Coconut Macaroons with Cherry Chia Filling

Many, many moons ago, when I was young and spritely, the night before Thanksgiving meant going out till all hours of the night with friends. Everyone would come home to visit their families for the holiday, which meant Thanksgiving Eve was the time to catch up and have a little fun before the festivities.

These days, on the night before Thanksgiving, you’ll find me in my kitchen in my favorite pair of worn in sweatpants sipping a slow glass of red wine while Nina Simone croons in the background, trying my hand at a few new recipes. Thrilling, right? Oh, how times have changed.

I could use the excuse that I have a three-month-old who kind of makes the whole going out thing an impossibility. But as they say, honesty is the best policy. Which means I have to admit that I actually look forward to this new tradition. The holidays are hectic. And Thanksgiving is basically the kickoff for a month of running ourselves ragged socializing and party-hopping. And don’t get me wrong: I love every second of that. But I’ve started to see Thanksgiving Eve as the calm before the holiday storm. I send my husband off to be with his friends (after he goes with me to buy half of Whole Foods in preparation for my cooking bananza, of course), then I put Ben in his bouncy chair right in the middle of the kitchen, and I unleash my culinary beast.

This year, I had about 10 recipes I wanted to try.  But because going to the bathroom
by myself is sometimes too much to ask with my little guy, I scaled back. I decided to make Chocolate Pizzas and Banana Bread for Nick’s family’s celebration and a Sweet Potato Casserole, Slow Cooker Pumpkin Risotto, Apple Peanut Butter Turnovers and Mini Carrot Cakes for my family’s gathering.

My sister and her boyfriend are vegan, and I always love the challenge of coming up with vegan takes on classic dishes. But since not every experiment comes out as well as I’d like it to, I wanted to make something I KNEW would be a hit.

Enter these ridiculously good Coconut Macaroons with Cherry Chia Filling. I made these one year for Easter with a blueberry filling and they went over so well, they were gone before I’d had a second to plate them. This time, though, I thought I’d try a different flavor filling. I recently made these awesome Cherry Pie Bites and used a cherry chia filling and they were a big hit, so I knew cherry would be a safe bet.

The reception for the macaroons couldn’t have been better. Let’s just say I’m glad I plated them at home and snapped a quick picture before I brought them to my parents because they flew off the plate. The coconut flavor really paired nicely with the sweet cherry, and the chewy texture of the cookie was nicely complemented by the soft, jelly filling.

I can’t wait to try these mouthwatering macaroons with a few different filling flavors. I guess you know what I’ll be up to next Thanksgiving Eve!

Ingredients:

For the cherry chia filling:

• 2  cups frozen cherries, thawed
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup 
• 2 Tbsp. chia seeds

For the macaroons:

• 1.5 cups unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup almond flour 
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup softened coconut butter
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium pot, combine cherries and maple syrup and bring to a boil. Use the back of a spoon or fork to mash the cherries while you wait for the mixture to begin boiling.

3. Once the mixture begins to boil, reduce heat and stir in chia seeds. Let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, then pour into a bowl and place in fridge and let set (you want the filling to achieve a thick and jam-like texture).

4. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the macaroons ingredients and mix until smooth.

5. Use hands to roll 10-12 golf ball-sized cookies and place on parchment paper. Using thumb, press the center of each cookie to create an indentation for the filling to sit in.

6. Scoop chia mixture into each indentation, filling to cookie brim.

7. Bake macaroons for 30 minutes, rotate pan, then cook for 10-15 more minutes or until macaroons are golden brown.

Looking for more cookie recipes? Check out our Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies and our 10-Minute Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.