There are several types of macaroons: ones with a fondant center, rolled in coconut and covered in chocolate, ones made of almond paste and egg whites, and ones made from egg white, shredded coconut and lots of sugar. The coconut version is most common in North America, and is probably the easiest to make. It is very simple to adapt these delicious cookies into a more acceptable Primal/low-carb version. Diabetics could also adapt the recipe further to use a safer sweetener.
This recipe makes 84 bite-sized macaroons.
Ingredients:
3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
6 egg whites
¼ cup pure maple syrup OR xylitol, a diabetic-friendly, natural sweetener
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon (optional)
In a large glass bowl, beat the eggs until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the maple syrup or xylitol, vanilla extract, and salt.
Sprinkle the cinnamon into the shredded coconut and mix thoroughly.
Fold the coconut mixture into the egg white mixture and stir until just blended.
Drop by rounded teaspoon (or use a piping bag with a large star-shaped tip) onto a lined cookie sheet.
Bake at 325F for 12 to 15 minutes. Do not over-bake.
Store extra cookies in the freezer.
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Nutritional Info for 2 Macaroons
Made using maple syrup:
50 calories
4g fat
2.4g carbohydrates (1.6g sugars)
1g protein
~OR~
Made using xylitol:
50 calories
4g fat
2.6g carbohydrates (0.4g sugars)
1g protein
Tip: If you’d like, you can drizzle chocolate over top of some of these macaroons once they’re baked. To make Primal chocolate, melt 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and mix in 1 tablespoon of pure cocoa, and 1teaspoon xylitol (or to your taste). This will change the nutritional info, of course.