My kids love to help me make this. Again, this is an awesome lunch box item. If they don't eat this at lunch, they tend to pull it out in the car on the way home - so I don't hear the ongoing whine of I'm sssstttttaaaaaaarrrrrvvvvvviiinnnnngggg!!!!! Because peanuts are a high allergen food, I use raw (EFA-rich) almonds and sunflower seeds. Chocolate/carob is not necessary in this recipe. A great substitute is dried cherries, cranberries, or blueberries. Try one of these combos: almond/raisin (simple and tastes like PB&J) almonds/prunes/apricots/sunflower seeds (tastes divine and is a great source of fiber) raw cashews/coconut/dried bananas/raisins and maybe chocolate chips ( Monkey Chow ) almonds/sunflower seeds/cherries/bananas (tangy and crunchy)