Recipe – Chocolate Macaroons

These great tasting bites are (according to one client) “to die for“.

This recipe is from the “Rawlicious at Home” cookbook.

Preparation, before you begin:

Create a date paste by soaking 10 whole Medjool dates (pitted) in 1/2 cup of hot water for 2 hours.  Then, place the soaked dates and their soak water in a blender and blend until smooth.  This is an alternative sweetener and can be kept in a jar in the fridge.  It’s always good to have on hand for your morning smoothie or to use in other recipes.  It can be substituted equally for agave nectar.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup    Cashews (not soaked)

2 cups      Unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup    Date paste (see above)

1/4 cup    Raw cacao powder

1 tbsp      Agave nectar

1/4 tsp     Pure vanilla extract

Pinch of sea salt

Preparations:

1. Process the cashews in a food processor until ground;
2. Add 1 cup of the shredded coconut with the date paste, cacao powder, agave nectar, vanilla and a pinch of sea salt to the food processor and process until just combined;
3. Transfer to a mixing bowl;
4. Add the remaining 1 cup of shredded coconut and mix well;
5. Using an ice cream scoop or your hands, form the mixture into small balls and place them directly on a mesh dehydrator tray; and,
6. Dehydrate for 2 to 3 hours, until they have a hard outer layer.

Helpful Hint:  If you dip the ice cream scoop or your hands in some warm water, when forming the macaroons, you’ll prevent the mix from sticking to you or the scoop.

Loreli loves to exercise, and she loves to eat too! Her fitness company, Alter Ego Fitness Experience, offers outdoor Group Fitness (boot camp) classes and Personal Training.  Loreli is very aware, due to personal experience, of the value of healthy food that not only nourishes the body, but also nourishes the mind and pleases the palate.

“One cannot think well, love well, or sleep well, if one has not dined well.” – Virginia Wolfe