Vegan Chocolate Macadamia Nut Macaroons

I have a vivid memory of visiting Hawaii for the first time with my family when I was in high school. Along with lots of sunshine, we had to sneak in a few touristy activities, which included touring a macadamia nut farm. While I previously liked macadamias, I never really had an appreciation for them until that experience.

And today, these buttery babies are easily one of my all-time favorites, and I find myself craving them often. Given this, I was shocked when I realized that I’ve yet to develop a recipe with these nuts as the star. What have been doing?!

Well, to make up for wasted time, I whipped up a batch of these Vegan Chocolate Macadamia Nut Macaroons, and boy, they did not disappoint. You’ll only need a few, simple pantry essentials, and these seemingly decadent treats are ready in no time.

First, macadamia nuts have a unique taste and indulgent crunch, but you may not know how incredibly nutritious they are as well. Perhaps shockingly, they contain the same amount of monounsaturated fats as olive oil and can improve cholesterol, lower heart disease risk and help protect the brain.

Not only are macaroons the best, simple cookie, but they’re also one of my mom’s all-time favorites, which gives them a particularly special place in my heart. Plus, macaroons themselves are gluten-free, but unlike the traditional version, my recipe is vegan and refined sugar-free as well.

Of course, the main component of macaroons is coconut. I recommend the unsweetened, desiccated version that you can buy in the bulk food section of most grocery stores. Avoid the regular, shredded variety, as the result won’t hold up as well and will likely fall apart. The finer, the better.

Not only is coconut delicious, but it also has incredible benefits for our brain, hair, skin and more! I dig into this in detail in my 12 Beauty Foods for Skin & Hair Health post. Also, if you’re looking for more recipes to put that coconut to good use, check out my Carrot Cake Energy Balls, Pantry Muffin Top Cookies and Lemon Coconut Collagen Bites.

Once you mix all of your ingredients together, simply form into cookies and bake. Trust me, your kitchen will smell like heaven before you know it. Just make sure to let the macaroons completely cool and firm up before dipping into the melted chocolate. For this, I used Lily’s Semi Sweet Baking Chips to keep this recipe completely refined sugar-free (and super tasty).

Whether you want to impress your friends, family and coworkers or are simply looking to whip up a sweet treat for yourself this week, these lovely treats are just the answer.

Perfectly dainty, sweet and delicious, macaroons no longer have to come from a bakery or French café. With few, nutritious ingredients, you can whip up these healthy treats that look just as lovely as they taste!