Raw Macaroons
Macaroons are the quintessential coconut pastry. After all, they are really nothing but coconut with a little egg white and sweetness added. And, as you’ll see, with the raw macaroons version, even the egg white is eliminated.
Whether made as ‘raw’ or ‘baked’, macaroons are simply delicious. Raw, they offer the full benefits of all the great delicate nutrition of the raw coconut; but baked they are still excellent and excellent for you. (You’ll find the Baked Macaroon recipe in the Traditional Coconut Sweets category in this website.)
There are several good methods for making raw macaroons. This recipe is based on using as much raw coconut as possible and forgoing purchased coconut butter or cream, but you can buy coconut butter rather than making your own if you want to save time.
- Servings: Makes ~ 24 macaroons
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: None
- Chill Time: ~ 1 to 2 hours
- If dehydrating: ~ 24 – 36 hours in dehydrator
Ingredients
- 2 cups coconut butter
- 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract or vanilla vodka (homemade extract)
- ⅛ to ¼ cup (2 to 4 Tbsp.) pure grade B maple syrup or raw honey depending on desired sweetness
- 2 cups shredded coconut
- Optional flavorings: For Chocolate macaroons add 6 Tbsp. pure cocoa powder For spice flavored macaroons add 6 Tbsp. chai spice mixture (*see below) For citrus flavored macaroons add 4 Tbsp. lemon/lime and/or orange zest
Directions: After pulsing the coconut into coconut butter, add the remaining ingredients except for the shredded coconut and pulse until well mixed. Then place the mixture in a large bowl and mix in the remaining shredded coconut by hand or with a pastry cutter or wooden spoon. Combine until well mixed.
Place by tablespoon or mini ice cream scoops on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and either transfer to dehydrator for 24 to 36 hours or refrigerate until firm. If refrigerating, store in air tight container in refrigerator after they set up. If dehydrating, you can store them on the counter in an air tight container for up to 4 or 5 days.
If adding flavorings, add these to the mixture when transferring the mix to the mixing bowl and adding the shredded coconut.
*Typical Chai Spice Mix: 1 part ground cardamom, 1 part allspice, 1 part cloves, 2 parts ground cinnamon, 3 parts ground ginger. Adjust to taste. Add a small amount of pepper if desired.
An alternate variation we like: 2 parts each ground cinnamon, ginger and cardamom, one part each ground cloves and coriander, half a part white pepper.
Other spices to experiment with include nutmeg, black pepper and basil. Adding these three to a standard mix (the first ingredients) makes a classic masala chai. Nutmeg is often added as an optional ingredient in many chai spice mix recipes.
Originally posted 2020-05-29 20:32:57.
