Raw Double Chocolate Macaroons

GFVGVDFNS
Jump to Recipe
Measuring cups filled with our easy gluten-free vegan Double Chocolate Raw Macaroons recipe

I have another recipe for you inspired by my time in Seattle!

These treats are not from Seattle, but from a little shop in Vancouver, BC, where my friend Erin lives – who is a total plant-based rockstar, by the way.

During our stay in Seattle, Erin gifted me a little Vancouver goody bag, and my favorite item from the bunch was a package of double chocolate raw macaroons. Swoon.

One bite in and I knew I wanted to recreate them at home.

Blender filled with ingredients for making gluten-free vegan Raw Double Chocolate Macaroons

This recipe is simple, requiring 6 ingredients and about 30 minutes to prepare.

It’s also raw, meaning the ingredients are raw and are not heated above 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 C), in order to preserve the vitamins and nutrients – which means more of the good stuff makes it into your body. Win win!

Scooping Raw Double Chocolate Macaroon batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet

While I had tried making baked macaroons before, I hadn’t tried making a raw version. Spoiler alert, this version is even easier, and I found I prefer the raw over the baked!

Cutting board with freshly grated raw cacao butter for making Double Chocolate Macaroons

The coating is made from simple ingredients: cocoa butter (see notes for substitution options), coconut oil, cacao powder, and agave nectar or maple syrup.

That’s right, these beauties are naturally sweetened, which means they’re basically health food (am I right?).

Before and after photos showing the process of making raw vegan chocolate
Parchment-lined baking sheet with macaroons freshly coated with vegan chocolate sauce

I hope you all love these macaroons! They’re:

Tender with a slight crunch
Perfectly sweet
Super chocolaty
Coconutty
Rich
Surprisingly healthy
Raw
& Delicious

These are great to have around for a healthier dessert or snack. And because they travel well, they also make a great treat to bring along to parties.

If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!

Measuring cup with stack of gluten-free vegan Double Chocolate Raw Macaroons

Raw Double Chocolate Macaroons

Easy, raw, 6-ingredient double chocolate macaroons! A coconut-date-cacao filling is coated in a naturally sweetened raw chocolate glaze. SO delicious, and the perfect healthier indulgence!
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Stack of Raw Double Chocolate Macaroons in a vintage measuring cup
4.84 from 6 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 11 (macaroons)
Course Dessert
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Raw, Vegan
Freezer Friendly 3-4 Weeks
Does it keep? 4-5 Days

Ingredients

COCONUT FILLING

  • 12-14 large medjool dates, pitted (if dry, soak in hot water 10 minutes, then drain)
  • 2 heaping cups unsweetened coconut flakes (large flake is best)
  • 2 Tbsp cacao powder (or sub unsweetened cocoa powder, but it will no longer be raw*)
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil (optional)

RAW CHOCOLATE SHELL*

  • 2/3 cup finely grated cocoa butter* (see photo)
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup cacao powder (or sub unsweetened cocoa powder, but it will no longer be raw*)
  • 3-6 Tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup

Instructions

  • Add pitted dates to a blender and pulse/mix until small bits remain or a ball forms.
  • Add shredded coconut and mix once more to combine. Then add cacao powder and coconut oil (optional), and mix/pulse once more to combine (see photos).
  • Use a Tablespoon (or scoop) to scoop out the filling, and gently transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all filling is used – about 9-11 macaroons (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), depending on scoop size – then freeze.
  • Add grated cocoa butter and coconut oil to a ceramic bowl set, then set in a shallow dish (such as an 8×8 baking dish) filled with almost boiling hot water – this will keep the recipe raw – see notes for more options/details.
  • Let the cocoa butter and coconut oil rest, stirring occasionally, until completely melted. Then add your cacao powder and whisk.
  • Add sweetener to taste. I found 4 Tbsp (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) to be about right for me.
  • Remove the macaroons from the freezer and dip the bottoms in the raw chocolate. Place back on baking sheet and move back to freezer to set for 5 minutes.
  • Remove macaroons from freezer once more and dip the tops in the chocolate, using a spoon to brush the chocolate up the sides until fully coated.
  • Flip back over and set on baking sheet. Top with a sprinkle of sea salt or a few coconut flakes (optional), then place back in freezer to set.
  • You may have leftover chocolate, which can be used to coat fruit (such as strawberries), or poured into mini muffin liners for individual-sized chocolates.
  • These can be eaten straight from the freezer, but I prefer them at room temperature because they are a bit softer in texture and you can more fully enjoy the flavors.
  • Store leftovers covered at room temperature up to 3 days, in the refrigerator 4-5 days or in the freezer 3-4 weeks.

