Tasty Tuesdays #6 - French Almond Macaroons

With months...er...at least, WEEKS of healthy eating behind me, I felt like making a little treat tonight. This recipe features all the yummy flavour and texture of homemade cookies without all the nasty white sugar, white flour, fat and preservatives. I thought it was okay to post them because they are a healthier alternative to cookies. Besides, everything in moderation, right?


Ingredients round up: ground almonds*, homemade sugar-free strawberry jam, 3 egg whites, sucanat** and 1/4 tsp of cream of tartar.

*Almonds: you can take half a cup of almonds and grind them in the food processor or use 1 cup of the pre-ground variety. Feel free to substitute other nuts. Hazelnuts also work well.

**Sucanat can be found at your local health food store or most better grocery stores. It has a dark, molasses flavour and can be substituted 1:1 for most recipes that call for sugar.


To begin, combine your egg whites and cream of tartar in a deep mixing bowl so that you can whip them on high speed until they form stiff peaks. I used my trusty stand mixer, but you can use a handheld one as well. It should take about 5 minutes of mixing for them to form stiff peaks.


Very quickly fold in your ground almonds and sucanat. Be gentle! You don't want the egg whites to collapse. We're trying to maintain their light, fluffy texture here.


Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and use a tablespoon to scoop out the mixture. Leave about 2" between each macaroon.


Transfer them to a 300-degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Watch them closely after the 15min mark. They can burn quickly.


Remove them from the oven when they are firm to the touch and the edges have just started to turn dark brown. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cookie rack to cool for another 10 minutes.


Please note the casualties on the left. Did I mention they can burn quickly? They still taste good. ;)


Time to add the jam! About half a teaspoon should do it. Sandwich them together with jammy goodness...


Love! Each cookie is about 70 calories.

Enjoy!!!
Rae
xx