Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Lime "Detox Macaroons"--Little Tropical (& Not Too Bad for You) Cookie Treats

Busy week, quick little post...


I was craving these Lime & Coconut Macaroons by Jill Dupleix that I love to eat but I am trying to limit my processed sugar and use more natural sweeteners. Then I saw these "Detox Blonde Macaroons" on Oh She Glows, (a great site for vegan recipes and baked goods) that apparently originated as a raw cookie treat on another blog called Healthy Hoggin (also looks like an excellent site for healthy recipes), and I thought they would be fun to try adding some lime zest and juice to the coconut for my favorite tropical pairing.


Lime "Detox Macaroons"
Adapted from Oh She Glows & Healthy Hoggin'
(Makes about 30 macaroons)

2 2/3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut (to make coconut butter) or 1 cup coconut butter
2 (additional) cups shredded unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 vanilla bean
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
zest of two limes and juice of 1 lime

Preheat the oven to 300F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a food processor, process 2 and 2/3 cups of shredded coconut for about 8-10 minutes until coconut butter forms. (You will have to keep scraping down the sides of the bowl to get an even consistency.) Alternatively, you can use 1 cup of store bought coconut butter.

Once you have made the coconut butter, mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.

Scoop about 1-2 tbsp of dough onto a baking sheet. (I used my mini ice cream scoop which rounded equals about 1 1/2 tablespoons.) You don’t have to leave much room in between macaroons as they do not spread out. Bake for 23-25 minutes at 300F. Watch them closely after about 22-23 minutes. The bottoms of my macaroons will be slightly golden in color.

Allow the macaroons to sit for about 30 minutes so they can firm up. If you do not do this, the macaroons will crumble, so this step is crucial! Store in the fridge for up to 5 days in a sealed container.


Notes/Results: A fun little treat. The flavor was good--and had just the right amount of lime. Texturally they were a bit dry and crumbly so I need to fiddle with that a bit. I did make my own cocoa butter and it took quite some time in my food processor (about 10 minutes) and it may have been the consistency I finally got it to, so I think I might try store-bought cocoa butter on the next go round and see if there is a difference--or not get as impatient and process it longer! ;-P (I might also try them in my dehydrator which is how Healthy Hoggin' makes them.) After the macaroons sat for the 30 minutes, I shot a few quick photos and packed them up into three small containers, keeping one for myself and taking the other two to a couple of my macaroon-loving friends--where they were happily received. ;-) For a few simple, and healthier-choice ingredients, these are an easy, tangy-sweet tropical cookie that I will make again.

9 comments:

  1. I love having treats on hand to snack on, and more the better if they're not so bad for me! The tropical flavors would make me so happy right now. I'm craving a little bit of summer.

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  2. Love this coconut flavored snacks, gud pics!

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  3. I just recently discovered the Oh She Glows site and I love it. Up until this point I had heard of coconut oil, but not coconut butter. This sounds like a fun and exciting little cookie!

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  4. These do indeed sound quite good ... love the lime and coconut. Vibrant, fresh flavors!

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  5. Kat--thanks!

    Joanne--these will put you in that tropical frame of mind. ;-)

    Soumya--Thank you!

    Kim--If you put your coconut oil in a cool dark place it will become coconut butter--just two different forms of the same thing--the oil just solidifies at a certain temperature.
    ;-)

    Maria--thank you--it's a favorite flavor combo of mine. ;-)

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  6. Oh, Deb!!! I love these!! I'm a bit partial to anything lime, but these just look so good. I'm working on that swim suit figure... kind of, so these just may hit the spot. THanks!

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  7. I think these 'detox' macs sound so tangy and light! I thought of you this morning during the potential tsunami surge in Hawaii and am praying that you are OK, Deb!

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  8. These look like yummy little treats! I just came across two bags of coconut that I need to quickly use up and the coconut butter sounds delicious! Didn't know you could make it this way.

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