"Chocolate" Covered Flavis Treats
Recently, I partnered with Flavis and they sent me a whole pile of products in the mail. I have not tried their products before but after reviewing their website I was psyched to try them.
First of all, the out of pocket cost is LOW. I know so many struggle to afford low protein products for metabolic diets and therefore, cost is key. I was so pleased to see their prices are reasonable.
Secondly, all of their products are non-GMO, preservative free, and gluten free. To find a low protein, special-order product without preservatives and non-GMO is like trying to find a PKU-friendly entree at a restaurant that does not need any modification (doesn't happen!).
Third of all, the products are GOOD! After much taste testing my carnivore husband even approved!
And to top it off, they are running a special right now and there is free shipping over $50 (until today, usually over $80). Run and place your first order now to get that deal. Who doesn't love that?!
Link to Flavis products here.
Their products taste awesome and are a new variation of my current norm. For PKU, that is a must because it is easy to get stuck in a rut. I love their cookies and felt they are perfect for dipping in my favorite low protein chocolate: carob and vanilla almond-bark.
I have been on a carob kick lately. It is the "perfect" PKU food. Low in phe, vegan, virtually fat free (naturally!), no caffeine, antioxidants and the best part? It is a fantastic low protein substitute for chocolate. There are 9 mg of phe in two tablespoons (1 gram of protein). Another sweet treat I love to use for baking is vanilla almond bark. Sounds nutty and high in protein? The name fakes you out but is is actually extremely low in both protein and phe. Two tablespoons of vanilla-flavored almond bark has 3 mg of phe and .2 grams of protein.
Carob is an excellent example of food that is low in phe but higher in protein, which is why I always count PHE not PROTEIN. If you follow a low protein diet (not PKU) a better alternative for you would be the chocolate-flavored almond bark. The chocolate flavor has 12 mg of phe and .3 mg of protein per two tablespoons. If you are a PKU'er stick with carob.
Have fun with this recipe! Get messy, lick the bowl. All that low protein goodness is the perfect treat around the holidays. Below was the disaster that my kitchen was after prepping these.
Have fun with it! It is a great way to engage kids and get them cooking and thinking about low protein treats.
This kind of activity enjoyed by the whole family starts to instill
the thoughts about party prep in kids with metabolic disorders.
I used the leftover carob and bark in jello molds to have some Christmas-shaped chocolates to have on hand as well.
Coat with your favorite toppings after you dip. Crushed candy cane was perfect! It tasted like a low pro girl scout cookie. To crush I put in my favorite mortar and pestle but in the past it was easier to throw them all in a ziploc baggie and pound with my meat tenderizer hammer. Another topping I liked was sweetened coconut flakes. You could use sprinkles or even dye the white almond bark a fun, Christmas color.
These freeze really well. I store them in the freezer and throw one in my work lunch to avoid eating traditional high-protein chocolate and pull them out anytime we have a Christmas party. It will be a perfect treat for my office party. You can certainly dip anything in the carob and make a higher protein option for others and they won't even notice the difference!
Nutritional Ingredients:
1 vanilla, carob covered frollini: 0.7 gm protein, 8 mg phenylalanine, 128 calories
1 vanilla, carob covered cookie: 0.7 gm protein, 9 mg phenylalanine, 132 calories
1 vanilla, carob covered grissini: 0.7 gm protein, 9 mg phenylalanine, 128 calories
Recipe:
Melt one bag of carob chips and one container of vanilla-flavored almond bark in two separate containers over the stove. Add two tablespoons of vegetable oil to the chocolate. This thins it out and makes it perfect for dipping. I used canola oil.
Stir often so not to burn the chocolate. Using a double boiler would be perfect because it tends to steam the chocolate more than cook it. YOU DO NOT WANT TO OVERCOOK.
In the meantime, crush the candy cane and prep the other toppings.
Once chocolate is melted, transfer both into two separate, deep bowls for dipping the treats.
Dip the grissini, frollini, and chocolate chip cookies in the carob and vanilla dips. I would dip and coat with the carob and then a layer of white chocolate over it because the carob does not tend to thin out as well.
Top with desired ingredients to include coconut, crushed candy cane, sprinkles or half and half vanilla and chocolate. Place on a cookie sheet with a layer of parchment paper.
Store flat in cold, dry area. Thankfully, for this recipe our temperatures have dropped and I could stick in our three season room to harden. Refrigerator or freezer work well too if the product can be stored flat.
Once cooled and chocolate has hardened, transfer to serving platter or baggies to put in the freezer.
