The pairing of chocolate and cinnamon in Mexican chocolate was the inspiration for these cookies. While chocolate with cinnamon may not be an authentically Mexican combination, it still makes for a wonderful cookie. I personally like it spicy, so I added chili powder and cayenne pepper to up the heat and I chose dark chocolate to dip and drizzle over the macaroons because the bitter bite plays off the pepper and results in a very unusual-tasting treat. On that note, this cookie is best enjoyed by those with mature and adventurous taste-buds: the complex flavors are primarily spicy and bitter, only minimally mitigated by honey and the natural sweetness of unsweetened coconut.
Different shredded coconut brands act differently, which has to do with the “fineness” of the shred or grind. I used a medium shred of coconut for this Mexican Chocolate Macaroons recipe, but an extra fine shred holds the best. Consistency differences from brand to brand are yet another quirk of grain-free baking. Pulsing the coarser shredded coconut may help, and as you see it’s possible to make macaroons just fine with a medium-grade shred.
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 4 egg whites
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
- 1/4 tsp chipotle powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 oz 80% chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat over to 350°F, line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- Measure the coconut oil and honey into a medium mixing bowl. Add the cinnamon, chili powder, cayenne powder, chipotle powder and salt. Mix into a thick paste. Gently work the egg whites into the paste, then add the unsweetened shredded coconut. Combine thoroughly.
- Press a scant handful of the macaroon mixture into a round coffee-measuring spoon, and press firmly until tightly packed. Flip the measuring spoon over above the parchment-lined cookie sheet and tap the handle against a hard surface until the macaroon is dislodged. Repeat this process with the remaining macaroon dough.
- Bake for macaroons for 15-20 minutes, until the macaroons are brown but not singed. Remove from the oven and chill completely.
- Melt the chocolate (I used the double-boiler method). To make the chocolate striping on top, dip the tines of a fork into the melted chocolate and drizzle the cookies by moving the fork in a slashing movement in the air above them.
The Comments
paleoinpdx
These look wonderful!
grokgrub
paleoinpdxThanks so much! The presentation is fun but easy, and they taste really amazing too. Next up I might try a pumpkin spice macaroon… although I’m pretty tapped out on pumpkin after the holidays. Any suggestions on flavors I should try next? 🙂
paleoinpdx
grokgrubHmmm…maybe chocolate mint or a simple vanilla bean flavor.
macarroll
YUM! I can’t wait to make these! Thanks!
grokgrub
macarrollYay, so glad you’ll be giving these a try! One note: when I posted this I forgot to include coconut flour in the ingredients (I used approximately two teaspoons). It’s corrected now, but wanted to give you a head’s up!
Tanya
I will definitely be giving these a try!
Jessie
I love chili and chocolate and anxious to try these! …but, no eggs for me. I’ve only substituted flax eggs for whole eggs, do you know if it’ll work for egg white? Assuming these come out chewy, maybe gelatin be a better sub? Any thoughts? Thanks!
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