Paleo Grubs
Paleo Grubs -
For the uninitiated, macaroons are a chewy cookie that’s flexible in pretty much all ways but one: it’s made with shredded coconut. Once you’ve got your coconut, you can do (or not do) just about anything you want. Bake them or don’t. Use eggs or make them vegan. Add chocolate or other flavors, or make plain coconut. Dip them in melted chocolate or don’t. It’s all up to you! My favorites are fruity, extra chewy, and sweetened with maple syrup. It’s very easy to adjust macaroon recipes to make them paleo by switching out the sugar and replacing the small amount of flour with almond flour or another nut flour. So there are lots of options to choose from! You’re sure to find a favorite, and so will your family.
1. No Bake Chocolate Macaroons
Why not start with chocolate when we’re talking about cookies? I love this simple no-baked chocolate macaroon recipe made with dark chocolate chips, coconut oil, vanilla extract, shredded coconut, and a pinch of salt. This would be a really fun recipe to make with kids!
Photo: Mondo Mulia
2. Vegan Pistachio Macaroons
Made with ground almonds, desiccated coconut, and pistachios, this delicious macaroon recipe has unique flavors and textures. It’s sweetened with maple syrup and homemade applesauce, which also help to keep the cookies moist and delicious. Don’t forget the coconut oil, which boosts the coconut flavor.
3. Paleo Orange Creamsicle Macaroons
I am a huge fan of these sweet and zesty honey-sweetened creamsicle cookies. Make them with egg whites, unsweetened shredded coconut, full fat coconut mlk, orange zest and juice, salt, and vanilla extract. The combination of vanilla and orange is the secret to the creamsicle flavor.
4. Maple Macaroons
These three-ingredients, raw, paleo macaroons are the ultimate easy treat. All you need is coconut shreds, coconut oil, and maple syrup. If you’re wondering how they hold together, the combination of sticky maple syrup and coconut oil, which is solid at room temperature, is the key.
5. Chocolate Dipped Caramel Coconut Haystacks
I love the pyramid shape of these easy macaroons, which are sweetened with coconut nectar—one of the less-common paleo-friendly sweeteners. The vanilla-and-sea-salt-flavored haystacks are all toasty with their bottoms dipped in melted bittersweet chocolate.
Photo: Healing Whole Nutrition
6. Paleo Coconut Chocolate Chip Macaroons
I don’t know about you, but I’m more of a chocolate chip cookie person than a macaroon person. Unless, of course, you’re going to combine the two for the best of both worlds in these chocolate chip macaroons with cinnamon, sea salt, raw honey, vanilla, and coconut flour. Oh, and chocolate chips!
7. Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons
These chocolate covered sweeties kind of remind me of truffles, with ingredients like ground hazelnut flour, maple syrup, almond extract, and egg whites. The shredded coconut makes up the base, but the other flavors complement the coconut perfectly.
8. Gingerbread Macaroons
Macaroons aren’t usually a holiday cookie, but you can flavor them any way you like, and they make the perfect holiday cookie when flavored with maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. A cross between a gingerbread cookie and a macaroon!
9. Pumpkin Spice Macaroons
These macaroons are ideal for fall with pumpkin spice seasoning, pumpkin puree (canned works, homemade would be delicious), raw local honey, vanilla extract, coconut sugar, and shredded coconut. They’re so much easier than paleo pumpkin bread, too!
Photo: Heart and Bowl
10. Raw Matcha Macaroons
These beautiful macaroons have an earthy matcha flavor and a gorgeous chocolate drizzle on top. Make them with desiccated coconut, melted coconut oil, raw honey, coconut milk, vanilla extract, matcha powder, sea salt, and dark chocolate. Use coconut nectar instead of honey and they’re vegan!
11. Chocolate Lime Macaroons
Lots of lime zest gives these macaroons a bright and spunky flavor. They’re sweetened with coconut palm sugar and honey, get their structure from almond flour and egg whites, and are drizzled with ribbons of melted dark chocolate chips.
