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Most macaroons are made with sweet condensed milk, sugar, and sweetened coconut flakes. Those things are a no-go for this lower sugar household! I had found a few recipes that didn't use condensed milk, so even though I found a sugar-free condensed milk recipe, I didn't end up needing it for this recipe. I will probably still make it for coffee, but that will be a different post.
Nathaniel kept seeing chocolate macaroons at the store, and they were taunting him, so he challenged me to try to make a lower version of them. Most of the recipes I found used a combination of melted chocolate and cocoa powder. One of them used only cocoa powder, but looking closer, the recipe wasn't as traditionally macaroon, so I decided to go ahead and use a bit of sugar in the bittersweet chocolate I melted down. That's why I call them low sugar and not sugar-free, just to clarify. Your mileage may vary.
This recipe is based on a Martha Stewart recipe, but I tweaked it enough to call it mine. Thanks for giving me a good place to start, Martha.
Lower Sugar Chocolate Macaroons
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup brown sugar Splenda (you might want to use 1/3 cup for a bit more sweetness)
- 2 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes (the kind I find was almost ground but not quite)
- 3-4 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch of salt
- Handful of chocolate chips, optional
Directions
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Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Melt chocolate and cool.
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Combine cooled chocolate, cocoa, sugar,
coconut, egg whites, vanilla, and salt. Use your hands to mix well,
completely combining ingredients. Mix in chocolate chips if desired.
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Dampen hands with cold water. Form 1 1/2 tablespoons of
mixture into a loose ball, and place on prepared baking sheet.
Repeat with remaining mixture, placing macaroons 1 inch apart.
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Bake until just firm to the touch but still soft in the
middle, 15 to 20 minutes.
