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	peggy's kitchen

Chocolate-dipped Coconut Macaroons

By Cynthia Lair

These are fun to make and delicious, to boot. Optionally wheat-free, dairy-free.

• 2 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
• 2 tablespoons whole-wheat pastry flour or almond meal
• 6 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 egg white, whipped to stiff peaks
• 2 ounces semisweet baking chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine coconut and flour. In a separate bowl, whisk together syrup, 
extract, and salt. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and stir well until you have a crumbly mixture. Fold in egg white. With moist hands, squeeze mixture into small mounds. Don't be afraid to be firm. Squeeze two or three times so that the mounds hold together. Place them side by side on the cookie sheet (they won't spread) and bake 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool to room temperature. Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler, stirring occasionally. Dip the top of each macaroon in the melted chocolate. Let chocolate set until firm before serving (brief refrigeration will hasten this process).

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Makes 9-11 macaroons

Cynthia Lair has been part of the nutrition faculty at Bastyr University since 1994. Recipe reprinted from Cynthia Lair's Feeding the Whole Family: Whole Foods Recipes for Babies, Young Children and Their Parents (Moon Smile Press, 1998); and Feeding the Young Athlete: Sports Nutrition Made Easy for Players and Parents, with Scott Murdoch, PhD, RD (Moon Smile Press, 2002). Both are available from www.feedingfamily.com.