COCONUT MACAROON EGGS

Preparation

• Cut parchment paper to the size of baking tray and place on the baking tray. Set aside. 
• Place all dry ingredients into a bowl: shredded coconut, coconut flour, and sea salt, mix together. 

Instructions

• Put half the dry mixture into the mini processor/food processor, then add half the wet ingredients: coconut oil, honey, and vanilla extract. Close the lid, and pulse for 5-10 second short intervals for 1 minute.
• Turn off the processor. Scrape the sides with the spatula to get whatever is stuck on the sides incorporated with the rest of the mixture and pulse again for another minute. 
• Add the rest of the ingredients and repeat the process until you get a semi-paste-like texture. It should still have specks of the coconut visible. 
• TIP: To know it's the right texture, take a small portion in your hands and press it. If it sticks and you can mold it in your hand, it's ready. If it crumbles when pressed together, it's not ready. Continue to pulse until it reaches a paste-like texture.
• Preheat oven to 350 F
• Transfer the mixture into a bowl. Take about a teaspoon of mixture into your hand and mold it into the shape of an egg, then place on the baking tray. 
• Bake for 6-7 minutes in the middle rack of the oven. Set aside and let it cool for at least an hour. Now your scrumptious Coconut Macaroons are done and ready to enjoy! However, if you want to take these sweet treats to the next level, let us continue on.

CHOCOLATE COATING (OPTIONAL)

• Fill your saucepan with 1-2 inches of water and place it on the stove. Place the stainless steel bowl on top of the saucepan — the two should sit tightly together. You don't want a gap as heat will escape. You also want to make sure the bowl does not touch the water, as it may burn the chocolate. Turn up the heat to high.
• Once you hear the water start to boil, add the coconut oil. After the oil is melted down (after 1-2 minutes) add the chocolate chips. Stir the chocolate constantly with your silicone spatula or spoon to help melt the chocolate. Add a pinch of the sea salt.
• Once you see the chocolate starting to melt down to a liquid consistency, cut the heat and remove it from the double boiler. It's fine if it's not all melted down, the residual heat from the bowl will help melt it all down. Once melted down, the chocolate should be a nice liquid-syrup consistency with a nice glossy sheen that slowly drips off your spatula or spoon. Let it cool down for 2-3 minutes.
• It's time to coat our Coconut Macaroon Eggs with chocolately goodness! Place them into the melted chocolate, move them around, spoon the chocolate over the eggs until all sides are covered. Gently take them out of the melted chocolate and place them on the baking sheet.
• Repeat until all Coconut Macaroon Eggs are done and place in the fridge for 40-50 minutes until set and chocolate hardens. For a quicker result, you can place them in the freezer for 20 minutes. Either way, please trust me it will be worth the wait!
• Once everything is set, take them out and leave them at room temperature for about 5-10 minutes and your delectable coconut treats are ready to enjoy!
• OPTIONAL: If you want a thicker coating of the chocolate, take out of the fridge and repeat the process in step 4 to get a second coating and smooth finish. Place back in the fridge for another 30 minutes.

DECORATING (OPTIONAL)

• If you want to take these cute macaroons a step further and really get into the festive spirit, here are a few options to try out:

  • CHOCOLATES: Take the remaining melted chocolate and drizzle on top of the Coconut Macaroon Eggs. This will create a nice decorative finish to the eggs, giving them dimension and an elegant, simple design.

  • SPRINKLES: add fun colourful sprinkles to brighten them up and add a splash of fun (I used naturally coloured sprinkles but feel free to use whichever ones you like).

  • SHREDDED COCONUT: use some of the shredded coconut used for the macaroons to sprinkles on top — a nice way to reflect the coconut feel of these treats

  • COLOURED ICING: create some pretty, dairy-free coloured icing with ¼ cup of powdered sugar and 1 tsp of dairy-free milk (white). Add the milk slowly as it is easy to add too much and tricky to adjust after. You can add a pinch of turmeric to make it yellow. Instead of milk, try a little bit of blueberry sauce to create blue/purple, or strawberry/raspberry sauce to create red.

  Honestly, the possibilities are endless. Just have fun with it and decorate to your heart's content!