Gluten Free Coconut Almond Macaroons

It's been a busy week of birthdays! My partner Jesse and one of my best friends, Ashley, both celebrated their birthdays this week. Ashley's was a night out dancing on Friday and I organized a party at home for Jesse yesterday. 


I love cooking for a party but it is a lot of work because I prefer to make most of the food from scratch. For this spread, I decided to make some hawaiian pizza, lumpiang shanghai (Filipino spring rolls), & a dessert item from scratch. I am not a great baker of cakes but I have had plenty of successes making cookies. So instead of baking Jesse a potential failure of a cake, I decided to get his mom to bring a pre-made grocery cake and make cookies for the party.

Before the recent popularity of French Macarons there was good old Coconut Macaroons. These little gems have been a favourite of mine since I was a little kid. And it just so happens that these are also one of Jesse's favourites. 

This recipe has been adapted from one that used wheat flour which we do not keep on hand since most days we try to live a low carb lifestyle. Now, these cookies are not low carb as it does have a lot of sugar from the condensed milk but life is short and you have to treat yourself once in awhile especially on a birthday!

Here's the recipe:

GLUTEN FREE COCONUT ALMOND MACAROONS

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups unsweetened, raw coconut flakes
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
12 hazelnuts, halved

Directions:

Pre-heat oven 300°F.

In a large bowl or in a kitchen mixer, mix all dry ingredients except hazelnuts. Add condensed milk and extracts and stir until well combined. 

Using a small cookie scoop, spoon mixture onto silicone baking sheet. Using a small glass, flatten cookie scoops. I dip the glass bottom in some water every 2 or 3 cookies to avoid sticking. 

Top each cookie with one halved hazelnut. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes or just until golden brown. Let cool on baking rack. 

Serve & enjoy!

Yields 24 cookies.