Coconut Macaroons

These taste like the insides of a Mounds bar. Only better. 

Not only that, they are comprised of a cast of 4 characters: unsweetened coconut, applesauce, egg whites, and sugar. All but the last of these live in the good food camp and even the sugar is given in a fairly moderate amount. 

In fact, these seemed so extremely virtuous and unlike any other macaroons I had made that I was pretty confident they'd be a flop. At best, I thought they'd have a sort of I'm-a-junk-food-trying-to-be-healthier sort of quality to them. I ask you, do the insides of Mounds bars remind you of health food. I think not. Now, make no mistake, these are not, in fact, health food. They are a cookie. But they are definitely just as good for you as any granola or granola bar, just as good for you as most children's cereals, just as good for you as many things we consider to be healthy enough to consume for breakfast or lunch or the snacky places in between. But have I mentioned that these taste like a certain candy bar I tend to steal from my children's Halloween baskets (even though I am not, generally, a candy stealing parent)? Yes, well, I can't quite get over it. 

These lovelies come from Simply Recipes where it is tough to go wrong with a recipe. I haven't changed the recipe at all, though I have made the instructions (which are a wee bit on the fussy end for a cookie) a little simpler. 

For us, these will kick off the first day of spring break. I'm hoping to spend this week sending you recipes that will be fun to make and eat with the extra snackers you might have around during your spring break. 

And as one final note: I haven't done this yet, but I can picture these mounded into smallish egg shapes and coated with dark chocolate. Oh, yes, I can. And I will sometime within the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned. 

Coconut Macaroons

from Simply Recipes

Makes about 18 small cookies

Prep time: 10 minutes

Wait time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 5-7 minutes

Cost: $1.65

coconut: 1.25, sugar: .15, eggs: .20, applesauce: .05

Note: You must make this with unsweetened coconut or it just won't turn out the same. Also, if you choose a finely grated kind, you can save yourself a step and the washing of a food processor. If you're local, I found mine for a right good price at the River City Food Co-op in downtown Evansville. 

2-2 1/4 C unsweetened coconut

2 large egg whites (about 1/3 C) 

3/4 C sugar

2 Tbsp SMOOTH unsweetened applesauce

If you could not find finely grated coconut, throw your coconut in the food processor or a blender for about a minute. If your coconut is finely grated, don't worry about it. Mine was grated small and I put it in the food processor and noticed barely a difference after I'd pulsed it for a while. 

Preheat oven to 425. 

Put all ingredients in a pot, mix, and heat on low, stirring constantly, until the mixture is warm when you stick your finger in (about 120 degrees). I'm betting you could do this in 20 second intervals in the microwave, but I haven't tried it, so I can promise nothing. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. 

Elise at Simply Recipes piped hers onto the pan in neat little rounds. I plopped mine with a spoon. I'm a plopper. 

Let them sit until they dry out just a bit. I left mine for about 10 minutes. Maybe you could skip this, but I don't know.

Bake for 5-7 minutes or until they become just golden on the bumpy parts. Mine went about 30 seconds too long, but they still tasted completely awesome--in fact, I rather enjoyed the brownier bits. 

Let cool. Don't cover them with chocolate unless you want to be compelled to steal them from your children. 

Elise says these store for several days. I can add that they also freeze perfectly. 

PRINTABLE RECIPE