Chocolate Chip Coconut Macaroons - Gluten-free + Dairy-free

I have no problem admitting my obsession with coconut. I absolutely adore it. If I see a macaroon at a high-end bakery and they can assure me it is gluten-free, I am on it! Sadly, most times I take a bite and it is sooo overly sweet that it actually ruins it for me, I can rarely finish one of those from a bakery due to the extreme sweetness. I don’t think coconut has to be so overly sweetened. It is so amazing on it’s own. Add some chocolate and forget about it, I lose all control. But you already knew that, didn’t you? I mean really, is my obsession really that obvious?

Chocolate Chip Coconut Macaroons - Gluten-free + Dairy-free

I decided the best thing to do instead of always being let down and not being able to finish the ones I buy at bakeries, is to create my own macaroon recipe at home that utilized an unrefined sweetener instead of loads of sugar or that gross canned sweetened condensed milk that many recipes call for. Some recipes actually call for sugar, the canned condensed milk which is usually sweetened AND sweetened coconut. UGH. Hurts my teeth just thinking about it.

Chocolate Chip Coconut Macaroons - Gluten-free + Dairy-free

As much as I love macaroons dipped in melted chocolate, I can sometimes be lazy with melting chocolate. It can be annoying, I hate the mess and really the same flavor combo could be achieved by adding mini chocolate chips instead. Problem solved. If you want these cookies truly refined sugar-free, leave the chocolate chips out or make your own refined sugar free chips.

Most classic macaroon recipes are made with egg whites, I decided to keep that as part of the recipe, but I have seen many vegan recipes that utilize Ener-G egg replacer in place of the egg whites. I haven’t yet tried this myself, so please report back if you do.

Chocolate Chip Coconut Macaroons - Gluten-free + Dairy-free

[print_this]Chocolate Chip Coconut Macaroons – Gluten-free,  Dairy-free, Paleo

Makes 18-20 cookies

  • 2 cups unsweetened shredded organic coconut
  • 1/4 cup local organic honey* or organic Grade B maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or almond extract)
  • 1/3 cup dairy-free mini chocolate chips
  • 2 large local egg whites
  • pinch of salt

*If you want to use raw honey, just heat it up before hand over a very low heat, to liquify it.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl mix together everything except the egg whites and salt, making sure the coconut is evenly coated with the honey (or maple syrup). Get your hands in there, that’s what I do!

In the bowl of your stand mixer, or using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with a small pinch of salt. Beat for 2-3 minutes until stiff peaks form when you lift the mixer out.

Gently fold the coconut mixture into the eggs, being careful not to totally destroy the lovely beaten eggs. Let sit in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Drop batter onto the lined baking sheet, one rounded tablespoonful at a time. I like to really press the batter into the tablespoon, then carefully tap the cookie out of the spoon. It makes for the most perfect shape.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Let chill for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack to continue cooling completely.

*To make vegan try using 3 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer with 4 tablespoons of water and be sure to choose maple syrup over honey. I haven’t tried these yet this way, but there are many recipes online that use the egg replacer instead. Just whisk the egg replacer with the water, add a pinch of salt and add the coconut mixture to it.[/print_this]

 

Head on over to the Free People Blog BLDG 25, where I am sharing this recipe as part of my Restricted Diets series. Please leave a comment there if you enjoy the post and feel free to comment here let me know if there are any other classic recipes that you would like recreated to be gluten-free, refined sugar-free, cleaner, etc.