Coconut Macaroons
Months ago I bought some unsweetened shredded coconut at our neighborhood health food store in order to make weelicious Date Nut Bites. To say the least, I was shocked when I discovered that Kenya had eaten over HALF of the bag while I was organizing the kitchen, so I couldn’t even make the recipe. When I looked at him with a shocked expression on my face, he said “mommy, I love coco-noot!”
We all know that when kids get their hands on a food they love, they will gobble it up in no time. While thinking of holiday cookie ideas that feature Kenya’s beloved “coco-noot” but DON’T use refined sugar, the idea for making macaroons came to mind. I love macaroons, but most of the ones I find in stores are LOADED with sugar and other nasty ingredients. Just for kicks, I decided to replace the cup (or more) of white sugar found in most macaroon recipes with agave nectar and I’m happy to report it was a total success! In order to make the macaroons even more appropriate for the holidays, weelicious test number two was to place some of the cookie mixture in cookie cutters, pat them down to keep them flat and remove the mold before baking — they turned out looking amazing! Finally, so I could have variety without much more effort, weelicious test number three was to see if I could make a delicious chocolate version without major changes to the original recipe. To my surprise, the new macaroons came out perfectly by adding just a tablespoon of cocoa powder. I love it when I’m testing a new recipe and all my little experiments actually work out so well!
I think you’ll find this recipe to be versatile without added effort and a real treat for anyone that loves coconut as much as my little guy. Happy holidays!
Macaroons
2 Cups Unsweetened Coconut, shredded
1/4 Tsp Salt (I used kosher)
4 Egg Whites
1/4 Cup Agave Nectar
1 Tsp Vanilla
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl (preferably a metal bowl) beat the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes or until they have stiff peaks.
3. Fold in the remaining ingredients until incorporated (the egg whites will deflate quite a bit).
4. Place 2 tbsps of the batter on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet (you can also place cookie cutters on the baking sheet and place the batter inside patting it down with a soon to even it out. Remove the cookie cutter before baking).
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
6. Serve.
*If you want to make 1/2 the batter chocolate macaroons, add 1 tbsp cocoa powder. If you want to make all of the macaroons chocolate, use 2 tbsps.
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Tags: agave nectar, agave recipes, chocolate macaroon recipes, coconut, coconut macaroon recipes, coconut macaroons, cookie, cookie recipes for kids, cookies, cooking for kids, cooking with kids, healthy cookie recipes, holiday cookies, holiday recipes, macaroons, shaped cookie recipes, shredded coconut, sugar free cookie recipes, vanilla
These are gorgeous! I can’t wait to try them out. I love macaroons.
Samosa, is one of the famous food in India. Samosa is the delicious food for those who love potato. This food is commonly eaten in India and Pakistan. You can make it for Lunch and dinner both, plus you can make it ready quickly for tea time. Mostly this dish available with evening tea in India and Pakistan, but you can try it whenever you want. Hopefully you will like it. Following are the easy steps to bake it quickly
Can you suggest a replacement for the agave? I was a big believer of it, until recent reports came out comparing it to high fructose corn syrup? Would Maple syrup work? Or honey? I know that agave does not have a strong flavor like maple or honey, so I am stumped.
http://www.vegfamily.com/whole-family/wholesome-sweeteners.htm
Made me wonder and I found this article. Costco carries a big bag of organic cane sugar and this is what i’ve switched too.