I’ll be honest, I’m actually not a huge fan of coconut. But a large bag of coconut in my closest has been staring at me for a few months, and I really felt like I needed to do something with it. Luckily, this recipe took care of it easily! I used half the bag in making one batch. There were so good, I ate them within a few days and made another batch right away. Now I have the opposite problem than what I started with: I need more coconut.
Traditionally, coconut macaroons are made with sweetened coconut, sugar, and condensed milk. I drastically took down the sugar (from about an average of 1/2 cup to 2 tablespoons), used unsweetened coconut, and removed the condensed milk to make them healthier, but don’t worry–priority is always on taste! They’re still a yummy treat.
Coconut Macaroons
2 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut (alternatively, you can use reduced-fat coconut like this– this is what I used since I had it on hand and it worked fine)
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 droppers stevia (or add in another 3ish tablespoons honey or agave and take away 2 tablespoons coconut milk)
2 tablespoons honey or agave*
3 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk
NOTE: Although this is already a dessert low in sugar, I found that the macaroons were still sweet enough for me even when I reduced the honey/agave down to a heaping tablespoon. Just make sure to add an extra tablespoon of coconut milk to make up for the lost liquid.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Vigorously whisk egg whites, vanilla extract, salt, stevia, honey, and coconut milk together in a medium bowl until well incorporated. Gradually add in shredded coconut and mix with a spatula.
With a cookie dropper (or with your hands), form tablespoon-size balls and place them on a well-oiled baking sheet (or a sheet lined with silpat).
Bake until golden, about 12 minutes.
