Happy Easter everyone! 🐣
Hope you’re all having a lovely long weekend, and for everyone celebrating Easter, sending all my warmest wishes to you and your family. This recipe is my healthy spin on the classic coconut macaroon with a festive twist. This recipe will transform your traditional coconut bites into cute little eggs to make for the perfect Easter treat.
Easter is one of my favourite holidays for many reasons. I love its simplicity. It tends to fall under the radar, with no significant spotlight surrounding it. It allows for more time to focus on the holiday’s meaning. It’s a day that signifies light, renewed hope, and new beginnings. It’s also a day to reflect, be thankful, and count our blessings.
I was raised in a Christian household and have fond memories of going to church on Easter Sunday with my parents. It was a day I looked forward to every year and one that left a lasting impression of comfort, hope, and peace on me.
Although I was taught to appreciate the spiritual significance of the holiday, I did and still enjoy the fun side of it too — the chocolate! I have fond memories of decorating and dyeing eggs, and of course all the sweet, chocolate goodies! I remember as a kid being so excited to go on my Easter egg hunt. It was so much fun to run around the yard and house searching for treasures. To reach the end and see a basket full of chocolate goodies from the Easter Bunny was thrilling! So many different kinds over the years: from classic chocolate eggs wrapped in coloured foil, Peter Rabbit white chocolate bunny (was my favourite), chocolate eggs filled with marshmallow, and of course Cadbury chocolate eggs!
So what’s to love about these coconut macaroon eggs?
• Easy to make
• Gluten-free
• Dairy-free
• No refined sugar or additives
• Vegan friendly (swap out the honey for maple syrup)
After changing my diet, I wanted to carry on the tradition of chocolate treats by putting a new healthy spin on it. Then it dawned on me to take my Coconut Macaroon recipe and put an Easter twist on it by turning it into an egg — a classic Easter symbol.
This recipe also brings together so many fond Easter memories and amalgamating them into one. More than that, I wanted to share a recipe that will not only be a sweet treat to enjoy, but one you will enjoy creating as well. Creating and decorating these little treats are loads of fun and I must confess they look adorable too! Kids will love these little sweets (and all of us kids at heart too), so you can get your little ones involved while making them. A fun activity to enjoy with the whole family. I hope it will become an Easter tradition in your household as it has in mine.
As promised from my Vegan Chocolate Hearts post, we will be exploring a different way to use the same melted chocolate recipe. This time we’ll be using it to dip and coat our Coconut Macaroon Eggs! To see the full recipe, please check out the recipe here. I have also placed the same instructions below for easier access ;).
So on this Easter day and as we live through such uncertain times, I would like to remind all of you that there is always hope for better days to come, no matter your circumstances. That through the darkness, a light of hope will shine through again. That better days are ahead. That’s why this day is so special to me. It reminds me of the fundamental belief that all things are possible through positivity, faith, and hope and has become the compass that guides me through life.
Sprinkles recipe fun facts:
• SHREDDED COCONUT – is a great source of fibre, iron, calcium, and zinc.
• COCONUT FLOUR – is rich in fibre and helps to stabilize blood sugar, promote healthy digestion, and heart health.
• COCONUT OIL – has anti-viral, anti-fungal, and antibacterial properties, and can also boost energy levels and metabolic rate as well.
Sending all of you my warmest Easter wishes and for a happy and blessed one. Now I think it’s time to create some Easter fun and make us some Coconut Macaroon Eggs! Let’s hop to it 😉
Enjoy!
Coconut Macaroon Eggs
Ingredients
COCONUT MACAROON EGGS
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 tbsp coconut flour
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
- ½ tbsp coconut oil
- ¼ cup honey* (maple syrup** for vegan version)
- 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
Equipment
- mini processor/food processor
- cookie baking tray
- small/medium metal or glass bowls
- silicone spatula
- spoons
- parchment paper
CHOCOLATE
Ingredients
- ½ cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I personally like Camino Chocolates, but feel free to use your favourite)
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- pinch of sea salt
Equipment
- small saucepan
- medium metal or glass bowls
- silicone spatula
- spoons
Instructions
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!
Leave a Reply