I’m pretty excited about these macaroons.
Crisp on the outside, while tender and fluffy on the inside, these stevia-sweetened macaroons are perfect for those of you watching your sugar intake!
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Sugar Free Macaroons
makes 24 or more, depending on size
adapted from my original Detox Macaroons
Ingredients:
2 2/3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut (*see note below for a coconut butter substitution)
2 (additional) cups shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons water
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
6 NuNaturals Stevia packets (other brands may vary in sweetness)
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
If preparing your own coconut butter, start by blending the 2 2/3 cups of shredded coconut in a blender, or food processor, until creamy.
(It’s okay if the texture is still a little grainy– you won’t notice in the macaroons!)
*Note: If you don’t want to make your own coconut butter, you can simply skip this step, and use 1 cup of Artisana coconut butter, instead.
Combine the coconut butter with the rest of the ingredients, and mix until very well combined. The batter should be moist and uniform.
Drop batter by rounded tablespoons onto a lined baking sheet, then bake for about 20 minutes at 300F, turning the pan half-way through the cooking time.
The finished macaroons should lightly golden.
Let them rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing the macaroons to cool completely– they may be fragile to the touch at first! But, the finished product should be firm… crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside.
If you don’t eat the whole batch immediately, these macaroons are best stored in the freezer for a long shelf-life–> they thaw quickly when you need something sweet!
Sugar-Free Macaroons
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut (*see note below for a coconut butter substitution)
- 2 (additional) cups shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons water
- 1 1/4 tsp . vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp . pure almond extract
- 1/4 tsp . fine sea salt
- 6 NuNaturals Stevia packets (other brands may vary in sweetness)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
- If preparing your own coconut butter, start by blending the 2 2/3 cups of shredded coconut in a blender, or food processor, until creamy. (It's okay if the texture is still a little grainy-- you won't notice in the macaroons!)
- Combine the coconut butter with the rest of the ingredients, and mix until very well combined. The batter should be moist and uniform.
- Drop batter by rounded tablespoons onto a lined baking sheet, then bake for about 20 minutes at 300F, turning the pan half-way through the cooking time. The finished macaroons should lightly golden.
- Let the baked macaroons rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing them to cool completely-- they may be fragile to the touch at first! But, the finished product should be firm... crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside.
- If you don't eat the whole batch immediately, these macaroons are best stored in the freezer for a long shelf-life--> they thaw quickly when you need something sweet!
Notes
Nutrition
Per Serving: Calories: 10, Fat: 1g
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Note: You may have noticed I didn’t use my dehydrator this time around. From what I can tell, the shredded coconut I’m using may not be truly “raw” to begin with… so I decided to use my oven to speed things up! I think I actually prefer them this way, and enjoy making recipes that are accessible to everyone–regardless of whether they own a dehydrator or not.
Hope you all enjoy!
I’m so excited to try this recipe! I’ve been waiting patiently for the sugar-free version since you mentioned it a few weeks ago. I just might have to make them after school today; the cinnamon ones sound perfect for this cold rainy day (here in Oregon).
Hope you enjoy them! The cinnamon ones are my favorite right now. 🙂
I buy coconut in bulk and so it is not nearly as moist as it is in the bag. So I needed to add at least 1/2 cup of water and maybe more in order for the coconut to break down to butter. I also added more vanilla, more almond extract and more salt because I found them a bit too bland. Other wise…I love the recipe!!
These look fabulous! So excited to try them 🙂
Yes, yes, yes! Must try.
YES! I have been waiting for this recipe! I like to add psyllium husk in my macaroons….
THANKS!
–Jaclyn T
TrickArt Jewellery: Nature Inspired
http://www.etsy.com/shop/trickartjewellery
http://www.positiveponderings.blogspot.com
Oooh…. So excited to try these! There is a raw brand by Ultimate, fyi, that I found at Whole Foods – I think in the raw section vs. the baking section. So these combine as a nut/seed/dried fruit, right? So after an all veg meal, salad w/tahini dressing type deal? If I’ve understood right, whether you start with raw or refined shredded coconut, because they are dehydrated they are a dried fruit… Coconuts are challenging to combine properly!
