Gluten-Free Orange Zest Chocolate Chip Coconut Macaroons

… Chewy, Citrus-y, Chocolate-y Richness All in One Bite!

If you like coconut and chocolate, you’re going to love these! They are chewy and rich, and I especially like how the orange zest adds a layer of bright flavor to the sweet coconut and rich chocolate.

This is one of the easiest homemade cookie recipes I’ve ever made. Perhaps they’re considered a dump cookie, not necessarily because of containing a lot of ingredients, but because you simply dump everything into a mixing bowl and mix with your fingers, then scoop and bake. Easy, right? It’s almost as easy as eating them! Just about as close to instant gratification as you’re going to get – for a homemade cookie.

One quick point to note: Bake them until light to medium golden brown. The center will still be moist if you bite into them within the first 20 minutes or so after baking. But they set up perfectly without becoming dry. The macaroons will remain chewy, but the inside will not appear as damp. Happy Baking!

Gluten-free, Dairy-free Orange Zest Chocolate Chip Coconut Macaroons

Prep time: 10 minutes

Bake time: 16-20 minutes

Bake temp: 350ºF

Makes: 18-20 cookies (recipe halves and doubles well)

Ingredients:

2 large egg whites

2/3 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla – I use McCormick

2 ½ cups shredded coconut – I use sweetened but unsweetened would be just fine and reduce the sweetness a bit.

1/2 cup chocolate chips – I use Enjoy Life Foods Semi-sweet Chocolate Mini Chips

zest of one large orange, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine egg whites, sugar, salt, vanilla, coconut, chocolate chips, and zest in a large bowl. Mix well, using your hands to thoroughly combine ingredients.

Scoop out 1 small scoopful (I use a #40 scoop, about the size of a large walnut) onto prepared pan. Continue with all the mixture. These macaroons don’t spread while cooking so you might be able to get all of them onto one baking sheet. With damp fingers, for the balls into a more stacked or pyramid shape, if desired.

Bake macaroons at 350ºF for 16-20 minutes, or until the they are golden brown. They will be moist in the center, but will firm up when they cool.

Remove from oven and transfer cookies – still on the parchment – to a cooling rack. Let set about 20 minutes, or until completely cool.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. (In my dry, winter climate, I left mine on the cooling rack open to the air over night and they were even better the second day.)

Safe food is a journey … Thrive!™