December 14, 2011
(last updated January 27, 2020) 
In light of yesterday’s fabulous giveaway to win caramels, brownies, cookies, and more from Allison’s Gourmet, I figured today would be the perfect day for some holiday treats. Pumpkin spice and mocha chip macaroons, to be exact!
Macaroons rank high in my list of beloved sweets. This is partly because they’re my Mom’s favorite, and they make me think of her, but also because they’re delicious and oh-so easy to prepare. They lend themselves to raw preparation better than most cookies, and they demand very few ingredients. The end result is delicious—reminiscent of the inside of a Mounds bar—and for all that pleasure, you also get some of the health benefits of lauric acid, which is a fatty acid chain found in coconut that may have anti-inflammatory properties.
I have a standard raw, vegan macaroon recipe, which you can all check out here.
For today’s variations, I simply modified this recipe in small ways. I could have rebuilt the recipe from the ground up for each of these variations, rather than modifying what I’ve already done, but I personally love recipes that take up residence in my memory and stay there, which my macaroons have. And why tamper with near perfection, anyway?
Pumpkin Spice Macaroons (raw, vegan, gluten and soy free)
Makes about 25-30
2 heaping cups shredded, raw, unsweetened coconut (find this at any health food store, or your local whole foods)
1/2 cup ground raw almonds (or almond flour)
1/2 cup agave syrup (date paste is a great substitute)
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp ginger powder
2 tsps cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Dash cloves
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp sea salt
1) Place coconut and spices in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the agave, pumpkin, vanilla, and oil.
2) Pour wet ingredients over dry, and mix them all together with hands, till dough is uniformly sticky and clumps together easily. If you need to, add a little more agave.
3) Scoop in tablespoons onto a dehydrator tray lined with Teflex. 3) Dehydrate at 115 degrees for about 6-8 hours (6 is probably all you need).
Could you use an oven? Sure! Try one set at 325 degrees for twenty minutes—but do experiment with the time, since I haven’t tried it myself yet. And I’d suggest you let them cool completely in a fridge after heating, as they’ll be pretty soft and need to set.
Your kitchen will smell heavenly as these dehydrate. And when you pop one of these delectable little treats into your mouth, you’ll have the most wonderful confusion: tropical decadence meets pumpkin pie.
Next up? Get your coffee AND chocolate fix at the same time. With coconut. It’s almost too much to handle.
Mocha Chip Macaroons (raw, vegan, gluten and soy free)
Makes about 25-30
2 cups shredded, raw, unsweetened coconut (find this at any health food store, or your local whole foods)
1/4 cup ground raw almonds (or almond flour)
2/3 cup cocoa powder (I like raw cacao powder from Navitas Naturals, though it is a little pricey)
1/2 cup cacao nibs
1 tbsp instant espresso
2/3 cup agave syrup (or date paste)
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp sea salt
1) Place coconut, almond meal, cocoa powder, espresso, and nibs in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together agave, oil, vanilla, and salt.
2) Pour wet ingredients over dry, and mix thoroughly, till dough is uniformly sticky and clumps together easily. If you need to, add a little more agave.
3) Scoop in tablespoons onto a dehydrator tray lined with Teflex. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for about 6-8 hours (6 is probably all you need). Alternately, try these in the oven at 325 degrees for twenty minutes or so, then allow to cool in a fridge thoroughly.
These are so chocolately and delicious—especially if you use raw cacao powder! It’s very potent. And the espresso gives it all a sophisticated hue.
These are ideal gifts for holiday giving, in part because they ought to stay good for at least a week (I’d guess quite a bit longer than that! I’ve kept macaroons around for 2-3 weeks, no problem). Wrap them up in cute cellophane bags, and share the gift of raw, vegan goodness with everyone you love.
Speaking of gifts? I have a winner to my Alo Clothing giveaway!! The randomly generated winner is #105: Cadry of Cadry’s Kitchen! Cadry, please email me for details on how to accept your prize!
So: the Orgo final came, and the Orgo final went. Thanks for the good luck wishes! It was difficult, as usual, and as usual, I’m not really sure what to expect. So for now, with one more final ahead of me, I’ll just keep on keepin’ on.
Till tmw,
xo
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Almost 10 years later and I am still making this recipe, every December! For anyone else who doesn’t have a dehydrator I usually bake them for about 10 minutes. Though I must say I most enjoy the raw batter on a spoon 🙂 Thanks, Gena!
Catherine, that makes me so glad to hear!! Thanks for telling me. Happy holidays.
I’d like a lemon version, any ideas ?
Hey! I just made these and they’re amazing. Quick question though; what do you think the nutrition facts are? It seems like a lot of sugar. Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks!
I don’t do nutrition facts, Valentina. They do have quite a bit of sugar — they’re a dessert! But unless you have a condition which necessitates sugar avoidance, one or two once in a while won’t hurt.
