Chocolate Dipped Spiced Coconut Macaroons

Sometimes there's an occasion that calls for sweet treats. The inspiration for today's recipe was a bake sale for the Harvest Festival at my sons' Waldorf school.

I knew there would be plenty of wheat/gluten/grain/dairy rich treats for sale, but I wanted to provide something that was tasty and at the same time allowed people on a gluten/dairy free diet to be able to take home some yummy treats for their family. By the looks of my empty tray at the end of the sale, I think I succeeded.

Chocolate Dipped Spiced Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients

1 ½ cups shredded coconut 1 cup coconut flakes ⅓ cup raw coconut crystals 2 TB coconut flour, sifted ½ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp nutmeg ¼ tsp salt 4 egg whites 1 tsp vanilla extract 6 oz 70% cacao dark chocolate chips/chunks

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Mix all dry ingredients (shredded coconut through salt) in a large mixing bowl.

3. Add egg whites and vanilla extract in medium bowl. Beat eggs and vanilla until soft peaks form.

4. Fold whipped egg whites into dry ingredients.

5. Use hands to form into small balls and place on parchment paper. The cookies do not spread, so you can fit 15-20 on the baking sheet at once.

6. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Place on cooling rack to cool.

7. Melt chocolate in a double boiler, or stainless steel bowl over pan of simmering water, stirring constantly so chocolate does not scorch.

8. Dip cooled cookies in melted chocolate and place on parchment paper lined trays. Cool in fridge until chocolate is set.

9. Enjoy!

Recipe Tip: Don't throw away those nutritious egg yolks that you don't need for this recipe. Save them in a small jar in the fridge and use them in other recipes that you'll be making within a couple days of the time of cracking. And if you really want to take advantage of the choline in the raw egg yolks, add them to a smoothie, like I do here in my recipe for a super green smoothie!