While we did not serve macaroons as our wedding favors, I recently went to a wedding where they gave them out before we left, and not only were they delicious, but the reasoning behind the macaroon was even more special! The bride and groom first started dating while she was tutoring him for a French class they were taking! I thought that was very special. The coconut macaroon recipe below is inspired by that wedding, but I tweaked it to make it a healthier alternative to most sugary macaroon recipes. Sweetened with bananas and one tablespoon of pure maple syrup, this is a wonderful dessert to enjoy without the guilt!

Macaroon Base

1 ripe banana, mashed

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

2 tablespoons Stevia

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

⅕ cups unsweetened shredded coconut

pinch of sea salt

Chocolate Sauce

¼ cup extra dark chocolate chips

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

1. In a mixing bowl, combine all macaroon base ingredients. Mix well. With your hands, roll the coconut mixture into small bite-sized balls. You can use a tablespoon for getting an approximate amount.
2. Put macaroons in freezer, and while they are hardening, make chocolate sauce by combining chocolate sauce ingredients and melting in microwave.
3. Remove macaroons from freezer, and dip the bottoms in the bowl of chocolate. This will create a chocolate “shell”. Then drizzle the remaining chocolate sauce over the macaroons. Store in refrigerator or freezer.