Arabian Macaroons aka Persian Chews Recipe from: Rancho Vignola, Armstrong, BC

1 1/3 cups Shredded coconut
1/2 cup Palm sugar
1/2 cup Walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 cup Dates, finely chopped and lightly packed (about 5 large medjools)
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Mix the shredded coconut, palm sugar, walnuts, dates and salt in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl, beat the egg with the vanilla well. Add the wet mixture to the coconut mixture and stir until all the ingredients are evenly distributed and moist, then allow it to stand for five minutes.

We liked these cookies shaped and baked two slightly different ways:

1. Scoop about a tablespoon worth of mixture at a time with a shallow spoon. Then using your fingers, slide the mixture off your spoon onto the nonstick baking sheet and gently shape or lightly press it together as needed. This method bakes a few minutes faster, and is less dense with crispier edges.
2. Using a round tablespoon, scoop the mixture and then gently press it into the tablespoon so it’s full and level. Using your fingers or a regular spoon, scoop the mixture out and place the flat side down on a nonstick baking sheet. This method takes a few minutes longer to bake, and has a more moist and chewy centre.

Bake for about 15 minutes, checking regularly after the 10-minute mark, until they are just starting to brown all over.

Once removed from the oven, take them off the baking sheet and put them on a cooling rack right away. Allow them to fully cool at room temperature.

Makes about 20 macaroons.

Tip & Tricks

• Use your favourite variety of date for this recipe, preferably they’re not too soft or they’ll be difficult to chop.
• Cut each date in half and remove the pit, then cut each half into thirds or quarters lengthwise, next chop the strips into smaller diced pieces.
• If your dates are on the wet side and sticking together too much after chopping, you can coat them with the coconut and sugar mixture as you’re breaking up clumps and it’ll help keep them from sticking back together or to your hands.

• Coconut – Medium Shred – ORGANIC
• Dates – Blonde – ORGANIC
• Dates – Deglet, Pitted
• Dates – Deglet, Pitted – ORGANIC
• Dates – Deglet – ORGANIC
• Dates – Medjool
• Dates – Medjool – ORGANIC
• Walnuts – Raw, Halves & Pieces
• Walnuts – Raw, Halves & Pieces – ORGANIC
• Coconut Palm Sugar – ORGANIC