Coconut Macaroons

As my boyfriend would say, "Dude, buddy bro!" Paleo treats are awesome. I know paleo purists say that there is no such thing as a paleo dessert - cavemen and women surely weren't eating cookies or ice cream - even paleofied. And you probably shouldn't be making paleo desserts a thrice daily occurrence. But here's my take on it: if I can choose between a paleo treat using whole ingredients or a bag of chocolate candies, the paleo treat should win. Or even a dessert with healthy, wholesome ingredients - it doesn't have to be paleo. That just happens to be my current obsession.

Food is the fuel for our bodies. I know you've all heard the car analogy: if you don't put quality gas in your car, it isn't going to run well and eventually not at all. Same thing with our bodies: if you aren't putting in quality fuel, the body will eventually break down and stop working properly. That being said, food is a part of our culture. We celebrate with food. We gather with food. Food is often part of holiday traditions. There's no escaping it. In my opinion, there's no reason food can't be fun and delicious and healthy all at the same time.

These came together fairly quickly and easily, even when considering the inactive prep time. My sweet BF went to the store for dark chocolate for the recipe. I specified the brand, but not the dark cocoa count. He got 90% (I had 70% in mind). I was a little surprised at how well the bitterness from the dark chocolate complimented the macaroons. The original recipe called for 3.5 ounces. That's what I melted down, but I used less than half of it. I used one of those Lindt bars with 6 squares. I think 3 squares would have been more than enough. Live and learn.

Ingredients:
4 T. liquid egg whites
1/4 cup honey
Few drops lemon juice
2 T. butter (or ghee if you want it strict paleo)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

Directions:
Combine egg whites, honey and lemon juice in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk well until foamy. Melt butter or ghee. Stir coconut and butter/ghee into the egg white mixture. Let sit for 20 minutes to allow the coconut to soak up the liquid. Stir occasionally to capture the liquid pooling at the bottom of the bowl and for even absorption.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Press coconut mixture into a tablespoon and pack firmly - but don't squeeze the liquid out of it.  Transfer from tablespoon to lined baking sheet. If you pack it firmly enough it will be a little tricky to get the dough out in one piece. I pressed gently on one side and sort of slit it out.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until starting to turn golden brown. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely. Save parchment covered baking sheet.

When cookies are cool, melt chocolate. I use a microwave, but a double boiler would work - I just don't have one. Return cookies to parchment paper. Spoon melted chocolate over each cookie, drizzling slowly to cover as much of the top as possible. Let cool in refrigerator until chocolate sets.

Store any leftovers (yeah, right!) in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator if your chocolate gets too soft.