12. Almond Joy Macaroons
These cookies taste just like almond joy bars, except better, and a lot healthier (of course). All you need is coconut oil, almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, unsweetened shredded coconut, coconut flour, and sifted coconut powder.
13. Creamsicle Macaroons
Here’s another version of creamsicle macaroons. This version uses egg whites, shredded coconut, full fat coconut milk (so creamy!), honey, orange zest and juice, vanilla extract, and salt. The coconut milk makes such a creamy, rich base for these cookies.
Photo: A Nourished Appetite
14. Maple Bacon Macaroons
The way to make any paleo recipe better is to add bacon, right? Even cookies and other desserts! The combination of maple an bacon is awesome in this recipe. You’ll also need egg whites, vanilla extract, sea salt, and shredded coconut along with the maple and cooked bacon.
15. Strawberry Chocolate Chip Macaroons
These cookies remind me of chocolate covered strawberries, but with a light and coconut twist and a chewy texture. You’ll need strawberries, coconut milk, chia seeds, shredded coconut, maple syrup or honey, vanilla, coconut oil, and chocolate chips.
16. Salted Dark Chocolate Coconut Macaroons
Just look at that deliciously dark and rich chocolate glaze! It’s homemade with coconut oil, cocoa powder, honey, and flaked sea salt. The cookies have a dense coconut-vanilla flavor and are held together with eggs whites, honey, and coconut milk. Yum.
17. Paleo Lemon Macaroons
I love the combination of sweet and tart lemon and smooth, silky chocolate—perfect in this macaroon recipe with egg whites, maple syrup, salt, vanilla extract, lemon juice, lemon zest, shredded coconut, and a homemade chocolate dip with chocolate chips, coconut oil, and lemon zest.
Photo: The Iron You
18. Almond Walnut Macaroons
I’ve never had a macaroon with walnuts in it, but this recipe sounds pretty darn good. You’ll need walnuts, blanched almonds, coconut palm sugar, egg, egg whites, ground cardamom, and homemade paleo-friendly raspberry jam or chia jam.
19. No Bake Matcha Green Tea Macaroons
No bake cookies are my favorite, and I love the bright and happy colors in these matcha macaroons. They’re rich and creamy with raw cashew butter, coconut milk, and ground almonds along with raw cacao paste, maple syrup, vanilla, coconut oil, and honey.
20. Vegan Chocolate Dipped Goji Macaroons
I recommend replacing the agave syrup in this recipe with maple syrup for a more paleo-friendly, less processed sweetener. The goji berries are like superfood magic, and they add such an interesting and unusual flavor to these cookies, along with coconut milk and vanilla.
21. Four Ingredient Macaroons
I love the rich vanilla flavor of these cookies and the super-simple four ingredient process. The flavor comes from the ground vanilla beans, sweetened with elegant maple syrup and held together with coconut oil (healthy fats!) and unsweetened shredded coconut.
Photo: Unconventional Baker
22. German Chocolate Macaroons
This is a fun chocolaty recipe using toasted coconut shreds (the toasting creates a different flavor than untoasted), toasted pecans, coconut oil, dates, maple syrup, and chocolate chips. The dates adds a caramel-like sweetness that’s perfect for German chocolate, and makes the cookies rich and chewy.
23. AIP Chocolate and Pepperment No Bake Macaroons
Chocolate isn’t allowed on the AIP diet, but carob is! These chocolaty peppermint cookies are made with coconut butter, coconut oil, carob powder, maple syrup, shredded coconut, and peppermint extract (don’t use essential oil—it’s not safe for consumption).
24. Cranberry Orange Paleo Macaroons
These cookies remind me of those cranberry orange holiday scones, except in delicious macaroon form. They’re made with coconut sugar, shredded coconut, almond flour, coconut flour, sea salt, egg whites, almond extract, orange zest, orange juice, cranberries, chocolate chips, and coconut rum. Yum!
