Suma Bloggers Network : Raspberry Coconut Macaroons

This post is a bittersweet treat in conjunction with Suma Wholefoods. As a member of their Bloggers Network I always look forward to whipping up a recipe bi-monthly using a selection of their great products. When I received their last catalogue I was thrilled to see a number of new Suma own-brand coconut-based products on offer. They're all organic too which ticks another box! Brilliant! These are the products I chose:

(Suma Organic Coconut Sugar, Suma Organic Cacao Nibs, Suma Organic Coconut Flour & Divine 85% Dark Chocolate)

I've made Raspberry Coconut Macaroons before but I wanted to spruce them up a little bit. Dark Chocolate and Cacao Nibs are great additions - I love the bitterness, especially when balanced with something fruity and sweet. The cacao nibs are also full of goodness, jam-packed with antioxidants, plus magnesium, fibre and iron! 

Having never used Coconut Sugar before I was extremely impressed. It's a deep brown colour with a Demerera-like depth of flavour. Unlike normal sugar it retains more natural nutrients during processing and while I'm not suggesting it's a health food I'd definitely say it was the lesser of two evils! I did not use the Coconut Flour in this recipe but I'm experimenting and will hopefully have a recipe up on my blog soon including this.

To make approximately 16 macaroons you will need:

150g Raspberries

170g Desiccated Coconut

2 tbsp Suma Organic Cacao Nibs

3 tbsp / 60g Suma Organic Coconut Sugar

1 tsp Baking Powder

3 eggs equivalent of Orgran Egg Replacer

100g Divine 85% Dark Chocolate

Couple of pinches of Salt

Dried Rose Petals (optional)

Firstly set your oven to 190°c and line a baking sheet with baking paper.

In a large bowl bash up your raspberries lightly with the side of a spoon so that the chunks vary in size. Try not to over do it otherwise you'll end up with more of a raspberry paste. Add the coconut to the raspberries with the coconut sugar, baking powder, cacao nibs and a pinch of salt. 

In a measuring jug mix together your egg replacer with the required amount of water and whisk well. You can of course use eggs here - I'm sure 2 whisked would do the trick. Fold the egg replacer into the mixture gently until everything is combined. Now time to get your hands dirty - get stuck in with around a tablespoons worth of mixture per macaroon. Gently roll the mixture in the palms of your hands to create balls. These can be as neat or as messy as you like. If they are squeezed together too hard they will come out too dense. The aim is to create a macaroon which is slightly crunchy on the outside and deliciously soft within, so be gentle.

Lay the macaroons onto the baking sheet. They will not rise so don't worry too much about spacing. Put into the preheated oven and cook for 15-20 minutes until they have an even browning on the outside.

Remove from the oven once the outside is fully toasted. Try to remove them gently from the baking sheet as soon as you can, to prevent them from sticking as they cool, and lay out on a cooling rack.

Once they have cooled fully lay them out onto a plate or another suitable surface. Heat a small saucepan of water on the hob. Break up the Dark Chocolate into a glass bowl with a pinch of salt then sit this on top of the saucepan. Keeping the hob at a low-medium heat melt the chocolate slowly. Once you have a bowl of molten chocolate remove the bowl from the heat and use a spoon to drizzle it over the macaroons. Nice opportunity for a spoon-lick or two here!

If you're using them rip up some dried rose petals and scatter over the macaroons while the chocolate is still wet. Then pop the macaroons into the fridge for 30 minutes or so to let the chocolate set. You can keep them in tupperware for a few days at room temperature, I don't like to keep them in the fridge as they become too hard. 

Head to Suma Bloggers Network to see the other brilliant bloggers who are part of the network! There's some amazing vegetarian and vegan recipes available!

Enjoy!