I almost shed a tear the day I polished off my Coconut-Oat Macaroons.
I had been thoroughly enjoying a couple of the chewy cookies after dinner, night after night, and the empty container was a wake-up call: I NEEDED to make another batch.
What with the warmer weather right around the corner, (er, maybe a few corners, huh Boston?), and Easter a couple of days away, I thought I’d give the macaroons a little fresh flavor oomph by the way of lemon.
It was a good decision.
I used mellow agave nectar to sweeten the macaroons, as I didn’t want the slightly tart lemon flavor to be usurped by the robust flavor of maple syrup (which was the sweetener for the other macaroons).
This version is just as tasty as the original, but with the added brightness of fresh lemon zest and juice.
I’d be hard-pressed to choose a favorite, so let’s just say they’re equally delicious, and that perhaps you should make both versions!
You might be wondering what I’ll do when this batch disappears.
Have no worries, my friend, I have yet another flavor of macaroons in the works ;).
Lemon Coconut-Oat Macaroons
adapted from my Coconut-Oat Macaroons
Printer-Friendly Recipe
yield: 24-26 macaroons, depending on size
Ingredients:
- 2 2/3 cup full fat shredded unsweetened coconut (one 8 oz package) OR 1 cup of coconut butter
- 1 cup reduced-fat shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- zest of 1 lemon (bright yellow part only; don’t use the white pith)
- 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
- 3/4 cup agave nectar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a food processor, process 2 2/3 cups full fat shredded coconut for about 5-8 minutes, until a thick, smooth coconut butter forms, scraping down the sides as needed (this will yield about 1 cup of coconut butter).
- Combine the coconut butter and all of the remaining ingredients (reduced-fat coconut through salt) in a bowl. Stir until well-combined.
- Using a mini ice cream scoop or a small spoon, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet (no need to leave much room in between as they do not spread out). Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until the bottoms of the macaroons are lightly browned. The macaroons will be very soft at this point.
- Allow the macaroons to sit at room temperature on the baking sheet for about 30 minutes, or until they firm up and cool down.
