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A Guilt-Free Sweet Treat: Coconut Almond Macaroon Cookies

January 28, 2012
I can't have sugar for at least a month and a half, but I found a recipe here for these cookies that almost fit my sugar-free, flour-free diet.  I tweaked it just a bit (more on that later) and was giddy when I took my first bite.  A cookie!  A real cookie!  That I can eat and not get sick!  That you can eat and not get fat!  That's a win-win-win. 
First, to clarify we're making macaroons, not macarons.  And they look like this:

And you make them like this:

Low-Sugar Coconut Almond Macaroon Cookies
(Makes about 16 cookies)

1 cup slivered almonds*
1 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut**
1/2 cup Xylitol***
Generous pinch of salt
1/4 cup non-fat Greek Yogurt
2 egg whites
2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325F/170C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat.

Use a small food processor or the bowl attachment for an immersion blender to chop the almonds, just until they are ground but still a little chunky. Put the ground almonds, shredded coconut, Xylitol, and salt into a medium-sized bowl and mix together with a spoon.

Separate 2 eggs to get 2 egg whites. (Save the yolks for something else or discard.) Add egg whites, fat-free Greek yogurt, and vanilla to the dry mixture and blend together with a spoon until the ingredients are well-combined.

Scoop out dough one tablespoon at a time and form into a round ball, then place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. (I used a metal tablespoon, which worked well.) Use a fork or spoon to press each ball down into a cookie slightly less than 1/2 inch thick. (The cookies don't spread out much, so don't worry about that.) I also used the fork to press the edges together because the batter is rather crumbly.

Bake cookies until they are well set and starting to get nicely brown on the edges, about 25-30 minutes.

*The original recipe called for "Generous 2/3 cup" slivered almonds.  Well, the slivered almonds in the baking section come in 1 cup bags--so I just went with that.  Easy Peasy.
** Unsweetened shredded coconut is hard to track down in your neighborhood grocery store.  We happened to find some at the Asian market while there, but I know they sell it at any health or natural foods store, as well.
***The original recipe called for Splenda or sugar.  I can't have sugar or Splenda.  Sugar is around an 80 on the glycemic index.  Splenda?  A 70.  70!!  Might as well just have the sugar and save yourself from all the artificial crap they put in Splenda.  I really wouldn't recommend the consumption of Splenda to anyone.  I use Stevia, an all natural sweetener, which is a 0 on the glycemic index and Xylitol, also an all natural sweetener suited for baking(find it at your health food store), which is a 7 on the glycemic index.  
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  1. yeah, dates are super sweet! which is why i use them- they go so far when you just use a few as compared to cups of sugar in 'regular' cooking. and combined with the healthy fats and fiber that make up the rest of the ingredients that slow and eleminate some of the sugar from hitting the bloodstream, raw desserts actually end up to be a low glycemic load on the body. i understand you have to be careful though! i was just thinking of the high sugar (stinkin lactose!) in dairy, plus the sugar they tend to add to yougurt :/ many raw dessets don't have dates though, i made some peanut butter chocolate cookie dough balls the other day (So good!) that only had a little squirt of agave in them for sweetner.. i am just in love with the raw's desserts i guess :) plus i try to put lots of healthy fats in my kids diets for their brain growth and it lends to that! glad you are finding yummy recipes you can have though! you may like some paleo recipes as well since they don't do much sugar or flours. good luck! and your house is looking awesome, btw! -jess

  2. Unfortunately dates have a glycemic index of over 100. My health condition requires pretty strictly low glycemic foods with an occasional intermediate thrown in. Perhaps after I overcome this, I can look more into these raw desserts. I am always looking for new recipes!

  3. yay for macaroons! they are my fave! if you're entering the sugar-free world, you may love recipes by raw foodies. google 'raw desserts.' you will never miss refined sugar, they are so rich and amazing! most call for sweetness from dates, or just a tiny bit (like maybe a tbl) of agave or honey. and they don't cause the digestive problems that xylitol may ;) i have a raw macaroon recipe on my site that originally was from ohsheglows.com - she has so many other amazing recipes on her site. i'm glad you found a great treat for yourself!

  4. These look yummmmy! I'm glad you could find a cookie recipe while on this diet, I would not be able to live without cookies haha. Keep strong girl!

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