Pecan Pie Macaroons

By Lauren, on January 31st, 2013

One of the best things about not being pregnant anymore (the ultimate being – of course – enjoying our amazing baby girl!) is that my appetite and ability to eat an entire meal has returned. I struggled with morning all-day sickness (thanks, hormones) throughout the first trimester and could barely clean my plate of downsized portions by the third trimester (thanks, squished organs). Now that Lily is out in the world and is no longer compressing my stomach into half off its normal size, I can once again enjoy full meals.

Add on to that the fact that breastfeeding can burn up to 600 calories per day and you have one hungry mama!

I’ve been keeping a ziploc bag of homemade trail mix (roasted almonds, salted peanuts, dark chocolate chunks, dried cranberries, & peanut butter chips) on a little table next to the glider in Lily’s nursery, and I snack on a few handfuls during each nighttime feeding (typically 2-4 per night)… which has kept me from eating everything in sight when we get up for breakfast in the morning.

This increase in appetite also has a downside, however… namely, that I could put away an alarming number of these fabulous macaroons throughout the course of a day; I think my record was six After that “binge” day, I restrained myself and kept the maximum at three per day (one after lunch, two after dinner) until the container was empty (a sad day).

Whether or not you’re a breastfeeding mom, I have a suspicion you’ll also be able to make these macaroons disappear in just a handful of days. These healthy cookies are vegan, gluten-free (if you use gluten-free oats), and sweetened only with pure maple syrup; the addition of buttery pecans gives the otherwise soft & chewy cookies a bit of crunch.

And yes, I have ideas for even MORE macaroon recipes!

Pecan Pie Macaroons

by Lauren Zembron

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert gluten-free vegan coconut pecans cookie cookies

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Ingredients (30 cookies)

2 2/3 cup full fat shredded unsweetened coconut (one 8 oz package) OR 1 cup of coconut butter (NOT coconut oil)1 cup reduced-fat shredded unsweetened coconut1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats1/2 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped3/4 cup pure maple syrup, preferably Grade B1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract1/2 tsp Kosher saltInstructions

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

In a food processor, process 2 2/3 cups full fat shredded coconut for about 5-8 minutes, until a thick, smooth coconut butter forms, scraping down the sides as needed (this will yield about 1 cup of coconut butter).

Combine the coconut butter and all of the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Stir until well-combined. Try not to eat too much of the cookie “dough”!

Using a mini ice cream scoop or a small spoon, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet (no need to leave much room in between as they do not spread out). Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the bottoms of the macaroons are lightly browned. The macaroons will be very soft at this point.

Allow the macaroons to sit at room temperature on the baking sheet for about 30 minutes, or until they firm up and cool down.

Nutritional Information Per Macaroon:

103.8 calories, 7.4 grams fat, 3.8 grams saturated fat, 0.7 grams fiber, 4.8 grams sugars, 1.7 grams protein

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