Heavenly & Healthy Coconut Macaroons

We are members at the Willy St. Co-op.  Last time our membership fees were due, we decided to switch to a household membership, or as we like to call it, a Hippie Marriage.  As members, we receive a monthly newspaper containing everything from news bites to recipes.  Each month, I first flip to the questions and comments page because it is HILARIOUS.  For anyone that has seen  the show Portlandia on IFC, this page is a perfect portrait of the kinds of things the show pokes fun at.  Granted, a lot of the suggestions are good, but many are ridiculous (i.e. "The corners on the movie drop box are too sharp" or "Parking lot is too car friendly").
Like Portlandia, it is always good for those of us that are eco-conscious to be able to laugh at ourselves.
Anyway, the second thing I do when the reader arrives is flip to the recipes.  I love these recipes because they showcase local, seasonal ingredients specific to our area.

Here is a gem of a recipe from our Willy St. Co-op reader:

Heavenly Macaroons
Source: Adapted from The Willy St Co-op Reader

Ingredients:
2 1⁄2 cup shredded coconut
1⁄2 cup pastry flour (whole wheat, spelt or alternative) - I used stone ground whole wheat
1⁄4 tsp sea salt
1⁄2 cup brown rice syrup
1⁄4 cup maple syrup ( or honey)
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4-1/3 cup water
1/2 cup chocolate chips for melting

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and grease lightly.
3. Mix flour, sea salt, and coconut in a bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients together.
5. Combine the dry and wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Add extra water if the batter seems dry.
6.  With wet hands, form batter into 3/4 inch balls.  You may have to squeeze some liquid out as you roll the batter in your hand.  Keep wetting hands to keep batter from sticking.  Place balls on prepared sheet.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden on top.  Remove from oven and cool completely.
8. Melt 1/4 cup chocolate chips in a double boiler or very carefully in a saucepan.  When melted, remove from heat and add other 1/4 cup.  Stir until melted.
9. Dip cooled macaroons into the chocolate as desired.  (I just coated the bottoms.) Place on wax paper to cool.  If desired, sprinkle wax paper with sea salt prior to placing macaroons down.

These macaroons are very delicious.  They have a crunchy outside, a moist inside and are just sweet enough.  I'm not sure if that's what a macaroon should be like- but these are healthier and amazing the way they are!

Notes:
- No big notes for this recipe.  I modified the original recipe on my second attempt.  The first batch was good, but had a little too much almond extract.  The modified version is the one I posted because the second batch was even better!

Go eat something tasty!