EAT ME!
Do it!
If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend this macaroon recipe.
I know; you’re probably rolling your eyes at me because I highly recommend a lot of things. But that’s because every single recipe published on my site has been tested and approved by many people, not just me (and not just vegans or health-food eaters, either). I test the recipes on my family, my friends, their families… I will absolutely never post a mediocre recipe.
And more than one person has said this is the BEST macaroon recipe he or she’s ever tasted, vegan or not. So do not be afraid to serve the following to even the pickiest of Easter guests:
Coconut Cookie Easter Chicks!
Super-delicious, and super-adorable… although when my friend Allison saw them, she asked, “Katie, what’s with the owl cookies?”
Owls?
Seriously??
I am NOT an owl!!!
Anywhoos… I’ve re-posted the macaroon recipe below for your convenience, with the chick instructions listed at the end. The chick idea isn’t mine; I saw it in a Taste of Home Easter magazine at the checkout counter. (If I remember correctly, the magazine version used licorice, jelly beans, and chocolate chips to decorate their chicks.)
Baby Chick Macaroons
(Makes 12-14)
Category: Healthy Cookie Recipes
- 1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut (see below for a lower-calorie version)
- 1 tbsp whatever flour you wish (such as ww pastry or even coconut flour)
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp lite canned coconut milk (or regular canned)
- 3 tbsp agave or pure maple syrup
- 1 packet stevia (or 1 more tbsp agave, and cut back on liquid)
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- tiny bit over 1/16 tsp salt
Combine all ingredients in a tall dish and microwave 3 minutes. (Or cook on the stovetop until it’s firm enough to scoop out in ball shapes.) Scoop into balls on a cookie tray (I used a melon baller, but a spoon or ice-cream scoop will work.) Cook at 360 F for 14-16 minutes. (Or maybe even cook the balls in the microwave?? But I haven’t tried this.) Let cool before removing from tray. Makes around 12-14 cookies.
For chicks: Once cooled, get creative with whatever ingredients you have on hand. I used pecans, almonds, cacao nibs, and goji berries. No one says you have to make chicks… you can make bunnies!
Or, um, owls.
This cookie-decorating project was so simple (and fun!) that I definitely want to make more macaroon animals. What about monkey cookies with pretzel tails? Or blending in spinach and making Easter cookie frogs?
I want to make friends for poor Fred the Frog.
vogelstar says
sorry for double posting but the last comment was from me 🙂
Tinah says
I saw a picture of this on Foodgawker.com and so I clicked the link. Your page came up and I yelled “Why am I not surprised!? Of course you would do something like this. I can’t wait to try this. Thank you for what you do, Katie. You rock.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Aw thank you! 🙂
Veronica says
Adorbs!!
sarwatabbasi says
cute!!
Susan says
How do you make the decorations stay stuck? Size would be helpful, too since I think mine are too small to decorate.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I just pushed the “beaks” and eyes in really far. For the feet, they’re not stuck at all… I just served them right on the plate. People ate the feet first ;).
Alanna says
These are so yummy! Just made them this morning, and they were seriously easy (just like all your recipes!). I probably could have left them in the oven a tad longer since the middles were still soft, but they held their shape enough to come off the tray and get into my belly. (c: I think my melon baller must be pretty small because I ended up with about 24 little cookies, but that’s just bonus as far as I’m concerned! (c:
Dudette (Miss Lebowski) says
I just made these yesterday! I even made a turtle and a cat, and egg baskets! Just posted pictures – certainly not as adorable as yours are, and I think it could’ve helped if I made them a bit bigger. But I had so much fun making them and they are seriously SO GOOD!!! Thanks for the recipe, Katie!!
Kathleen @ KatsHealthCorner says
Those are SO cute!!!!!!! 😀
Lexi @ Cura Personalis Foodie says
Adorable! These look a lot like the macaroons my grandma used to make.
