These gluten and dairy free macaroons get their beautiful color from dried strawberries. They take minimal ingredients and are a serious spring crowd pleaser!
Ugh, these are so cute. Little ice cream scoops, no?
I’ve ranted before about how I’m a much better home chef than I am a baker. Maybe it’s because I save all of my patience for editing powerpoint slides at work, but when it comes to the kitchen, I don’t want to wait long for something to bake and cool before I can taste to see if it turns out well. Impatient cooks are definitely the ones who determined how freakin’ delicious raw cookie dough is! They were like, “mission accomplished, no reason to throw these in the oven”.
So bakers like me LOVE making coconut macaroons. They require very few ingredients, no mixer, no sifter, and don’t take long to bake.
This recipe was brought about for a couple of reasons. 1 - I had to make a dessert for Passover and therefore it had to be flourless. 2 - my best friend who would be in attendance at the Passover dinner is allergic to nuts, so that sent almond flour out the window. And 3 - spring has arrive and it is about time to celebrate those colors! Most macaroons use some type of flour for binding (my classic Chocolate Macaroons use almond meal) but I substituted crushed up dehydrated strawberries in it’s place - color, texture, and natural sugar all in one ingredient. Boom.
Along with the crushed up dehydrated strawberries is sweetened, shredded coconut ( you can try using unsweetened, but you may need to add additional sugar to the recipe), a hefty dosage of vanilla extract, and egg whites. I added a couple of teaspoons of beet juice to enhance the color of these macaroons, but I honestly don’t think it did much. Then you spoon these cuties onto a baking sheet and baking for about 15 minutes or so, depending on your oven. Macaroons will start to brown in a FLASH, so pull them out of the oven before they start to change their color. They should be light brown on the bottom part of the macaroon attached to the pan. Unless you like a little extra toasty coconut action, like I do. Then you can leave ’em in for a bit longer.
So there you have it. A nut-free, grain-free, and flour-free dessert that will please all parties. The attendees of the party I brought these to thought they were professionally done, so I hope this proves that even novice and impatient bakers can create impressive desserts every once and a while. Another problem with me and baking? If I don’t give away all of the desserts, I’ll probably pick and them in bits and pieces until they are alllllll gone.
- 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ cup dried strawberries, finely chopped (I used Trader Joe's unsulfured and unsweetened brand)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 6 egg whites
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- Optional: 1 tsp of beet juice for dye
- Optional: Melted chocolate for drizzle
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Mix ingredient together, making sure the strawberries are distributed evenly throughout the "dough"
- Spoon half-dome shaped spoonfuls of the dough mixture on a greased baking sheet (you can use a small ice cream scoop, a spoon, or your hands to form)
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, and remove the minute they start to turn golden. They may still look undercooked and squishy, but their texture will improve upon cooling
- Let cool on a baking rack, and enjoy!
- Optional: If wanting to decorate with a little chocolate, once the macaroons have cooled slightly, melt chocolate chips of choice over a double boiler. Drizzle over the macaroons, and place in the refrigerator to set.
Thanks for stopping by! 
Mmmm…strawberries and coconut are a match made in heaven! And I agree, I’m way too inpatient to make long, complicated desserts so I love how easy these are!
Agreed! Simple and easy is the way to go when it comes to baking.