Low Sugar Chocolate Macaroons

I know it is slightly past macaroon season, but chewy sweet coconut cookies are tasty.  Every season should be macaroon season!

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

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
   
2. Melt chocolate and cool.
   
3. 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.
   
4. 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.
   
5. Bake until just firm to the touch but still soft in the middle, 15 to 20 minutes.