Notes

*Raw recipes are those with ingredients not heated above 104 degrees F (40 C). To keep this recipe raw, follow the instructions as written. However, if you’re not concerned about keeping it raw, feel free to use cocoa powder instead of cacao powder, or melt the cocoa butter over the stovetop on low instead of in a water bath.
*If you don’t have cocoa butter, you can either substitute all coconut oil, or use this recipe for the coating instead: 1 cup (120 g) finely chopped vegan chocolate + 1 Tbsp (15 ml) coconut oil, melted (amounts as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size).
*Recipe inspired by the Double Chocolate Raw Macaroons at ZIMT.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 of 11 macroons calculated using all of the chocolate shell and 4 Tbsp agave nectar.

Nutrition (1 of 11 servings)

Serving: 1 macaroons Calories: 165 Carbohydrates: 15.5 g Protein: 1.7 g Fat: 13 g Saturated Fat: 9.8 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 3 mg Fiber: 3.7 g Sugar: 10.4 g

Did You Make This Recipe?

Tag @minimalistbaker on Instagram and hashtag it #minimalistbaker so we can see all the deliciousness!

If you love this recipe...

Get Our Fan Favorites eBook Here!

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment & Rating!

Have a question? Use ctrl+f or ⌘+f on your computer or the "find on page" function on your phone browser to search existing comments! Need help? Check out this tutorial!

My Rating:




  1. Linda J Gardner says

    I followed this recipe to a “T” amd there was no way that chocolate was going to melt. I gave up on the hot water bath and put it on a low burner. Still didn’t melt. It was pasty and difficult to spread on the macaroons

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Linda, sorry it gave you trouble! We’re not sure what would cause it not to melt. Are you referring to the cocoa butter? What brand were you using?

  2. Mary Jo Matey says

    I LOVE your recipes .. !! They are beautiful .. I have been making raw chocolates for many years ,… LOVE them !! I really love the smooth melt in ur mouth texture that using just coconut oil gives … BUT they melt 3 min after being out of freezer and cant really set them out to serve .. Is there a way to add or do u have exact ratio of using both the cacao butter and coconut oil .. so the melt in ur mouth effect is still there …Like the melt away peanut butter eggs I used to LOVE EASTER time .. from Russell stovers ?

    I sooo look forward to hearing from you

    Namaste
    Blessings
    MAry Jo ♥

  3. Lisa says

    These are absolutely delicious! I put in half the dates (by accident) and mixed the coconut and cocoa in by hand so I would have larger pieces of coconut. I then topped it with some vanilla sea salt. They look so decadent – like they were bought from some fancy store. Thanks for the recipe!

  4. Farida Quadri says

    This recipe was super yummy although a blender did not work – I end up just mixing everything up with my hands.

    Also, I did not have cocount oil so used canola oil in the filling and that worked fine as well.

    Thanks for the recipe!

  5. Theresa says

    I’ve made these for the third time now because they are so delicious!!! One problem though: the last two times the chocolate coating didn’t come out well – it became a kind of paste instead of something resembling liquid chocolate. Any idea why that could be? It happened when I added the maple syrup…

  6. Nicole says

    I made these for company and they are super yummy! Like Samoa Girl Scout cookies without the cookies part, which is great since they are my favorite but I’m not supposed to have gluten so I haven’t had enough them in a long time. Theses are a great substitute. Thanks for the recipe!

  7. Betsy says

    I made the non-raw version of these and they were wonderful. I also just melted semi-sweet chocolate for the coating to save some time. These were described by my friend as the best homemade dessert she’d ever had. Success!

  8. Ana @ Ana's Rocket Ship says

    Dates, coconut, agave and cacao? Sounds like health food to me…. That means I can eat the entire batch at once – right? I mean…. they’re good for me!!!

