I’ve been wanting to make macaroons at home ever since I was introduced to Hail Merry products – I love the simplicity of the ingredients they use.  I’ve been on the hunt for a recipe for weeks, and after many google searches and reading up about traditional macaroons, this recipe turned out perfectly.

This recipe calls for shredded coconut (unsweetened, of course), agave nectar (I had some hand that I’ve been wanting to use up – you could use maple syrup instead – and this is also the reason why I call this recipe almost raw – it all depends on your choice of sweetener and whether you consider agave to be raw or not), coconut oil and raw cacao nibs.

Here are the four ingredients before I mixed everything together.

I used a tablespoon measuring spoon to form the macaroons – a melon baller would also work great.

And here’s my stash of macaroons in my cookie jar – wonder how long they will last?!

Ingredients

Yields 30 to 35 macaroons

• 3 cups shredded coconut, unsweetened
• 3/4 cup raw cacao nibs (you could also use cocoa powder)
• 3/4 cup agave nectar (or maple syrup)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil

1. Mix the shredded coconut and cacao in a large bowl.
2. Mix the coconut oil and agave nectar until the oil is completely melted and blended.
3. Stir the liquid ingredients into the coconut – you may need to use your hands to get it completely mixed together.
4. Form a ball using a tablespoon measure or melon baller – you will need to pack it into the spoon tightly – if the mixture is too dry and not sticking together add a teaspoon of water at a time to increase the moisture only to the point that it will allow it all to remain intact.
5. If you have a dehydrator, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for what setting would be best. My oven has a dehydrator setting, so I lined a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread out the macaroons evenly, leaving a few inches between each macaroon to ensure enough airflow – I left the temperature at 105F for about 12 hours. If you don’t have either option, just leave the macaroons in your oven for about 24 hours with the oven light on. You want the macaroons to be dry to touch, but a little bit of moisture left provides a bit of chewiness that I like.