Carob Coconut Macaroons (raw)

Sooo these cookies were pretty much an example of my fabulous brain at work *dusts shoulders off*. There is this awesome health food store near where I live, and they serve vegan chocolate coconut macaroons in their bakery. If you're lucky enough to live near Parksville, BC, you must visit Naked Naturals. They have a bakery, friendly staff, and the most affordable health food products I have ever seen anywhere! Go!
Now that I've just given them some free advertising, back to my story of macaroons. I really love the ones they have in the store, but I was curious to try making them on my own...and raw. They're a little bit creamy, so that part was pretty important. In came the avocado! And while my original plan was to use cacao powder, I'm running low but had lots of carob. You can use either or interchangeably. Carob has a similar taste to chocolate, about half the calories, no fat, and has iron & calcium, among many other benefits. (You can even buy carob chips in place of chocolate for baking! OMG :O)
I tested these out on my mom and brother, but wouldn't tell them what was in it. My mom thought it was chocolate, and my brother thought there were nuts. Nope :) But they loved 'em as much as I do <3 And I know you will, too.

The plate with the sandwich and salad was an adaptation of a previous recipe I wanted to share. I make my raw bread about every week, but this time, I added 2tbs of curry powder to the mix before dehydrating.

And if you're curious about the salad dressing, YUMMMMMY!!! It's an avocado-orange dressing that I am soooo in love with!!

But, um, back to the cookies? Have fun!

Ingredients:

1 cup oats

1/4 cup carob powder (or cacao, whatevs)

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 pitted avocado

3/4 cup pitted dates (gotta say I'm in love with Medjool)

lots of love :)

Directions:

1) Put oats in food processor and grind 'til a bit more powdery. Add carob powder, coconut, and sea salt and process until mixed well.

2) Add the avocado, and process until mixed well.

3) Finally, add the dates. Process until well-broken down, and mixture is moldable.

4) Form cookie shapes with cookie cutters, or with your bare hands. Now eat! :)