Macaroon Madness

I’ve created a recipe that combines some of my favorite micro-vitamin stuffs into a coconut chocolate macaroon.  It’s still a bit bitter sweet so it’s perfect for topping sweet fruits like mango, pineapple, strawberries, grapes or bananas.

Unsweetened chocolate is reputed to have desirable healing powers but it’s really bitter.  You can easily prove to yourself that is impossible to eat cocoa unless you have a similar taste for chewing on roasted coffee beans or flax seeds.  Break off a tiny piece of unsweetened chocolate and try it, just be sure you can rinse it out of your mouth in the next few seconds, because it’s very bitter.

You have got to sweeten this mix and add some fat. Just don’t overdo it.

Coconut is another special nutrient that gets a lot of acclaim but it’s also a difficult treat to enjoy alone. At first this chewy stuff seems OK but gets bitterer as you try to chew it up.  For this recipe I use coarsely shredded loose unsweetened coconut like Bob’s Red Mill.

Chia is another powerful antioxidant that is high in omega.   (Try my Cranberry Chia topping.)  These tiny black seeds resemble poppy seeds and get stuck between your teeth.   Chia turns thick and gooey when cooked in liquids, and can be used as a thickener.

I like to have a trace of each of these every day, but when I am in a hurry, I find it takes too much time to get a spoon of chocolate, another of coconut, the cinnamon shaker, oatmeal, some chia seed, and almonds to top my cereal or fruit.

I mix all of these ingredients together into a crushed macaroon topping and keep it in the fridge.

Put two or three parts shredded coconut into a microwavable bowl.  Top that with at least one part unsweetened powdered cocoa.  Next add some cinnamon, chia seeds, ginger and cayenne if you like it (but not too much as it is very hot.)

Blend these dry ingredients together.  Now you need some sweetener and some liquid and some fat.  Moisten the dry mix and vary to taste using water, honey, milk or cream, raw sugar, olive oil, butter, or milk chocolate.   The result should be 85 percent coconut and chocolate with just enough sweetener and fat to offset the bitter taste make it hold together.

Heat this mix on the stove top or microwave, and mix again adding liquids to get the right consistency and flavor.  After heating and mixing a few times let it rest.  Spoon it out into macaroon lumps onto a cookie sheet or waxed paper and to cool and squeeze one or two almonds into each one, then let them cool.