Have you heard the one about the temple, the coconuts and the bananas? Well, long story short, it all began with a visit by Darsh’s mom and ended with us figuring out what to do with five coconut halves and a whole bunch of bananas. Holding true to our Indian roots, we immediately thought coconut chutney! So we scrapped and ground the coconut flesh, while the empty shells Darsh used as pretty planters for her herbs. But there is only so much chutney and idlis (fluffy steamed indian rice cakes) we can eat. Besides, them bananas were ripening fast.
Ripe bananas are always good as egg substitutes for baking or for pancakes… but we wanted something that would also allow us to incorporate the delicious snowy white shredded coconuts. Darsh immediately recalled the glorious coconut macaroons we had in Amsterdam. A quick search on the world wide web, and we were able to find this gem of a gluten free recipe by Empowered Sustenance. A few tweaks later, we came up with this modified version fit for the airfryer and our tummies, of course. They are great as a quick on-the-go breakfast with coffee (especially as they taste great straight out of the fridge), or even as a tea time snack.
So easy, so delicious. Enjoy.
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized ripe bananas, mashed and strained
- 2 cups shredded coconut, loosely packed
- 1/4 cup agave syrup
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon powder
- 4 tsp coconut flour
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract/ essence
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the wet ingredients together, starting with the honey, coconut oil and vanilla.
- Add the mashed bananas and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, mix the shredded coconut, salt, coconut flour and cinnamon powder together.
- Fold dry ingredients into the wet, and mix until well incorporated. The mixture should hold together and not be too liquid. Add more coconut if the mixture is too wet.
- Using an ice cream scoop, form about 8 to 12 macaroons, place them on a baking sheet and allow to chill in the refrigerator for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the aifryer at 175-176°C. Bake the macaroons two to four at a time (depending on the size of your fryer basket), on a baking sheet for about 16 - 18 minutes, until the macaroons are nicely golden browned.
- You can take them out a minute or so earlier if you prefer them lighter. Allow them to cool before handling/eating.
I live in Penang, Malaysia. An article on Darshinis cooking expertize appeared in The Star recently. She mentioned baking cakes with coconut flour. Haven’t heard about this coconut. Can you tell me where can I buy this stuff in Malaysia.
Hi Vimala. Coconut flour is essentially made from grounding dried coconut, after the milk and moisture has been removed. It is gluten-free and really healthy. You can find it in most stores selling organic and/or gluten-free ingredients. But you could also try well-stocked baking supply shops as most are beginning to carry coconut flour as it is becoming increasingly popular.