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  

Linking up with Foodie Friends Friday and Raw Foods Thursdays 

Raw Healthy Treats for Valentine Sweets

Today is Valentines Day. I love to scrounge in the kitchen and cook up something sweet and gooey and chocolaty for my hubby and family. But we don't need the high sugar content and I do want healthy—and raw makes it even better. What did I come up with?

Raw Chocolate Macaroons

Chocolate macaroons are to be savored, and these are tasty as can be! Raw ingredients, shaped, and dehydrated, with a slightly crusty outside (similar to a baked product) and a delicious choco-coconutty inside.

I modified a recipe from Live Raw by Mimi Kirk.

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 used a mixture of honey and rice syrup)

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp vanilla

3 Tbsp raw cocoa powder (or substitute carob)

In food processor:

Process coconut, almond meal and salt till blended. Add in remaining ingredients and pulse till mixed well. Make small rounded shapes in your hands and flatten the bottom on a nonstick dehydrator sheet. Dehydrate at 110 degrees for 10 hours. 

Options: You could dip these in melted chocolate if you want or leave out the cocoa powder and add almond extract for a different taste.

Then I decided to make:

Apricot Squares

I found a recipe that used dried apricots which I had on hand. This recipe is from an E-Book: Have Your Cake and Eat it Too: Guilt Free Desserts for the Whole Family (I don't know where I purchased it from and I can't easily find it online, but it's an awesome raw recipe book). I have modified it (like I do practically everything). It has a bit of a buttery-crunchy bottom and top layer (pecan crumble mixture) and an apricot-banana sweet center, and loaded with healthy vitamins, minerals and fiber. (JJ gave this a thumbs up)

Bottom (and top) Layer:

Process these ingredients until you get a crumb-like consistency:

1 cup raw pecan pieces

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbs sucanat

1 cup almond meal

1/3 cup honey (or agave)

1/4 cup raw coconut oil

1/4 cup raw coconut manna

1/2 cup raw flaked coconut

1/2 tsp salt

Place half of mixture aside for topping. Press half onto 9 x 9 inch glass pan and refrigerate.

Filling:

Place the following ingredients into food processor and process until mixed well:

1 cup dried apricots, soaked for 2 hours and then drained

2 bananas

1/3 cup dried cane juice

1 Tbs lemon juice

1/3 cup almond meal

1 tbsp psyllium husk powder

1/4 tsp salt

Spread apricot mixture onto bottom layer in pan. Sprinkle the pecan crumb mixture you have set aside on top. Refrigerate. Cut into squares. Yummy!

I hope your Valentine's Day was a delightfully healthy and loving one!