Vegan Pumpkin Macaroons Recipe aka confessions of a Vegan Cookie Monster!

Almost Gone Pumpkin Macaroons

I can't help myself! Although I dine predominately on greens, beans, colorful veggies, sweet potatoes and the occasional whole grains, I love sweets! Especially during the Holidays.  Giving up meat and eggs was easy for me. Cheese, not so easy but now after many years, I do not miss dairy cheeses and had fun dabbling in making the non-dairy kind.

Potato chips call my name quite often and sometimes I have given in to the Kettle Brand Bakes. With only 2 ingredients and 120 calories for a 20 chip serving, (about 125 mg of sodium  & 25 cal from fat per serving) I justified even Jeff Novick would approve of these tasty tidbits and perhaps even consider them "healthy". Then I fine tuned my chip eating when I discovered, thanks to Pam and Gordon, the Top Chips microwave chip maker. Now, chips are us, including beet, sweet potato, apple, etc. Even better news about these is microwaving potatoes does not produce the acrylamides you find in potatoes cooked at high temps such as McD's french fries or most commercial potato chips.

Assorted chips made in my Top Chips maker!

I really do not choose pie at all, I prefer cake but hardly ever, ever crave it,  BUT...sugar baked into almost any kind of cookie is my Achilles heel. Give me a cookie; crunchy like biscotti or moist and chewy like these macaroons and I am in heaven!

I have an extreme weakness and what's worse is I inflict the results of my sweet tooth on everyone around me in the form of cookies, brownies and candies. I have given up coffee, even though I never really consumed more than one cup daily, because I identified it is the primary reason I crave a little something sweet to dunk into it! I find I do not have the same craving  when I drink tea.   In the last few years I have tried to lower or eliminate the fat in my baked goods and reduce the amount of added sugar, or not add any refined sugar instead using dates or other fruit to sweeten. Adding black or white beans anywhere I can get away with it is another of my tricks and some results have been successful while others met with the garbage disposal as fast as I could get them there. Making RAW chocolates and brownies too, you name it, I'm trying it!

I really did not want this blog to be about sweets but over the last 3 or so years, if you look at my recipes, I think you will see a trend. Its because the food I eat for life doesn't really need  recipes, its usually just whole veggies and starches with some quinoa and brown rice thrown in here and there. If I am trying to create a recipe, its usually for a goodie that would be considered almost healthy. Well, these macaroons almost fall in to the "healthy" category. I would call them 'healthier'. For sure the better option over Paula Deen's recipe for macaroons! The ingredients in the Baker's brand sweetened coconut AND the fat and sugar in both the coconut and sweetened condensed milk are enough to send me into a tail-spin, never mind the eggs! I would never touch those toxic-nasties!

So, here I've done it again. Another sweet recipe for my friends, family, and readers. I hope you enjoy these as much as we here at 1008 have. They are almost GONE!! Here's the recipe:

(for more pumpkin recipes, check out this post in the PenBay Pilot where I will be penning a regular monthly column - YAY!)

Pumpkin Macaroons dipped in Chocolate

Pumpkin Macaroons Dipped in Chocolate 

makes 18 1-2" macaroons 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 c. flour ( I used a combo of coconut and almond flour for Gluten Free)
1 1/4 t. Pumpkin Pie Spice (or a combo or cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg & cloves)
1/3 t. baking powder
1/8 t. salt

splash non-dairy milk (I used about 2T. almond milk)

1/4 c. canned or fresh cooked pie pumpkin
3 - 4 T. maple syrup
1 t. vanilla extract
3/4  T. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. Vegan Bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)


Method: 
Oven 325
1. Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. (except choc. chips)
2. Mix all of the wet ingredients in a separate cup or small bowl (except choc. chips)
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet into it.
5. Fold in until all are moistened. Adjust moistness by adding more milk or syrup and more cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
6. Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper of silpats and bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Cool on racks and gently remove macaroons to cool.
7. Melt chocolate in a small Pyrex bowl in the microwave according to package instructions.
8.. Dip bottoms of macaroons into chocolate and place on parchment paper to dry. (you can use the same paper used to bake!)
9. Refrigerate for a few minutes to facilitate chocolate drying.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Sláinte!