Coconut Macaroons

yields ~18 macaroons // adapted from Alton Brown

2 large egg whites

2 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 cup maple syrup or honey

1/2 cup almond meal*

1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon almond extract

Lemon Macaroons

2 Tablespoons lemon zest

Preheat your oven to 350* and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Beat the egg whites [with your whisk attachment] until fluffy. ~5min

Beat in the maple syrup for another 3-4min.

Fold in the coconut, almond meal, vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon zest [if using], and salt. *If planning to dip in chocolate, leave out the lemon zest.

Gather about 3 Tablespoons of the mixture and squeeze between one hand and then the other hand, passing back and forth until tightly packed.

Shape into a ball and place on the baking sheet about 1-2” apart.

Bake for 17-20min until light golden brown.

Set your oven to broil on low and broil on the top rack for 1-2min until golden brown. Be careful as they will burn quickly!

Let cool fully before dipping in chocolate.

notes: If you don’t have almond meal, you can grind almonds until light and flour like. You can most likely sub in 1/2 cup shredded coconut if you don’t have almond meal or almonds to make it. I’m not sure if they need to be refrigerated, but I’ve kept mine stored in a sealed container in the fridge.

Chocolate Dipped Macaroons

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1/2 Tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil [optional]

Melt the chocolate and oil using a double boiler or in 30 second increments in the microwave.

Stir frequently until smooth.

Dip and/or drizzle the macaroons with the melted chocolate, place on a parchment lined plate or pan, and let set in the freezer. ~20-30min

notes: The coconut oil creates an even smoother texture to the chocolate and helps it harden when placed in the freezer to set. However, it is optional. Do not sub in another type of oil in it’s place.

As promised, dessert!

Today is my uncle’s birthday [Happy Birthday Uncle Alan!!!], so before leaving town we had a mini celebration. I think everyone felt a little emptiness in the room with my grandpa not being there, but we ate, laughed, and joked to keep our minds busy. Just as he wanted.

Before cupcakes we slurped on tomato soup and crunched on toasty grilled cheese sandwiches. An always delicious and comforting meal.

I thought for today we would start things off with cupcakes.

Lemon and blueberry is a combination that will never get old. Don’t you agree?

I wanted to keep the blueberry flavor in the frosting and the lemon in the cupcakes. I also wanted to keep the recipe as simple as possible. The easiest way to do that is by using almond flour. No crazy combination of gluten free flours, starches, and gums. Just almond flour!

It’s hard to believe ground almonds can be turned into such a delicious dessert.

And for the frosting?

A simple combination of heavy whipping cream, cream cheese, blueberries and honey.

A fluffy, slightly sweet frosting, with a hint of blueberry.

I wanted to keep the frosting nice and light to let the lemon almond cupcake shine.

Print this!

Almond Flour Lemon Cupcakes

gluten-free // yields 10 cupcakes // adapted from orange blossom cupcakes

3 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup raw honey
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon extract
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat your oven to 325* and position a rack in the center. Line a cupcake pan with 10 cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, melted coconut oil, vanilla, lemon, and lemon zest until smooth.
Combine the wet with the dry and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. It should result in a thick, pourable batter.
Empty batter evenly into the lined cupcake tin.
Bake for 23-27min, until a toothpick comes out clean and they are golden brown on top.
Remove from the pan and let fully cool before frosting.

notes: You want to be sure and use blanched almond flour and not almond meal. You can make this at home [or buy it pre-ground] in a high speed blender or food processor using raw blanched almonds. Only blend about 3/4 cup of a cup at a time and scrape the sides as needed until very fine. Be careful not to over process as the mixture will start to turn into nut butter. It heats slightly when you grind, so make sure to let it cool a bit before storing in a sealed container in the fridge.

Blueberry Whipped Cream Frosting

1 cup heavy whipping cream
4oz cream cheese [full fat]
1/2 cup blueberries
6 Tablespoons raw honey

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the blueberries and honey and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to simmer for 6-8min. Stir frequently.
Pour in a bowl and set in the refrigerator until completely chilled.
In a cold metal bowl, whip the whipping cream until stiff peaks form [I used the whisk attachment with a hand mixer]. Refrigerate for 15min.
In another bowl, whip the cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese and whip until fully combined and stiff.
With an immersion blender [or regular blender should work] blend the blueberry honey mixture until smooth.
Whisk the blueberry mixture with the cream mixture until fully combined.
Refrigerate for at least 15min before spreading on fully cooled cupcakes.
Keep cupcakes refrigerated once frosted.

notes: This is a very soft frosting. I don’t think it would work well for a layer cake because of how soft it is. If you want to stiffen it up, you can always use powdered sugar instead of honey and add more until desired sweetness and consistency is reached. If the 6T of honey is not sweet enough for your taste buds, I would use powdered sugar instead of more honey to sweeten. Avoid using frozen blueberries, as it may make the mixture too wet.

Soup’s on tomorrow!

Ashley