Pure Strawberry Macaroons with Vegan, Paleo, Chocolate-Covered and No Bake Options
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
The amount of freeze-dried strawberries you use in these strawberry macaroons is customizable! 2 cups will produce much more of a sweet-tart taste and a pinker color (like the no bake variation pictured above), while 1 cup will offer milder notes.
Author: Alisa Fleming, author of Go Dairy Free
Serves: 30 strawberry macaroons
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 cups freeze-dried strawberries
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream
- ⅓ cup honey (for paleo) or agave nectar (for vegan)
- 4 teaspoons tapioca starch (can sub potato starch, non-GMO cornstarch, or see Alternative below)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2¼ cups unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Grind the strawberries into a powder using a spice grinder.
- Whisk the coconut milk, sweetener, and starch together in a small saucepan until smooth.
- Place over medium heat, bring to a simmer, while whisking, and bubble for about 2 minutes, while whisking, or until thickened.
- Remove from heat, whisk in the strawberry powder, vanilla, and salt. There will probably be some little bits of strawberry, but otherwise it should be pretty smooth.
- Stir in the coconut.It will come together into a relatively thick batter/dough. If it is too soft or sticky to handle, chill for 30 minutes.
- Scoop by the level tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheets, and with lightly damp hands, shape as desired (they don’t spread).
- Bake for about 15 minutes (I prefer to bake 1 sheet at a time), or until lightly browned on the bottom edge. Let cool completely on baking sheet before removing – they’re very soft when hot, but do firm up on cooling.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator (we like them chiled!) or even freezer.
Notes
Starch Alternative: Not a fan of starch? You can sub 2 tablespoons of your favorite flour, and even use packed almond flour if you wish (though that version wouldn't be nut-free). Note, however, that coconut flour will yield different results. If trialing it, I would use just the 4 teaspoons.
No Bake Option: Skip the baking step! Instead, whisk in 2½ tablespoons coconut oil while the dough is still warm. Scoop onto parchment paper or wax paper (you an chill the dough at this stage for 15 minutes if it is too sticky to handle) - I use a 1 teaspoon measuring spoon to measure and shape. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or longer. Can store, covered or wrapped, in the refrigerator or freezer.
Chocolate-Covered Option: Briefly chill macaroons (or longer, if you like). Melt ⅔ cup dairy-free chocolate chips with 2 teaspoons coconut oil. Place macaroons on a wire cooling rack placed over parchment or wax paper (to catch drips). Drizzle chocolate over macaroon tops (if too thick for your liking, whisk in another 1 teaspoon coconut oil, if too thin, melt and whisk in another handful of chocolate chips).
No Bake Option: Skip the baking step! Instead, whisk in 2½ tablespoons coconut oil while the dough is still warm. Scoop onto parchment paper or wax paper (you an chill the dough at this stage for 15 minutes if it is too sticky to handle) - I use a 1 teaspoon measuring spoon to measure and shape. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or longer. Can store, covered or wrapped, in the refrigerator or freezer.
Chocolate-Covered Option: Briefly chill macaroons (or longer, if you like). Melt ⅔ cup dairy-free chocolate chips with 2 teaspoons coconut oil. Place macaroons on a wire cooling rack placed over parchment or wax paper (to catch drips). Drizzle chocolate over macaroon tops (if too thick for your liking, whisk in another 1 teaspoon coconut oil, if too thin, melt and whisk in another handful of chocolate chips).
Recipe by Go Dairy Free at https://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/strawberry-macaroons-vegan-paleo