Dana says
As cute as these are (and they certainly are), as macaroons are traditional Passover desserts, some acknowledgment of that fact (or of the holiday, in general) would have been very much appreciated :\
Kailee says
This comment is SO rude and close minded :(.
Dana, not everyone celebrates Passover, and so how would people who don’t know about the holiday even know that macaroons are a traditional Passover dessert? Instead of berating the blogger for something she probably didn’t know, and therefore of course didn’t mention, how about using it as an opportunity to teach something about your heritage/beliefs?
Sarah says
Dana,
Why would you assume that everyone who isn’t Jewish would know about the foods or traditions or customs? I had no idea macaroons were Passover foods, simply because no one ever told me. How would I know?
Do you know what foods they serve for Kwanzaa? Or Fasika?
Do you even know what Fasika is? (without googling it!)
I’m not asking to be rude, so please don’t take it as such. I’m asking to help you understand what was wrong with the wording of your comment.
Noelle (@singerinkitchen) says
I made this but it needed more flour. I also covered them in chocolate. Thanks for the recipe! http://www.singerskitchen.com/2012/04/chocolate-dipped-macaroons.html
Sandy says
i tired these and my chickens fell apart when i went to put in the bits & pieces for the eyes and hair etc!
What did i do wrong?
🙁
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Hmmm… Did you let them sit ten minutes to cool before decorating?
Sandy says
PS – they still tasted TOTALLY divine though! 🙂
Noemi says
I just made them. The taste was excellent but it did grow and it got stick to the pan. What happen? Was it the flour, was it 1 cup and not 1 tbsp? Help
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Can you tell me more about what specific ingredients you used?
No, the 1 T is correct 😕
Samantha says
On the light recipe, is it lite canned coconut milk or the kind that comes in a carton?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
canned 🙂
aisha says
dispite i dont celibrate easter i want to make thease soo bad!! but i dont know i could get the pecan feet stick 🙁 if i used chocolate it would be delicious but it wont look like a chick anymore …maybe if i dunk the whole cookie in chocolate i could make a black bird lol thats another anmial hehe also you could dye the coconut green and make coconut mutant ninja turtles
Virginia says
These are so stinkin cute!! And this post cracks me up.
Logan Bachman says
These look so cute and I want to make them for my Easter party tomorrow, but if you wait till the macaroons cool then how do you get the pecan feet to stick? 😀
Jen says
Hi Katie! I made these today, you macaroon recipe is AMAZING! so easy and so delicious!! for some reason, my chicks were not as cute as yours… but they were still super fun. Thanks for the idea 🙂
Lucy says
I made these yesterday. I had to microwave my mixture for a lot longer – I think a total of 5 or 6 minutes in 30 second increments after the initial 3. Apart from that, they were fantastic. Nobody could tell they were supposed to be chickens, but everyone agreed they were cute, and they could tell they were supposed to be birds. Most of us felt guilty tearing them limb from limb to eat them. I used some melted chocolate to stick the feet on, and that worked really well. As an aside, my husband laughed at me a lot over the first chicken I decorated, it transpires that the comb should run down the back of the head, not across the top :-O.
Vegan Grammie Annie says
Hey Katie,
My little Grandaughter and I made these little chicks for Easter-a nice change from the labor intensive sugar cookies! Thanks!
Eleanor says
How does everything stick on? Thank you!
Unofficial CCK Helper says
You press the eyes and beak in with your hands.
Cookie Carter says
What are the red things on the chix head ???
Julie Dove says
Goji berries 🙂
Nansi says
I made these for Easter this weekend for the residents in my dad’s area of the nursing home he lives in. In my version I made them bunnies. I used mini jelly beans for ears, half walnuts for feet, melted choc chips for eyes, nose and mouth. Just didn’t do whiskers. LOL. They were a big hit. Only thing though, i tried this recipe 3 times, making small adjustments each time and each time they came out crumbly. Any suggestions on what I can do next time anyone?