let's celebrate with something sweet!

did you know it's coeliac awareness week [13-20 march 2011].  no, i wouldn't have either had i not been diagnosed with coeliac disease late last year.

it's a bit cooler here today, the grey clouds have come over and i feel like a cuppa. i think we need a sweet treat to go with a cup of green tea while we listen to the soundtrack to one of my favourite films 'amelie' i've got playing in the background.

how about we make some really easy gf [gluten free] coconut macaroons inspired by a recipe from donna hay's modern classics book 2.   these macaroons are gf by the nature of the ingredents.  i'm going to try replacing the sugar in this recipe with xylitol a 100% natural sugar free sweetener [low gi and low carb] and decorate them a little bit of melted gf chocolate.

ready! let's don our aprons and make some gf macaroons.......

coconut macaroons recipe

preheat oven to 180˚c 
2 cups disiccated coconut
1/2 cup caster sugar or xylitol 100% natural sweetener
2 egg whites
mix all ingredients to combine
pack mixture into a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon
place on a baking tray lined with baking paper
cook until golden brown aprox 10 mins

the xylitol worked extremely well, they were still sweet as macaroons are meant to be but not as sweet as when caster sugar is used.  i perferred the sweetness of the xylitol but i tend to go for savvy over sweet, so if you have a sweet tooth and don't mind the calories then use the caster sugar.  it binded equally as well, baking time was the same, they may have gone a bit more golden. the only difference was they crumbled a bit when eaten,  now that could be due to the different sugar or it may have been the humidity because once they were stored in an airtight container for a while they they were perfect.

if you make these macaroons, drop me a comment i'd love to hear from you.

enjoy the weekend......

ps. as defined by the coeliac society of australia, coeliac disease (pronounced seel-ee-ak) is an autoimmune disease. autoimmune means the body mistakenly produces antibodies that damage its own tissues. it is a permanent intestinal intolerance to dietary gluten. a number of serious health consequences can result if the condition is not diagnosed and treated properly. further details here at the coeliac society of australia.

[photo credit | coeliac society  ceri muter [moi]