I hope that everyone has had an amazing Thanksgiving this year! I can say that this has been, by far, the best Thanksgiving I’ve had. With the newest addition to our family, Eliana Rose, and Grandma Hutie being at the table this year it made it a very full and eventful dinner.
With this being my first gluten free Thanksgiving, I had to make a few changes. 1. No stuffing. At first, this made me really upset and I kept thinking about how much I just wanted to gorge on my mom’s famous 1 stick of butter sausage stuffing. However, I made my own. And it was way better then I thought it would be, and I found myself not missing the other stuffing at the other end of the table. My family even tried mine! And they liked it! 2. No pie. All that pie crust would send my stomach in to a frenzy. So I made what I have found that every person in my family enjoys, macaroons! I remember macaroons always being present at every holiday of ours. From birthdays to Thanksgiving to Passover. My grandmother would make them, and I think that if she were around to try mine, she would have approved and gone back for seconds.
The macaroons were a hit, they were light and fluffy with just enough almonds and extract to really intensify that macaroon flavor that everyone loves. The dried cranberries were such a good addition, I got them at Whole Foods and they were “infused with apple juice” (which apparently means delicious in their terms)
Cranberry Almond Coconut Macroons
Original recipe from Sophisticated Gourmet
3 cups of shredded coconut
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of dried cranberries, chopped
1/4 cup of almonds, sliced
3/4 cup of egg whites (from about 5 large eggs)
1/8 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup of milk chocolate chips (or dark chocolate)
Cook the coconut, sugar, cranberries, almonds, and egg whites in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently. The mixture will look creamy, and slowly become drier as it heats. Take the pan off the heat when the mixture no longer looks creamy, but still looks sticky. Take off the heat and add in your vanilla and almond extract. Put the mixture in to a small bowl and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make 1 inch sized balls either with your hands or an ice cream scoops (spring loaded works best). Line them evenly on the baking sheet and place in the over for 25-30 minutes. When the macaroons are done in the oven they will look golden.
Wait for the macaroons to cool completely before you put the chocolate on the top.
Melt a cup of chocolate and spoon over the macaroons. Store in the fridge until they are ready to serve.
Click to see step by step directions with images
Line up your ingredients, there aren’t that many!
Cook the coconut, sugar, cranberries, almonds, and egg whites in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently. The mixture will look creamy, and slowly become drier as it heats. Take the pan off the heat when the mixture no longer looks creamy, but still looks sticky. Take off the heat and add in your vanilla and almond extract.
Place the mixture in a small bowl and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make 1 inch sized balls either with your hands or an ice cream scoops (spring loaded works best). Line them evenly on the baking sheet and place in the over for 25-30 minutes. When the macaroons are done in the oven they will look golden.
Wait for the macaroons to cool completely before you put the chocolate on the top.
Spoon on the melted chocolate and serve!
these were nom nom delicioso!