Low-FODMAP coconut macaroons with orange and a cocoa base

Low-FODMAP coconut macaroons made with toasted desiccated coconut, egg whites and maple syrup, with orange zest and a cacao butter and cocoa base. Baked without wafer paper; two make a portion.

At a glance

• Serves 15
• Prep time: 35 min
• Cooking time: 22 min
• Total time: 57 min
• Calories: 146 kcal per serving
• Protein: 2 g
• Fat: 12 g
• Carbs: 6 g

Ingredients

• 200g desiccated coconut
• 3 egg whites
• 1 pinch of salt
• 90g maple syrup
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 50g cacao butter
• 20g cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Method

You’ll need: oven · frying pan · baking tray · grater · wooden spoon

1. Toast the desiccated coconut in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 3–4 min until pale golden, then leave it to cool on a plate.
2. Preheat the oven to 160 °C (140 °C fan) and line a baking tray with baking paper. Mix the desiccated coconut with the maple syrup for the macaroons, the cornflour, orange zest and vanilla extract.
3. Whisk the egg whites with the salt until stiff. Fold in the coconut mixture in two batches and leave it to rest for 10 min so the desiccated coconut can absorb the moisture.
4. With damp hands, shape 30 mounds, press them together firmly and place them on the tray 2 cm apart.
5. Bake the macaroons at 160 °C for 16–18 min until the tips are golden brown. Leave them to cool on the tray; they firm up as they cool.
6. Melt the cacao butter over a pan of hot water for 3–4 min. Mix the cocoa powder and the rest of the maple syrup into a paste, then gradually stir in the cacao butter until smooth.
7. Dip the base of each macaroon into the cocoa mixture, put it back on the baking paper and chill for 15 min until the base has set.

Good to know

Everyone knows coconut macaroons from the Christmas cookie tin, usually on wafer paper. You bake these straight on baking paper and then dip them in a cocoa base you stir together yourself from cacao butter. Two make a portion.

Swaps

Orange zest → lemon zest (fresher). Cornflour → potato starch. Cocoa base → leave it out (plain coconut macaroons, slightly fewer calories). Cacao butter → coconut oil (softer base, so store them somewhere cool). All of these keep it low-FODMAP.

Cooking tips

With maple syrup the mixture is softer than the classic one: press the mounds together firmly and only lift the macaroons off the paper once they have cooled completely. If the cocoa mixture thickens as you stir, set it back over the hot water for a moment.

Storage

Keep for 1 week in a tin somewhere cool, with baking paper between the layers.

Allergens

Contains egg; no gluten, milk or nuts. Suitable for children and during pregnancy.

Frequently asked questions

Can you make coconut macaroons with maple syrup?

Yes. Maple syrup adds liquid, so a little cornflour binds the mixture, and it should rest for 10 min. The macaroons turn out moister than classic ones and only firm up as they cool.

Are coconut macaroons low-FODMAP?

In a small portion, yes: desiccated coconut only contains sorbitol in larger amounts. Without wafer paper and honey, two of these macaroons make a portion under our low-FODMAP rule, based on data from Monash University. What you tolerate is individual.

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