These Paleo Creamsicle Macaroons are easy, naturally sweetened, and so amazing! A delicious treat that is gluten free, dairy free, and nut free.
I grew up on macaroons. They were quite different than these though. They consisted of a bag of sweetened coconut and a can of sweetened condensed milk mixed together. Sugar overload!! Even though these have much less sugar, and it's all natural, it still brings up those memories of making them with my mom. If you are used to that first version though, these will be a little different. They aren't as sweet (which is a good thing) and the fresh orange is such a nice addition.
This easy recipe comes from the cookbook The New Yiddish Kitchen. It is full of gluten free and paleo kosher recipes for holidays and everyday. The two authors, Simone Miller (Zenbelly Catering) and Jennifer Robins (Predominately Paleo), came together and re-created all the classic Jewish food that everyone loves: bagels, matzo balls, kugel, latkes, and babka. The book is full of amazing recipes, beautiful pictures, and even a holiday guide that makes meal planning easy for those big days.
I have already made 5 recipes from the book and plan on making more. They all turned out great and I'll be sharing a chicken recipe soon as well.
A little more about these macaroons- they are so easy! I love that they all fit on one baking sheet making baking and clean-up easy. They are so delicious! Even my husband who claims to not like coconut ate many of them. He even put a few in the freezer to give them more of a "creamsicle" touch. They are good that way too 🙂
I love that the cookbook gives a "Bubbe's Tip" on each page. It adds a cute little personal touch. The one for this recipe was to use those yolks to make homemade mayo and that's exactly what I did. What a great tip!
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Paleo Creamsicle Macaroons
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites
- 12 ounces unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 14oz can full-fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup honey
- zest of one orange about 1 tablespoon
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until medium peaks form.
- In a large bowl, combine coconut, coconut milk, honey, orange zest, orange juice, vanilla, and salt.
- Fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.
- Using a small ice cream scoop with a lever, or two spoons, drop the mixture onto the cookie sheet, about 2 tablespoons each.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges. Allow them to cool before removing them from the pan.
Notes:
Nutrition Information
Marie says
Hi
Wondering if I could use coconut cream instead of coconut milk.
Jessica DeMay says
Hi Marie- that should work. Enjoy!
Amanda says
Second question: what kind of shredded flakes did you use? The size of the flake and how dry they are come into play as to weather or not they are too wet or too dry. I used a dry Trader Joe’s coconut flakes.
Jessica DeMay says
You are right- there are many different sizes that can affect absorption. I used finely shredded like this:https://amzn.to/2EWxaZW
I hope that helps and I do appreciate your feedback! Thanks!
Amanda says
My batch is a little off as well. Is it the whole can of coconut milk room temp and shake the can and pour the whole can in? Or just use the fat? This is very important.
My coconut mixture also falls apart as if it’s not fully baked. I did brown the edges, I baked them for more than 30minuted as suggested. The flavor is on point. But it doesn’t hold up and is liquidy when I squeeze it back into a ball shape. I’ve made a lot of regular macaroons in the past. I mean maybe they’re meant to come out this way, but I feel like it could be adjusted somehow. Make a video please!
Jessica DeMay says
Thanks for trying my recipe, Amanda! I'm sorry you had issues. It's the whole can shaken and added.
Natalie says
We made these tonight. Pros: Easy, packed with flavor, beautiful, perfectly sweet (used 1/8 C maple syrup plus about 3 drops of stevia). Cons: super delicate and perhaps dry?! Not the "norm" density as expected with a normal macaroon. After completely cooled, they would nearly fall apart with the slightest finger pressure of picking them up from the rack. The mouth texture was, not so much dry but I can't find another word. It basically felt like just getting the coconut wet with all the ingredients and chewing on it. That's not real helpful, huh? Hmmm... Ok, so I'm missing the density of a normal macaroon - heavy for their size, can be easily broken into a few pieces without coming completely apart. With that said, these aren't bad; like I said, they taste wonderful. They are paleo, so expectations have to be altered. The loads of sugar and sweetened condensed milk is what gives normal macaroons that solid and almost creamy-at-the-same time texture. If I tried these again, I would tinker with adding just the cream from a refrigerated can of coconut milk and maybe even a Tbls or so of coconut flour... just to try and give it a little depth?! I thought of dipping the bottoms in dark chocolate but now thinking about it, I would have to use a fork to lower them in and so I avoid "pulling" them from dipping with my fingers. Chocolate and orange go so nicely together... can you tell I think out loud? Oh. I used a 1 Tbls scoop and baked them for 19 minutes. It made 50
Jessica DeMay says
Thanks for trying them, Natalie! I appreciate the feedback! I didn't find mine to be dry, but other people have had issues so I'm not surprised. I think your idea of using the coconut cream sounds like a good idea. And maybe a chocolate drizzle so you wouldn't have to worry about them falling apart? That would be delicious!