No Bake Clementine and Clove Macaroons

Since I’m eating an AIP diet, I’ve had to make some interesting decisions now that we’re into the holiday season. Do I cook my normal holiday foodsโ€”that I can’t eatโ€”but still serve them to my friends and family? Well, that’s just darn near terrifyingโ€”serving something to guests that you haven’t even tasted yourself!

The other option is to “force” my guests to come down to my restrictive diet level. Which honestly sounds darn near cruel when you think about what I normally serve (read: butter, cream, cheese, sugar, sugar, and more sugar), and the fact that none of those things is even remotely in the realm of possibility. I’ve always said the AIP diet isn’t for everyoneโ€”it’s a therapeutic diet meant to help treat an illnessโ€”so making my (perfectly healthy) friends and family eat “my” way seems a bit extreme. It’s one thing to get excited about plantain bread when it’s part of the protocol helping you recover from an illness. It’s a bit harder to muster the excitement when you’re being force-fed it at a holiday get-together.

So what’s a hostess to do? Well, I’ve been perfecting my arsenal of AIP-friendly foods that aren’t just “good” because they are AIP good. They are good for anyone, anywhere, anytime! And that’s what I’m serving. I don’t want anyone saying (or thinking) “Well, that’s pretty good…for being gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, dairy-free.” I just want folks to say, “Holy guacamole! That’s delicious!” Period. End of thought. And that’s the category these No-Bake Clementine and Clove Macaroons fall into.

No Bake Clementine and Clove Macaroons

My holiday treat boxes this year are going to be a little different from years past. Instead of the normal Perfect Frosted Sugar Cookies, Chewy Gingerbread Cookies, and Lemon Snowdrops (always a hit), I’m instead making treats like these macaroonsโ€”still sweet, decadent, and incredibly festive, but fitting lots of different dietary needs.

These macaroons couldn’t be easierโ€”the recipe is comfortingly simple. And just like with most simple recipes, it’s really, really important to get high quality ingredients. Each ingredient in this recipe shines, and you want to get the most flavor out of every bite! In this recipe, I used both ground cloves and shredded coconut from Nuts.com.

Nuts.com

As aย Nuts.comย Ambassador, I canโ€™t recommend them enough. They are one of the most affordable places out there to buy healthy cooking staples like whole grain pastas, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices and dried fruitโ€”and you get awesome bulk discounts, free shipping everyday, and the quality is absolutely top notch. I was aย Nuts.com customer before they started working with me, and Iโ€™ll be one for life! Itโ€™sย suchย a great resource for those of us who live far away from a health food store and donโ€™t quite have the access to healthy staples like youย would in a city.

No Bake Clementine and Clove Macaroons

To get the most flavor out of your clementines, you’ll need a very sharp zesterโ€”a dull one just doesn’t do the trick with soft-skinned clementines. Also, when you head to the store, try to find clementines that have a rind that is a bit tougher (more like an orange). Those will be much easier to zest. And if you can’t find clementines? No problem. Any kind of citrus fruit will do the trick. I’ve made these with lemons, grapefruit, and orangesโ€”all delicious! Happy holidays!

ย 

No Bake Clementine and Clove Macaroons

No-Bake Clementine and Clove Macaroons

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Additional Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

These No-Bake Clementine and Clove Macaroons are sweet, decadent, and incredibly festive, but considerably healthier than your traditional Christmas cookies.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Nuts.com Organic Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (not flakes)
  • 1 tablespoon clementine zest (about 3 clementines worth)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon Nuts.com Ground Cloves
  • 3 tablespoons clementine juice (about 3 clementines worth)
  • 2 tablespoons raw honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 pitted Medjool dates
  • Date sugar, shredded coconut, zest, and ground cloves, for garnish, optional

Instructions

  1. In a food processor, combine the coconut, zest, salt, ground cloves, clementine juice, honey, vanilla, and medjool dates. Pulse until the dates are finely chopped and the mixture is well combined.
  2. Form the dough into 1-inch balls. Garnish by rolling in date sugar or shredded coconut, or by sprinkling on additional clementine zest or ground cloves.
  3. Place in fridge for at least 30 minute to firm up before serving.

Notes

  • A sharp zester will help you make sure you get lots of clementine zest (yummy!) and not pith (bitter and yuck).
  • No clementines? No problem. Use lemons, grapefruit, or oranges with great results.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 macaroons Serving Size: 1 macaroon
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 114Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 80mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 23gProtein: 0g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.

Want to be a sponsor? Letโ€™s work together!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

4 Comments

  1. Made last night as a test before the holidays. Awesomely delicious! Husband is demanding more! We gave tiny pieces to our almost-17-months-old and he, of course, loved them as well.
    It’s really something different from what you can see at typical gatherings. I feel like every body is going to be delighted to eat something refreshing after a big meal — along with the clementines dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt (which I probably picked up from you too, from last year) I’m certain to make guests rave!

  2. I bought their mega raisin because you posted about them in your cookie post and they changed our raisin lives. THEY ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN OTHER RAISINS!!! They’ll make raisin lovers out of any hater and I’m so happy to have found them.