Maca Macaroons {Gluten-Free, Vegan}

What a wonderful spin on the traditional macaroon! These are composed entirely of plant-based, nutrient-dense, whole foods that energize, nourish, and taste delicious.

The natural ingredients in these macaroons provide a boost of antioxidants, essential fatty acids (like omega-3s in the brazil nuts), minerals, vitamins, and more.

Maca is an amazing superfood that has been used for over 2,000 years by the Peruvian people. It’s a sturdy root vegetable, typically dried and then ground into a powder. Nutritionally, maca root is a rich source of vitamin C, B-vitamins, calcium iron, and copper (just to name a few), and even contains protein and plant sterols.  

The combination of maca and brazil nuts in these macaroons tastes almost like peanut butter…with a lovely coconut-y embrace, of course. 

I think these maca-macaroons will make you feel as good as they taste. 

Maca-Macaroons

I N G R E D I E N T S

Makes about 20 cookies

1 cup raw brazil nuts

1¼ cups unsweetened shredded coconut, plus extra for rolling

1½ Tablespoons maca powder

¾ cup (packed) soft Medjool dates (about 7 or 8), pits removed

1 Tablespoon maple syrup

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract or ½ Tablespoon vanilla bean powder

¼ teaspoon sea salt

D I R E C T I O N S

Grind all the ingredients together in a food processor until a coarse dough has formed. Check the consistency: pinch the dough and make sure it sticks together, yet still crumbles like a cookie. If the dough is too dry, add water, a teaspoon at a time, until the dough sticks. If the dough is too wet, add spoonfuls of extra coconut until the dough is just right.

Form the dough into balls, about a tablespoon at a time, and roll exterior in extra coconut. Flatten into cookies and serve. Kept covered, these cookies will last several weeks.

Recipe from Julie Morris’s Superfood Kitchen recipe book