Coconut Macaroons

Need a quick last minute cookie for Christmas??Try these! I found some delicious little treats at Whole Foods and I fell in love with them. They are called “Snacaroons” made by Laughing Giraffe. They are these little raw, vegan coconut mounds with various flavors. Whole Foods isn’t close but I found them online also. However, they are pretty pricey so I decided to try my own little version. Result = fantastic! These are just slightly baked so they have a nice little crunch but still a gooey texture inside. I made a variety of flavors with the same base ingredients and will probably experiment more. If you like coconut macaroons, you will love these gluten free, dairy free version (note, mine are not vegan as they do have egg whites)! This recipe makes about 24 small cookies

Base

12 oz of unsweetened coconut flakes (I like Bob’s Red Mill)

¼ cup coconut oil

1 Tbsp almond paste (or additional coconut oil)

1 egg white (you could use egg replacer with a little experimentation)

¼ cup almond milk or coconut milk

1 tsp sea salt

¼ cup raw coconut sugar (regular sugar will work)

Mix ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until well blended. This will be your base. To make plain macaroons, form mixture into small cookies using a scoop and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes. Watch closely to make sure the coconut does not burn. Drizzle with melted chocolate if desired.

Here are a few variations I’ve tried to so far:

Amaretto Cherry

1/3 of the base mixture

¼ cup cherries, finely chopped

1 tsp Amaretto liquor (you can omit this if desired)

Mix together and bake according to base directions.

Pumpkin Pie

¼ cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp maple syrup

1/3 of the base mixture

Mix together and bake according to base directions.

Caramel

2 Tbsp caramel sauce (homemade or store bought)

1 tsp maple syrup

1/3 of the base mixture

Mix together and bake according to base directions.

Other variations: Cranberry Orange – add in 1 tsp orange zest, 1 tsp minced cranberries, 1 tsp orange juice to 2 cups of the base mixture. Caramel Bailey’s – add in 1 tsp of Bailey’s liqueur to the caramel version. Peanut Butter – add 2 tsp peanut butter or almond butter to the base mixture. 

Chocolate Caramel Dipped Graham Crackers

I am not a huge fan of sugar cookies. They are a LOT of work and I haven’t been able to create a GF recipe that works. Plus I don’t like icing (I know weird). I do love graham crackers though! They too are some work BUT they are very good homemade! This year I decided to do a different take on a cookie cutout and use my graham cracker recipe. I made some homemade caramel sauce (SO good!) and some chocolate sauce to dip the crackers in. They are so delicious! Sprinkle on a little sea salt for even more flavor!

Graham Crackers – see my recipe for GF version here! (cut into shapes or just squares)

Caramel Sauce

1 Tbsp butter (I use Earth Balance DF)

½ cup sugar (I like the dark coconut sugar)

1 tsp almond milk

Chocolate Sauce

2 squares of chocolate baking squares (I used unsweetened natural chocolate)

1 Tbsp honey (if you are using sweetened chocolate, you can leave this out)

1 Tbsp almond milk

•  In a sauce pan, combine caramel sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. 
• Quickly (and carefully) dip graham crackers into caramel sauce. I find the best way to do this is to use tongs or forks. Place dipped crackers onto a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Let chill for about 30 minutes. 
• In a sauce pan, combine chocolate sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil stirring constantly until chocolate is melted. Dip caramel coated crackers into chocolate sauce (or you could drizzle the chocolate over the top). 
• Return dipped crackers onto lined baking sheet and let chill for about 20 minutes. Store in a sealed container. 
• NOTE: This caramel sauce is also great over ice cream or for whatever you would use caramel sauce for!