Raw vegan macaroons are one of my favorite treats. I think it can totally hold its own, amongst the non-plant-based sweets. You can give them to anyone who’s not vegan or vegetarian, and they will love them. I’m fortunate enough to be able to easily buy them at my local Whole Foods and Sprouts, but nothing beats the homemade ones! Especially, when you take it straight out of the dehydrator. They are warm and soft, and as I’m drying them, they tend to disappear due to “taste testing”. I have to hold myself back so I don’t eat them all!
Since it’s Christmas time, I made both vanilla and raspberry flavors to make them all Christmassy and festive! These are super easy to make. Everything goes in the food processor, then dehydrate or refrigerate if you don’t own a dehydrator.
I used to make these with almond flour, but then I took some to a raw food potluck, where one of the girls had a nut allergy and couldn’t try them. I realized, I wanted to make a recipe that was nut free for everyone to enjoy. It took several attempts to get it right, and my fridge was filled with macaroons for days while I tested it. (Though that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing according to my husband!) I’m finally satisfied so yay and here you go!
You might have already noticed, but the raspberry macaroon color intensity varies depending on the picture. It’s because raspberry’s color and flavor intensity vary depending on the crop and season. If the batch you have has a milder flavor, you would need to increase the amount of raspberries, which can make the color intenser. You can use both fresh and frozen. I find that frozen ones have more intense color and flavor. If you are using fresh raspberries, make sure you have some extra raspberries on hand in case you need to add more. I actually prefer using frozen organic ones for this particular recipe.
FYI, since the raspberry macaroons contain water from the raspberries, they shrink in size some when you dehydrate them. The vanilla ones don’t shrink, because they contain no water.
Enjoy these sweet little jems!
Merry Christmas and happy holidays! Hope you have a wonderful holiday season!
- 3 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
- 3 Tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract (non-alcohol) or 1 vanilla bean (split and scraped)
- A pinch of salt
- Add 2 cups of coconut flakes and coconut oil in the food processor. Run it for about 5 minutes, until you have a mushy pasty texture.
- Add the remaining cup of coconut flakes and the rest of the ingredients. Run until well combined.
- Dollop out equal amounts of the mixture and place them on a dehydrator sheet. I like using a 1 tablespoon scoop for this. Space them out enough so they don't get too crowded.
- Dehydrator: Dry at 115℉ (46℃) for 1-2 hours, until the macaroon forms a crust on the surface.
- Refrigerator (if you don't own a dehydrator): Refrigerate for a couple of hours to let it set.
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate.
- 1 cup coconut flakes
- 1½ Tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
- 1¼ cups fresh or frozen raspberries (increase amount if necessary)
- 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract (non-alcohol)
- A pinch of salt
- Add all ingredients except for raspberries into the food processor, and run until well combined.
- Add the raspberries and run until fully combined. Taste test to see if it has an intense raspberry flavor. There should be a distinctive "pop" of tangy flavor. Add more raspberries and maple syrup if need be.
- Dollop out equal amounts of the mixture and place them on a dehydrator sheet. I like using a 1 tablespoon scoop for this. Space them out enough so they don't get too crowded.
- Dehydrator: Dry at 115℉ (46℃) for 3-6 hours, until the macaroon forms a crust on the surface.
- Refrigerator (If you don't own a dehydrator): Refrigerate for a couple of hours to let it set.
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate.
[…] keep in your refrigerator, so you can pour it all over something. Also great for dipping fruits and vanilla macaroons, or drizzling over banana ice cream, chia pudding or overnight apple cinnamon […]