Apricot Cherry Macaroons (dehydrated)

Apricot Cherry Macaroons

My favorite raw dehydrator cookie is chocolate macaroons but I made this version at Christmastime flavored with apricots and cherries. 

Since then, I've given up chocolate in an attempt to rid myself of headaches, and when I find myself searching for a healthy something while avoiding my husband's chocolate stash, this is a satisfying little treat.

I keep them in the freezer and take one out to thaw for several minutes before eating. I doubled the batch which made a lot of cookies.

Ingredients:

2 cups flaked coconut (unsweetened)

3/4 cup raw almond meal or flour

1/8 tsp salt

1/3 cup honey, agave, or brown rice syrup (I use a mixture of honey and rice syrup)

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon  (optional)

1 cup chopped dried apricots and cherries (soaked whole in water one hour beforehand and drained)

In the food processor:

Process coconut, almond meal and salt till blended. Add in remaining ingredients and pulse till mixed well.

Shape and dehydrate:
Make small rounded or cone shapes in your hands and flatten the bottom on a nonstick dehydrator sheet. Dehydrate at 110 degrees for a total of 10-14 hours. Around the halfway point, flip macaroons off of the nonstick sheet and onto the regular dehydrator sheet. They should be dry and somewhat crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside.

Options: Add dried blueberries, dried pineapple, mango, etc. (or your choice of fruit) and add another flavor extract for a different taste. You could also add in chopped nuts of your choice. (Next time I make a batch of macaroons I'm adding carob powder (as a chocolate replacement)!

Tips: If your mixture is not holding together well and appears too dry, 

add in a little more coconut oil (not too much) or a little more sweetener.

You could also bake these in the oven but you'd lose some of the benefits of eating this cookie raw.

Choose your size: big or small

Choose your shape:

The upper tray ones were flat,

and the bottom tray, cone shaped.

Having on hand some nutritious treats to snack on makes my little lifestyle and habit changes more doable. If I don't have something readily available to munch, I may grab something I really don't desire or need to reach my goals of good health.

Go here to print a PDF of this recipe  

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