Dark Chocolate & Orange Coconut Macaroons

As many of you may have guessed, my two loves are food and oils. And of COURSE, it seems about right that I'd combine them, all in due time. Actually, I've been pairing them for years, and only now decided to finally do something about it and write these recipes down. 

So, as a little treat for upcoming Valentine's, the only sensible thing to do is to make something decadent and ALL about chocolate. And you know what goes well with chocolate? Orange. 

I only use the Young Living Vitality oils (the ones with the white label) since they have FDA GRAS status (generally regarded as safe) and are safe to ingest. In fact, Young Living made it super easy for you to know how to use them and even included directions in the label: add a drop or two to a capsule and ingest. For most of them, I just prefer to use them in foods since they're oh so delicious. Like tangerine in my Dandy Blend with coconut creamer, lime in my water, peppermint in my raw brownies. And this one, right here: 

I'm writing this recipe in anticipation of a Valentine's Desserts class I'm hosting at Jus Organic in Atlantic Highlands. Be sure to check them out and definitely join us for the class this Saturday - it's going to be a winner. Details here if you are local. 

So without further ado...here we go....

Macaroon base:

3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

4 tablespoons Coconut Nectar (may replace with maple syrup)

Pinch salt

13 drops Young Living Orange Vitality Essential Oil

Chocolate Coating:

½ cup Coconut Nectar (may replace with maple syrup)

¾ cup cacao powder

⅔ cup melted coconut oil

Pinch salt

7 drops Young Living Orange Vitality Essential Oil

Combine the macaroon ingredients in a food processor until the mixture resembles couscous and stays pinched between fingers. Using a spoon or a mini scoop, create 1 tablespoon-full macaroon “balls”. Refrigerate for about an hour.

After they are well chilled, combine the chocolate coating ingredients in a high speed blender. The longer this sits, the more it wants to thicken, so work fast. Coat each macaroon with the chocolate coating, and set them aside. Refrigerate another hour so they solidify even more. Serve cold, with some orange shavings on top. I bet you can’t eat just one! The bowl is fun to clean too :)

Raw Figgy Orange Cheesecake

Years ago, we were gifted a massive bag of fresh figs from our friend Frank ~ freely picked! This recipe is dedicated to his trees and generosity! We and our bellies thank you. 

Crust:

1 cup almonds

½ cup walnuts

½ cup pumpkin seeds

2 T coconut oil, melted

2 pinches salt

1 heaping tablespoons cacao

2 heaping teaspoons maca

1-3 figs, optional

Method: Combine the nuts and seeds in the food processor until it resembles rice.  Add in the oil, salt, cacao, maca and combine. If it's too dry (and doesn't stick together between your fingers when pinched), add in 1 fig, then 2, or all three until the mixture combines well together. Set aside. 

Cheesecake filling:

2 cups cashews

¾ cups fresh orange juce plus ¼ cup water

grated zest of 1 orange

pinch sea salt

tsp vanilla

¼ plus 1/8 cup coconut oil, melted

Method: Combine all the ingredients together until well blended in a high-speed blender. It should be super smooth. Set this aside.

Middle layer:

1 cup figs, pureed in a food processor

Extras:  I used about 28 halves of figs for the top, so 14 whole

Plus about 10 figs for the sides of the cake

Line a 7.5 inch removable bottom springform pan with plastic wrap, making sure there is excess that can drape over the sides. Fill in the crust on the bottom so that it’s even and in one smooth layer.  Pour in almost half of the cheesecake filling, covering the crust.  Add in the middle pureed fig layer and using a spatula, make sure it is even and smooth.  Now take the 10 figs for the side of the cake, cut them in half and having the middle of the fig facing out, layer only the SIDES of the pie mold – it will look like a wall of figs on the inside of the pie edge.  Then fill the rest of the pie with the cheesecake filling, using a spatula to smooth it over the figs as well.  Some of the figs might pop out of the cheesecake layer, but just push them back in, or don’t worry about it. We’ll cover it with figs anyway.

Freeze this overnight.

In the morning, cut the 28 figs in half and decorate the top.  Let it defrost just about 10-15 minute so it’s easy to cut but still semi-frozen to retain the shape well. To decorate, you can drizzle with honey, cacao nibs and coconut flakes. Enjoy!