25. Maple and Pumpkin Spice Macaroons
Made with shredded coconut, coconut oil, maple syrup, coconut milk, coconut flour, and spices like cinnamon and ginger, these amazing cookis are so cute and they’re covered in a silky glaze of coconut milk and coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla beans, and cinnamon.
Photo: Full Up Eating
26. Coconut Orange Macaroons
I love the tropical flavor of these macaroons wit coconut and sweet orange. Of course, there’s also a not-so-tropical maple flavor, and all three together make an awesome cookie with vanilla bean paste, egg whites, and a touch of sea salt flavor.
27. Ultimate Chocolate Macaroons
In addition to plenty of chocolate, raw almonds, and coconut flakes, these macaroons have chia seeds that add a great chewy texture along with a mapley sweetness. I wouldn’t hesitate to add a handful of chocolate chips to these, but that’s just me. Maybe it’s you, too.
28. Fresh Coconut Macaroons
If you think you like coconut macaroons, and you’ve never tasted macaroons made from fresh coconut, you have no idea what you’re missing. You have to try this recipe, using full fat coconut milk, raw honey, vanilla, fresh coconut, and egg whites. It’s so delicious.
29. Pink Beet Macaroons
These pretty-in-pink macaroons are naturally colored with a touch of beet juice (you can’t taste it at all). The color is super kid-friendly and they’d be perfect for a party! All you need is shredded coconut, coconut sugar or maple sugar (to replace the raw sugar), beet juice, egg whites, and chocolate chips.
Photo: Colorful Eats Nutrition
30. Tangy Lime Coconut Macaroons
For a truly tropical flavor, these awesome lime and coconut macaroons are slow-baking for a chewy texture with lots of moisture. They’re sweetened with raw honey and they plenty of lime zest, almond flour, shredded coconut, and coconut milk. Super yummy.
31. Chocolate Chip Coconut Macaroons
I love the almond extract in these cookies—it kind of gives them a marzipan sort of flavor, and the chocolate chips and chocolate dipping are the perfect complement for that almond flavor. They’re sweetened with raw honey, but you could use maple syrup, too.
32. Superpower Macaroons
Filled with superfoods like goji berries and cacao nibs, these elegant and delicious macaroons are so easy to make. Coconut nectar is the perfect sweetener to complement the rich coconut flavors with sea salt, and pure vanilla extract.
33. Raw Date Coconut Macaroons
These macaroons have a caramel-like flavor from the medjool dates. The recipe is simple with shredded coconut and vanilla bean powder, and if you want a fancy salted caramel style cookie, you could sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top of them!
Photo: Mangia Blog
34. Chocolate Hazelnut Macaroons
These macaroons are like the paleo, healthier version of Nutella cookies, except they taste better than “real” Nutella because they’re made with real ingredients like hazelnut butter, cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla extract, shredded coconut, and chocolate chips.
35. Raspberry Coconut Macaroons
I love my cookies (well, all of my treats actually) full of sweet and gooey fruits. That’s what’s so perfect about these cookies, with almond extract, fresh raspberries, and dark chocolate chips forming the most decadent of macaroon flavors and textures.
36. Peppermint Chocolate Macaroons
These cookies remind me of the chewy macaroon version of Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies. Make them with shredded coconut, raw cacao powder, honey, coconut milk, peppermint extract, egg white, and a dash of sea salt. Kids love this flavor combination.
37. Raw Chocolate Pumpkin Macaroons
How do you make pumpkin cookies better? Add chocolate! These macaroons are totally no-bake, so you can be enjoying them almonds instantly. The pecan flour is a really great autumn flavor that’s unique, but you can use almond flour if that’s what you’ve got on hand.
Photo: Slim Palate
38. Chocolate Ganache Stuffed Coconut Lime Macaroons
I love sandwich cookies, and I especially love sandwich macaroons, as uncommon as they are. So I was pretty excited to share this recipe with you, using shredded coconut, almond flour, eggs, stevia drops, coconut oil, lime zest, and lime juice. The ganache is homemade, too!
38 Paleo Macaroons to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth
Harper