Paleo Coconut Macaroons

2012-12-05
No one seems to be indifferent about coconut, they either love it or hate it. My hope is that you love coconut as much as I do. One of my favorite baked desserts is coconut macaroons. My grandfather used to send my family Florida oranges and grapefruits each winter. They would come with a box of macaroons dipped in chocolate. Recently, I had one at a restaurant, and I realized how much the sugary taste overpowered the coconut taste. Unsweetened coconut was something that I didn’t discover until I started dabbling in the world of Paleo cooking. It is still delicious, and so much better than the sweetened stuff. The little bit of honey and vanilla adds plenty of sweetness, and the little bit of chocolate is a slightly bitter contrast. If you aren’t ready for unsweetened chocolate, a small amount of semisweet won’t destroy the recipe (or your waistline). 🙂

A note about unsweetened coconut: it comes in very fine shreds and slightly large flakes. I have made these with both. With the larger flakes I chopped them a little bit on a cutting board to make them easier to make into little balls. I prefer the finely shredded, and my husband prefers the flakes. I’m willing to compromise, or just make them twice as often.

Ingredients

  • whites of 2 eggs
  • 2 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut
  • 1/4 cup raw honey
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1-2 oz unsweetened chocolate

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • 2. Whisk the egg whites and honey for about a minute
  • 3. Whisk in the vanilla and salt
  • 4. Add unsweetened coconut and stir until well incorporated
  • 5. Chill coconut mixture for 30 minutes
  • 6. Spoon about a teaspoon of coconut mixture onto parchment-lined cookie sheets (leave a little bit of space, but they won’t change very much in size)
  • 7. Cook for about 10-13 minutes or until slightly brown on top
  • 8. While macaroons cool, place chopped unsweetened chocolate on a double boiler
  • 9. Stir chocolate until completely melted
  • 10. Drizzle chocolate over macaroons and let cool
  • 11. To ensure that the macaroons bind together, refrigerate for after they cool