I just made a batch using coconut nectar as the sweetener and they came out a bit greasy. I think it was because I blended the coconut too long and it released too much oil. But they should feel light, right?
Yes, because of the dried coconut, these combine as a nut/seed/dried fruit.
These sugar-free macaroons are pretty light and fluffy, but the version I make with maple syrup are much denser– so I think it just depends on which variation you make. Most raw macaroons that I’ve tried are on the heavier-side, due to the ground almonds, coconut and sweetener that they are usually made with.
Yum, gonna try these today! Are they detox-friendly?
They are definitely detox-friendly when enjoyed with a properly combined meal! I like to eat them after a large tahini-dressed salad. 😀
I am totally loving these!!
So glad you’re enjoying them, Courtney! 😀
yum! love macaroons
Is there a way I can use coconut flour to make the coconut butter?
Just made these using artisana coconut butter + let’s do organic coconut flakes. I mixed the coconut butter with the water and everything but the coconut flakes in the food processor, then added the coconut flakes last and pulse the whole thing to mix. They are delicious! Thanks for the detox friendly recipe.
Just made these this afternoon and they are tasty little morsels of heaven! Also, boyfriend and kid approved, I’ll be surprised if they last longer than a few days! Thanks!
I’m so glad you all enjoyed them! 🙂
I’ve never baked a thing in my life. Thanks for this unbelievably creative yet simple, easy & inexpensive yet delicious, recipe. I think even I can do this one – as soon as I buy some baking cookware today!
I’ve tried making these twice now, and i’ve been unsuccessful turning the coconut into coconut butter using my food processor. I have a very good kitchen aide food processor, and even after 25 minutes of processing and scraping down the sides, no luck making butter. i’ve even added a quite bit of water while processing (which i think you add with all the ingredients after the butter is made?), and i end up with watered-down shredded coconut.
i baked them despite this, but they end up very dry and dont brown on the top (and i’ve kept them in the oven for as long as an hour).
any suggestions? these would be a perfect dessert during my candida cleanse, and i really hope i can get them right! thanks so much!
I made these tonight with xylitol instead of stevia. With 1 tbsp they weren’t sweet enough. Also crumbled too easily. I wondered if I could add a little coconut oil? Any other thoughts to add moisture? Flavor was good.
Can you tell me how many teaspoons of stevia the 6 packets would be? I buy that brand, but in bulk, not packets. Really look forward to trying this. We loved the ones using maple syrup. But always looking to reduce sugar.
Could the Stevia in the macaroons be substituted with 1/4C honey, such as in the almond cookie recipe, for a person who must follow the special carb diet? Would 1/4C honey be about right for the above recipe?
These sound wonderful. Can I use coconut oil in place of the coconut butter? Thank you.
No, I’m afraid coconut butter is necessary for the texture!
these are delicious! I probably didn’t have to put them in the oven since we almost eat it all before it could get in there. wow wonderful! great recipe! I love this recipe! Thanks!!! 🙂
I’ve made this recipe so many times and it’s just awesome. One time I blended the coconut until the coconut butter was quite liquidy and those macaroons did turn out on the greasy side and didn’t get as crisp. I wonder if extra shredded coconut would have absorbed some of the extra liquidy ness (?word) in the batter. Well it only happened once. Now I stop before it becomes too liquidy and proceed. Tonight instead of maple syrup I used approx 3/4 cup coconut sugar and to that added a little splash of boiling water from my electric kettle to liquify the sugar a bit. I added about 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and ginger powder. Can’t say that I taste those spices at all, but he macaroons came out crispy on the outside and delightfully soft and buttery on the inside. The flavor is fantastic. Thought I’d share:D I suspect I could use less coconut sugar and still get a delicious result. Another time.