Mmmmm I had a pumpkin macaroon at Thrive in Seattle. So tasty!
Fresh out of the dehydrator – I just made these little guys and they are absolutely amazing! The chocolate is decadent and hits the spot. The pumpkin is spicy and comforting. Thanks, Gena! This is a KEEPER recipe and will be used often.
SO glad you like them!
I wish you were my secret santa so I could get a package of these. They look delicious!
i love these! have you ever tried making a raw french macaron? they are gluten free by nature but i’m not sure how one would create an airy texture yet maintaining the raw-factor. glad to hear orgo is done! do you have to take orgo II or was that what you were currently dealing with? something sort of clicks in ochem II..not saying i enjoyed it but it made me feel not so crazy!
I loved your previous macaroon recipe! Just a quick tip: Try to make your own shredded coconut! It really makes a huge difference and adds a lot of flavor!
Yay! These look great – I’ve been wanting to try out a raw cookie recipe for some holiday gatherings and these will be perfect! Thanks, Gena!
Gena! These look beautiful!
Also, how do I unlearn (let go of?) food combining rules?
Great question!
For me, it was as simple as realizing that food combining theory isn’t true. It was as if I’d spent years thinking the world was flat, because that made intuitive sense to me and I didn’t really know otherwise, and then I realized that, in fact, that world is round. I couldn’t continue to go on believing something that just isn’t, well, right. Food combining had exerted a powerful influence on me through the placebo effect (ie, I thought it would make me digest better, so then I did digest better), but reality exerted a much stronger influence when I gave it up, and believe me, my digestion has only gotten stronger and better.
xo
Goodness glaciers, those look amazing! Especially the pumpkin spice! Yes, I will be making those the next time I can get to the bulk bins at Good Earth. I’m fresh out of coconut because I added some to your 5 minute no-bake sunflower seed bars. And yes, that was a very good idea.
Do you think the almond flour could be substitued with something else. Anyone out there tried it yet?
Thanks,
Cathy,
You could use any ground up nut. Nut butter would also probably work, but I’d use a little less of it.
G
These look amazing! I am definitely adding them to my Christmas cookie repertoire 🙂
xoxo
Those macaroons look absolutley scrumptious–I’d love one immediately. I’ll definitely be including these in my holiday cookie gift boxes this year, especially because I just developed a love affair with coconut. Thanks for the recipe, Gena!
oh yumm, these sound amazing!! I’ve tried making macaroons on several occasions but haven’t found the *perfect* recipe yet! Maybe this is it!! 🙂
These aren’t the most fancy recipe, but they sure are easy and good!
You could use your date paste for these cookies too! That is how I sweeten my macaroons. I am sure you did well on your final!!
Yummy! Wanna have a bite!
Wow I need to make these-it’s the perfect energy boost!
Hi,
Would you keep these in the fridge?
I have made strawberry macaroons before they are delicious when they first come out of the dehydrator because they are crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle.
But once they go in the fridge they are just soft. Not as nice. What has been your experience, especially if you were giving them as a gift.
Teniel,
I’ve had teh same experience, but actually, refrigeration isn’t necessary here, since none of the ingredients are particularly perishable. Just keep them in a sealed bag.
Gena
And that is probably the coolest part of this recipe! I can’t wait to make these for friends!
I also love, love, love macaroons and am pinning these recipes right now for making for Passover. Thanks Gena!
I wish my holiday plans included a stop over at your place. I can just imagine enjoy a cup coffee a bite of those delightful macaroons and a joyous chat with you.
Sending you lots of love from Bangkok!
xo
Lisa
Miss you, sweetie. Sending love back!
I love love love macaroons! thanks for sharing this recipe!
Yay!! I’m so excited that I won your awesome Alo giveaway!! I’ve been meaning to put exercise in the forefront, and this is just the nudge I need.
Like some other commenters, I’m also hoping Santa will pick up the hints I’ve been dropping for a dehydrator! Your macaroons look divine. 🙂
these look amazing! i love macaroons, but always fail when i’m trying to make them, haha. i’ll have to give these a try. bookmarked 🙂
No you didn’t!! Haha, these look so delicious. I had one at Karma yesterday, a chocolate one, it was so yummy and it was the perfect pre-exam snack.
Could you freeze them instead of baking them (if you don’t have a dehydrator)? Or does the heat lend nice flavor to the coconut?
I bet a simple old fridge would do it, Hannah. Great question.
yum! macaroons are the perfect gift!!
You’d better hope Santa brings me a dehydrator this year Gena 🙂
Good luck with your last final!
Glad that Orgo is done. Whew. At least…it’s done.
The macs both look good but being that I am way more of a chocolate girl than pumpkin the Mocha Chip Macaroons look especially good!
Who ever is going to get to sample these or try them is a very lucky holiday recipient! And of course, very impressive you kept it all vegan and RAW and Gf and all that jazz 🙂