We all fight our sugar craving demons on a daily basis, and some of us also have to wrestle with demons attacking our fragile sense of self-control when we are in the vicinity of sweets. Now, what if I said, you don’t need to fight the familiar temptation anymore or hide those sumptuous sweets around the house. That is one of my coping mechanisms, and I find it really fun going on a scavenger hunt around the house after midnight. Lets just say its something like from the scenes of Walking Dead. Try it and discover for yourself. Since eating anything with excessive sugar makes me miserable and moody, I came up with the idea of making a small batch of sweet treats. Just enough to satisfy yours and mine sweet tooth. Thus, I bring to you a small batch of Coconut Macaroons. If your demons are not as outrageous as mine, you can double or quadruple this recipe. Easter is right around the corner and this would make a perfect Spring treat — you can gift the macaroons as an edible present or serve them as a teatime snack. This recipe is Paleo and has no processed sugar. I am also sharing some different techniques of coating these beauties with chocolate. Mind you, they taste great in their simple form, but dressing them up sexy never goes out of fashion.
INGREDIENTS
- Egg white from 1 large egg
- Unsweetened shredded coconut — 1 cup
- Maple syrup or honey — 2 tablespoons
- Vanilla bean paste — 1/2 teaspoon
- Salt — 1/8 teaspoon
- Ghee/ clarified butter/ coconut oil — 1 tablespoon
- Dark chocolate chips/ semi sweet/ bitter sweet — 1/4 cup
- Lemon zest (click for technique) — 1/2 teaspoon
- Pistachio — 1 tablespoon, finely shopped
DIRECTIONS
Making the Macaroons
- In a large mixing bowl whisk the egg whites until they are slightly foamy. Combine the wet ingredients- maple syrup, vanilla bean paste, melted ghee and salt. Whisk until everything is fully combined. Make sure the ghee/coconut oil is lukewarm and not hot because hot ghee/coconut oil could scramble the egg.
- Add the shredded coconut to the wet ingredients and mix everything together. Let it rest for at least 45 minutes to an hour. The idea is to let the dry shredded coconut absorb the flavorful liquid.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees (F) 177 degrees (C) – line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop the mixture with a small cookie scoop or tablespoon on to the baking sheet. Repeat the process and make sure to leave at least 2-inch space between each macaroon so they have some room to expand.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (mine usually take 20) until the edges start to turn golden brown. Remove them from the oven and carefully transfer them onto a cooling rack. Let them cool completely.
Melting the Chocolate
- Microwave Method — In a microwavable bowl heat the chocolate chips at 30 seconds increment, until they melt completely. Make sure not to over-heat the chocolate and keep a close eye on it.
- Bain-Marie or water bath method — Add chocolate to heatproof bowl that fits tightly over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth; remove it from the heat. Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the bottom of the pan.
Happy Feet: Dip the bottom of the macaroon in the melted chocolate, dab off the excess chocolate and set in on a tray lined with some parchment paper.
Naughty Nutty: Dip half of the macaroon in the melted bowl of chocolate. Then roll the chocolate covered part over the chopped pistachio. Dust of the excess nuts and set it on the tray lined with parchment.
Happy Face: Dip the macaroon face down in the melted chocolate, dab off the excess and then place it on the parchment. Sprinkle a little bit of the lemon zest on top.
Naughty and Dirty: Dip the bottom of the macaroon in the melted chocolate. Dab off the excess then place it on to the parchment. Then with a spoon or spatula drizzle the chocolate onto the macaroons in a zig-zag motion.
NOTES
- Maple syrup: When using maple syrup, read your label. A good quality maple syrup should only show 100% Maple syrup in its ingredients. If it includes other sweeteners or fillers like sugar it is not worth your money.
- Ghee/clarified butter/coconut oil: You can replace it with the same amount of melted plain unsalted butter. If you would like to use salted butter, skip the extra salt.
- Remember — You are the Master of your Macaroons.
TOOLS AND BAKEWARE
Here is a list of all the tools and bakeware I have used to make this recipe.
Baking tray by Nordicware
Balloon whisk by OXO
Cookie/ ice cream scoop by OXO
Measuring cup by Pyrex
