Raw Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

What do you get when you cross raw coconut macaroons with chocolate? Raw chocolate coconut macaroons, of course!

And something that’s even more irresistible than irresistible, if there is such a thing.

I mean, if you’ve ever tried my raw coconut macaroons, then you’d have to wonder how they could possibly get any better.

But then I go and add chocolate to them? Talk about weapons of mass degustation!

Just add a tablespoon or two of raw cacao powder? Go on, a little won’t hurt. You know you want to…

Nobody will notice… you eating the mix by the spoonful! OMG, so good. So good.

I mean, when it tastes this freaking awesome, why bother with shaping and dehydrating? Just eat the mix straight out of the bowl.

OK, I’ll admit it. These are kind of crazy.

But if you can extract yourself from the gorging frenzy for just a moment, you might also realise that these are perfect for taking to a potluck or social gathering.

If you can bear to part with them, that is. (I struggle with that one, I’ll admit. How could I possibly share them with anyone?)

Maybe you’ll just have to make a double batch. Or even a triple.

(After all, I can fit one batch on one dehydrator tray, with room to spare, which means I could probably fit six batches in my five-tray dehydrator. I wonder how much shredded coconut I can fit in my food processor… )

Oh, ahem, you’re still here? Sorry about that.

Well, at least if you take these to a party, you know you’ll have something healthy and delicious to eat, if they last that long.

And they’re completely safe for most common allergies these days – no nuts, no gluten, no dairy, no soy, no eggs.

So they’re also ideal for school lunchboxes.

And with any luck, you’ll have other parents asking you for the recipe, so their kids can share in the fun too.

Which means you get to share the joy of these amazing raw chocolate coconut macaroons, without having to make them all yourself.

And they are definitely worth sharing.

Be warned though, these babies are not low calorie, but at least they’re packed full of healthy raw coconut fats.

And if you’re looking for an even healthier version (is that possible?), you could chuck a couple of tablespoons of raw cacao powder into my raw date coconut macaroon recipe and have some completely wholefood raw chocolate coconut macaroons.

Go on, blow yourself away.

Oh, I love good food. And I love that these are raw, vegan, so easy and so delicious.

Whoever says a raw vegan diet is boring and restrictive is missing out on so much awesome food.

All the more for us, hey?

Life is good. And I’m thrilled to be able to share it with you.

So anyway, here’s my chocolate infused version of Chef Amber Shea’s detox macaroons from her “Practically Raw Desserts” cookbook.

Raw Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

What do you get when you cross raw coconut macaroons with chocolate? Raw chocolate coconut macaroons, of course! So simple and so delicious.

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Category: Dessert

Cuisine: Paleo, Raw, Vegan

Tags: chocolate, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, oil-free, soy-free, sugar-free

Cook time: 20 minutes minutes

Drying time: 1 day day

Total time: 1 day day 20 minutes minutes

Makes: 40 macaroons (10 serves)

Calories per serve: 284kcal

Author: Nikki, Eating Vibrantly

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups shredded coconut , processed into coconut butter (230g)
• 3/4 cup agave nectar (210g)
• 2 tbsp cacao powder (40ml or 16g) *
• 2 tsp vanilla vodka or vanilla extract (10g)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups shredded coconut , fine (170g)

Method

• Process 2¾ cups of shredded coconut in your food processor until it is completely smooth and creamy. Stop often to scrape down the sides.
• Mix coconut butter, agave, cacao powder, vanilla vodka and salt in a large bowl.
• Add 2 cups of finely shredded coconut and mix well.
• Scoop small tablespoons of mix onto a dehydrator tray/sheet.
• Dehydrate at 42ºC for 24-36 hours, until the macaroons are dry on the outside and chewy on the inside.

Preparation

• Before: -
• During: 20 mins
• After: About 24 hours to dry macaroons
• Need: Food processor, dehydrator (or oven)

Notes

* Australian tablespoon = 20 ml

Nutrition Information

Serving: 656 ( 4macaroons); Calories: 284kcal; Carbohydrates: 13.9g; Protein: 3.2g; Fat: 26.1g; Saturated Fat: 23g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1.2g; Sodium: 76.3mg; Potassium: 269mg; Fiber: 8.4g; Sugar: 3.6g; Vitamin C: 1.7mg; Calcium: 100mg; Iron: 2mg

 Tips

• If you want to save time and effort, you can make extra coconut butter by processing extra shredded coconut, and then use it for other recipes (or more macaroons). This amount makes enough for one batch of macaroons, around 1 cup or 220g.
• Even though the original recipe used maple syrup, I prefer to use agave nectar, but you can just use your favourite liquid sweetener (coconut nectar, yacon syrup, etc).
• I use vanilla vodka instead of vanilla extract in my recipes, but you can use either. Vanilla vodka is made by soaking vanilla beans in vodka for a couple of months, but if you’re not so keen on the alcohol, see if you can find a vanilla extract with a low alcohol content.
• I like to use pink Himalayan crystal salt in my recipes. It’s got lots of extra essential minerals in it, and apparently tastes better too. I figure if I’m going to use salt, I might as well use the best! But if you don’t have any, regular salt will work just fine, I promise.
• I’ve discovered that using finely shredded coconut for the second lot of coconut tends to makes better macaroons than coarsely shredded coconut. If all you have is coarsely shredded coconut, just pulse it in your food processor briefly and it will magically turn into finely shredded coconut.
• Although I’ve never tried this, apparently you can bake these in the oven at 150°C for 20-25 minutes, until they’re dry on the outside, if you don’t have a dehydrator. Restrain yourself for long enough so they can cool completely before you eat them, please!
• These macaroons can be stored for 5 days on the bench, 2 weeks in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer.
• If you want to reduce the fat content of these macaroons, you can substitute half the shredded coconut with coarsely ground rolled oats.

My inspiration

Well, I had so much fun making my raw coconut macaroons, which Chef Amber Shea calls ‘detox macaroons’ in her cookbook, ‘Practically Raw Desserts’, that I decided to mix it up a little.

I first discovered that they tasted awesome with chocolate by smearing one with a little raw chocolate coconut butter. The combination worked so well, that I just had to try adding some cacao powder to the mix. In the name of science, of course!

And the rest is history.

Want to make even more amazing raw dessert recipes?

Apart from my own growing collection of decadent raw dessert recipes, I highly recommend Chef Amber Shea’s cookbooks. Her style is eminently practical, incredibly flexible and fabulously edible.

[book_pracraw_intro] [book_practically_raw_desserts]

So simple and so delicious!

Have an awesome day. ♥