and she had to come up with something he could have at Christmas while everyone was enjoying their treats and sweets. He also must avoid soy, milk and many of the normal ingredients we take advantage of everyday. This recipe helped him to have chocolate treats so he didn't feel so much like he was left out. He didn't complain because he really likes the chocolate chips.

Here is her recipe and her comments:

The main ingredient is coconut oil, and if you've done some research on coconut oil. It is one of the few non-animal sources of rich saturated fat, and the research is showing that the saturated fat in coconut oil has almost the opposite effect on the body that animal saturated fat has -- possibly even promoting weight loss! You also get antioxidants in the cocoa powder and the agave nectar doesn't have a high glycemic index like cane sugar. It also helps those who have a problem with yeast because agave nectar doesn't promote yeast growth like cane sugar.

These chocolate chips are extremely rich with a taste that is very slightly sweet. Even though I use Agave nectar instead of cane sugar, they have a rich flavor that is hard to resist. Here's the recipe:

Chocolate (or carob) Chips
(dairy-free, soy-free, no hydrogenated oils, low sugar)

1 cup coconut oil
1 cup Hershey's cocoa or carob powder
3 Tbsp sweetener -- I used agave nectar. (The recipe says you can substitute 3 scoops stevia extract or to taste)
2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring

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 my son 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 gluten-free cookies.