These vegan and gluten free cacao nib macaroons are chewy, nutty, and perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth all year round! Cacao nibs lend a deep chocolate flavor without any added sweetness.
I hold so many fond memories of Sweet Miscellany’s farmers market days. During market season (roughly April-November), Fridays meant leaving work to rush home, change, load up my car, and head to the small commercial kitchen space I rented. For several hours I would bake, package, and label all by myself. Usually I was done before midnight, but not always. Little sleep was had as my alarm would go off at 6:30 the next morning to get ready for the market. I’d set up everything meticulously by myself, then came my favorite part: interacting with customers and market goers.
I’m not an extroverted person, but I value meaningful discussions and interactions. During the four hours of the market I got to talk about something I loved and was really passionate about. Often my customers were people with dietary restrictions, but not always. I really enjoyed being able to share something with them, both in the form of a gluten free/vegan baked good and the connection that it provided.
I left the farmers market scene when I moved back to Houston in 2014. I initially thought about trying to do the same thing here but something always gave me pause. What I didn’t realize at the time was that pause was an indicator that things were shifting and evolving. In an effort to see if my heart was still in it, I ramped up for a market in November of 2017. The projected number of people ended up not showing at the market and I came home with an ungodly amount of product. Eventually I realized it was time to close that chapter and move on. It just wasn’t my thing anymore. And that was okay.
After some time passed and I could look at things with more clarity, I realized that I still love connecting with people over food. I love being able to answer questions and share something new. I love being able to photograph food in a way that conveys how I see and process it. And I love being able to develop recipes. So, in an effort to foster that connection, I’m sharing an original Sweet Miscellany product recipe I developed over 7 years ago for these cacao nib macaroons. It felt silly holding onto something that brought so many people joy. It’s time this recipe found its way into kitchens and hands other than my own!
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Cacao Nib Macaroons
- Total Time: 33-35 minutes
- Yield: 18-20 macaroons
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These vegan and gluten free cacao nib macaroons are chewy, nutty, and perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth all year round! Cacao nibs lend a deep chocolate flavor without any added sweetness.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
- 3/4 cup almond meal
- 1/3 cup organic cane sugar
- good pinch of sea salt
- a heaped 1/4 cup of cacao nibs
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp golden flaxmeal (ground golden flaxseed)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Mix together the coconut, almond meal, sugar, and salt in a bowl until well combined. Stir in the cacao nibs next, making sure they are evenly distributed into the dry mixture. Set this aside for now.
Add the coconut milk, coconut oil, and flaxmeal to a small sauce pan. Set it over low heat to allow the coconut oil to melt. Once it’s melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Whisk the wet ingredients together until they are smooth, the pour them over the dry ingredients.
Using a spatula or wooden spoon, mix the wet ingredients into the dry until you have a cohesive macaroon dough that sticks together when pressed. You should easily be able to roll it into a ball. If it seems to dry, add a splash or two of coconut milk. Alternately, if it seems a bit too wet, add a bit more almond meal.
Using a small tablespoon-sized cookie scoop (or a tablespoon measure), scoop out level scoops of the cookie dough and place them on your lined baking sheet. (I make sure they are level by scooping, then scraping excess dough off the scoop onto the rim of my mixing bowl) Continue this process with the remaining dough, leaving at least one inch in between each macaroon. Bake the macaroons for 23 to 25 minutes or until the edges and tops are beginning to turn golden. Cool the macaroons on the pan for at least 15 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
This recipe makes 18-20 small macaroons. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 23-25 minutes
- Category: dessert
