Paleo Almond and Coconut Macaroons

Macaroons are almost Paleo to start with: egg whites, almond paste, and coconut flakes are all perfectly healthy. The only thing to really find a substitute for is the mass quantity of sugar you’ll find in most of the commercial recipes: some store-bought macaroons are so overwhelmingly sweet you can barely even taste the rest of the ingredients!

That’s definitely not the case here: yes, there’s some honey in the recipe as a binder and a sweetener, but it’s not so much that it overpowers the rest of the ingredients. With these macaroons, you’ll really be able to enjoy the nutty, almond-coconut flavors and the more subtle sweetness the vanilla extract, not just a huge blast of sugar.

Macaroons only take egg whites, but don’t throw out those yolks: all the nutrition in the egg is there! To use up your extra egg yolks, why not throw together a batch of mayonnaise? You could even do that while the macaroons are cooking; then you wouldn’t have to worry about storing the yolks or remembering to use them. But if mayo isn’t really your thing, egg yolks are also good thrown into an omelet or soup for some extra nutrition. Just don’t forget about them while you’re enjoying a tray full of macaroons hot from the oven!

Paleo Almond and Coconut Macaroons Recipe

SERVES: 4 PREP: 15 min. COOK: 12 min.

Ingredients

• 2 egg whites
• 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
• ¼ cup raw honey
• ½ cup whole almonds, chopped into tiny pieces
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the honey and the egg whites.
4. Add the almonds, shredded coconut, and vanilla to the bowl, and mix everything together.
5. Form the dough into individual macaroons. Drop each cookie onto the prepared sheet and place in the oven.
6. Bake the macaroons until the bottoms are golden brown, about 12 minutes.