  9. Ashley says

    I have to agree that raw macaroons are better! I had the opposite experience that you did though; I had only tried raw ones before having cooked ones. Cooked ones seemed kind of ‘meh’ comparatively and weren’t as dense and satisfying as raw.

    I’ve never put dates in them before; I usually do almond flour + coconut oil + currants instead.

    Great recipe, can’t wait to try it!

    • Evie says

      So my macaroons are just chilling in the fridge, no final yaste yet but tasting during making seems promising, yum yum.. just have to say that my vitamix failed. Stopped running when I added the coconut flakes so I would recommend food processor, that worked great too. Thanks for the lovely recipe, love your site. :)

  10. SkinnyMe says

    Okay, my child’s birthday is coming up and is right around Valentine’s Day and I was just starting to think about what kind of dessert to make her! This IS IT! So excited.

  11. Carla Ashford says

    Im new at vegan cooking. Please help me understand what cocoa butter product to use. I clicked on the highlighted cocoa butter as instructed and it brought me to a site with different cocoa butters to purchase. But I’m confussed. These products I read about are for body cream uses. What product do I use FOR COOKING?
    thank you Carla Ashford

  12. Sarah says

    I’ve never tried raw macaroons either, but you have me dying to make these asap! They look delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    XO – Sarah

  13. Michelle @ Modern Acupuncture says

    These are the most decadent macaroons I’ve ever seen! Holy heaven. Amazing idea, covering them in chocolate for a bit of crunch!

  14. Patti says

    What type of store carries edible cocoa butter? I checked my local grocery store chains and couldn’t find it. These look and sound delicious. is there something that I can substitute for the cocoa butter?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Patti! See the comment above, but you can substitute coconut oil. I always buy mine online, which you can find in the ingredients list (linked in blue).

  15. Kat says

    These are delicious and filling! My blender had a little bit of a hard time with the solid coconut and date mixture, so next time I would consider using a food processor instead. For the chocolate shell, since I’m out of cocoa butter at the moment, I use about 1/4 cup of coconut oil and 1/4 cup of cocoa powder or to taste, and agave! Definitely a desert I consider always having on hand.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks for sharing! Sorry the blender had trouble (depending on the brand, jar size, they sometimes do), but I’m still glad you enjoyed them!

  16. andrea says

    i wanted to let you know that agave nectar is highly processed and has been compared to high fructose corn syrup. i experienced a very strong reaction to it myself – i got the jitters and couldn’t sleep all night after eating it in a dessert that wasn’t even very sweet! when i tried it, some time later, in another dessert, i had the same reaction. that’s when i decided to investigate. a couple of sweeteners that are not processed are yacon syrup and lucuma. stevia is good too, but only if it is ground from the leaf and is still green; otherwise, it, too, is highly processed.

  17. Hayley says

    How convenient that I have all these ingredients at hand – that never happens!

    Cannot wait to make these moorish little chocolate bobs – thank you for yet another stellar recipe. x

  18. Mel @ The Refreshanista says

    These look so yummy! I think they’d be delicious with a sprinkling of sea salt on top- I love salted chocolate :)

  19. Alison @Food by Mars says

    Girl, these look heavenly. I’ve been craving chocolate a lot the past couple of days (and of course am all out of my dark chocolate bars)… so when I stock back up again, this is first on my list. Plus brownies. Thanks for this lovely recipe, XO.

  20. KJ | Omnomherbivore says

    Drool worthy!! These sound so decadent! Where did you get such a large block of Cacao butter? The bag I buy usually is full of small chunks, not sure how well I could grate them (without also grating my hand lol).

  21. Celeste | The Whole Serving says

    It’s so funny I just finished editing photos for a date and hazelnut candy I have going up on my blog Monday, great minds think alike. This looks great, I can taste it already. Yum, Yum!

    • Laura ~ Raise Your Garden says

      Hehe. I agree. I love popping on this blog to see what recipe will be posted yet. Dessert, main meal, snack…it’s exciting. Love the coconut as always!!! This definitely looks like it’s going to satisfy that chocolate craving. And I’m trying my bet to be on a raw diet right now to help with health issues and I’m doing my best! These help.

  22. Leah M @ love me, feed me says

    So beautiful!! When I read that it was inspired by something from Vancouver I guessed that it was Zimt! Their chocolate is my favourite!! So good and such amazing ingredients. Definitely need to give these a try, so simple!!