Paleo Matcha Lime Macaroons (AIP)

Since my recent blog post on surviving health setbacks, it’s been a whirlwind of health tests, research, and doctor visits to figure out exactly what is going on with my autoimmune and thyroid issues.  It’s crazy how time-consuming health matters can be, not to mention how they can weigh heavily on one’s thoughts.  While the blog has been a helpful distraction, it’s not totally without its own stresses – especially the technical stuff!  So, for my own well-being and recovery, I’ll be taking a break from blogging to spend more time in the place I love most: in the kitchen.  Cooking, baking, creating.  And hopefully I’ll have many great results to share with you…like today’s new recipe!

With St. Patrick’s Day quickly approaching, I was breaking out all the green ingredients I could find!  I ended up honing in on some matcha green tea powder, since I’d been waiting for another occasion to bake with it.  The first time I used matcha was in coloring AIP-friendly frostings for my Frosted Cut-Out Sugar Cookies recipe and I fell in love with the pretty green powder.  It not only makes a great natural food dye, but it’s also tasty in smoothies, lattés, and baked goods!

After mixing up my matcha with a few other ingredients I had in the pantry, it didn’t take long before Paleo Matcha Lime Macaroons emerged from the oven!  These colorful Spring cookies are packed with coconut and hints of lime, honey, and matcha tea for a flavorful, healthy green treat!  And to make them even cuter, I added an ample slather of coconut butter glaze on top.  These “Matcharoons” (as I fondly call them) will make a festive addition to any St. Patrick’s Day gatherings this weekend, not to mention future Spring picnics!

Before I started baking with matcha, I never really knew much about the product.  But while I was creating this recipe, I spent some time reading up on it and I found out that there are loads of health benefits to this potent green tea powder.  There are also different types of matcha, as shown in this helpful guide from Epic Matcha.   Everything from high-quality ceremonial grade to cost-effective culinary grade.

For this recipe, you ideally want culinary matcha green tea, which is processed specifically for baking, smoothies, ice cream, etc.  The kind I bought on Amazon isn’t sold there anymore, but this matcha powder looks like a good alternative!  I tried mixing my culinary matcha powder with hot water to make actual tea it didn’t taste great by itself.   Then I learned that ceremonial grade matcha is the best to use for hot tea.  (Beginner’s mistake!)  If you use culinary matcha, you’ll want to add more of the powder per cup of hot water and definitely sweeten it with honey or raw sugar.  It’s bitter by itself.

Regardless of the specific type of matcha you have, the health benefits are impressive!  It has way more antioxidants than regular green tea, and while it does contain natural caffeine, it’s half the amount that you would get in coffee.  It’s also a natural immune-booster and helps give a jump-start to the metabolism.  It’s also reported to keep you calm and aid memory and concentration, since it contains L-Theanine, an amino acid that is good for the brain.  To read about more health benefits, check out this article from Natural Living Ideas.

Now, I can’t say that you’re going to get all of those health benefits just from eating one or two of my Paleo Matcha Lime Macaroons, but it can’t hurt to try, right? 😉  So, let’s preheat our ovens and go green with this sweet little recipe!

I won’t bore you with all the details of the recipe – just a few highlights to take note of in helping you achieve the ultimate “Matcharoons”!  The first thing to note is that the matcha powder might look really dark when you mix it with the wet ingredients.  It’s kind of a scary green color.  But not to worry!  It will lighten up to a pretty grassy green when you mix it in with the coconut and it bakes even lighter still.

For those of you who aren’t well-versed with “gelatin eggs,” have no fear!  Gelatin makes a decent AIP egg substitute in recipes where eggs aren’t the leavening agent.  The gelatin binds everything together in these cookies and helps give them a soft and chewy texture.  And with coconut macaroons, that’s exactly what you want!

 I wrote in the coconut butter glaze as optional, since my first edition of this recipe didn’t include it.  But, I’m a huge coconut butter fan – especially my favorite kind by Artisana Organics!  You’ll see it featured in several of my dessert recipes, including my Paleo Pumpkin Blondies and my Paleo Carrot Cake Donuts.  It’s rich and creamy and when combined with a little touch of honey and coconut oil, it makes a lovely frosting for my Paleo Matcha Lime Macaroons!  You could get fancy and drizzle it on with a pastry bag or just slather it on part of the cookies like I did.

All that’s left to do now is sample a couple of these green goodies!  They would make an obvious compliment to a hot cup of green tea or a matcha latte!  Or, serve them as a fun St. Patrick’s Day dessert after you finish a hearty bowl of Irish Stew and some of my Paleo Irish Soda Bread!  And a bonus is that if you have leftover cookies, they keep beautifully when stored either in the fridge, freezer, or at room temperature, as long as they’re covered.

As they tend to say on St. Patrick’s Day, “may the luck of the Irish be with you!”  (But I’m betting you won’t even need any luck for these Paleo Matcha Lime Macaroons to turn out well!) Have fun with this recipe and I hope to be back to blogging with some new and delicious recipes after my health and wellness hiatus!  Until then, have a happy and safe St. Patrick’s Day!

Paleo Matcha Lime Macaroons (AIP)

 

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Created by: Joanna Smith

Serves: about 10 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 3.5 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 3 tablespoons raw honey
• 1 tablespoon matcha green tea powder
• juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon grassfed beef gelatin
• 
  

Optional Glaze:

• 3 tablespoons coconut butter, melted
• ½ teaspoon coconut oil, melted
• ½ teaspoon raw honey

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper.
2. Combine dry ingredients (except matcha) and lime zest in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine melted coconut oil, honey, lime juice, and matcha green tea powder. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well.
3. In a small saucepan, add 3 tablespoons of water and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of gelatin over top. Let sit for a minute, then whisk together over medium heat until foamy and frothy.
4. Pour hot gelatin mixture into the cookie dough and stir gently until combined.
5. Scoop large tablespoons of the macaroon dough onto a baking sheet. (I got 10 cookies.)
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes then allow to cool completely.
7. Stir together the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle or lightly coat part of your baked macaroons. Pop them in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes for the glaze to set. Enjoy!

Notes

~If you're not egg-free, you could try substituting a regular egg in place of the gelatin egg. I have not tried this, so let me know how they turn out if you do!

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