The coconut merchant very kindly sent me some of their dessicated coconut to use in some of my recipes. I had never made macaroons before so I thought now was the chance to try it out!

I made these vegan by using Aquafaba. Aquafaba is the cooking liquid from legumes. When you drain out your tinned chickpeas- save the water so you can make these! One thing I can say is that don’t whisk the aquafaba by hand… you will end up with a very stiff arm and won’t get very far.

I would usually use a hand blender which is what is reccommended by most people for whipping aquafaba but unfortunately I don’t have one. Also adding cream of tartar also helps with whipping… unfortunately I didn’t have that either. I ended up using my blender and pulsing it, until I got it as thick as possible. Be cautious though as you can over-whip it!

Serves: 10

Ingredients:

• 155ml (1/2 cup) aquafaba (juice from 1 can of chickpeas)
• 140g dessicated coconut
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 20g or 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or granulated/caster sugar)
• 4 tbsp maple syrup
• 40g dark chocolate
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160c and line a baking tray
2. Whisk up the aquafaba until it forms stiff peaks (here’s a good guide)
3. Add in the dessicated coconut, vanilla, coconut sugar and maple syrup and carefully fold in
4. Scoop out the mixture the size of 1 ice cream scoop at a time, and carefully mould into a little dome with your hands. Place each dome on the baking tray (try not to squeeze them too much!)
5. Place the domes in the oven at 160c for 20 minutes, checking on them regularly to make sure they aren’t going too dark
6. After 20 minuites, turn the heat up to 180c and bake for a further 5-8 minutes – again keep an eye on them
7. Remove from oven – it is important that you DON’T TOUCH until they have cooled down. They are very delicate while they are hot and can fall apart but they get harder as they cool.
8. Once cool, combine coconut oil and chocolate in a small bowl and heat in microwave for 20-30 seconds until melted
9. Dip each macaroon into the mixture and place back on the baking tray upside down
10. Refrigerate for 20 minutes
11. Pour the remaining chocolate over the macaroons and enjoy!
12. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week