No-Bake Clementine and Clove Macaroons

Since I’m eating an AIP diet, I’ve had to make some interesting decisions now that we’re into the holiday season. Do I cook my normal holiday foods—that I can’t eat—but still serve them to my friends and family? Well, that’s just darn near terrifying—serving something to guests that you haven’t even tasted yourself!

The other option is to “force” my guests to come down to my restrictive diet level. Which honestly sounds darn near cruel when you think about what I normally serve (read: butter, cream, cheese, sugar, sugar, and more sugar), and the fact that none of those things is even remotely in the realm of possibility. I’ve always said the AIP diet isn’t for everyone—it’s a therapeutic diet meant to help treat an illness—so making my (perfectly healthy) friends and family eat “my” way seems a bit extreme. It’s one thing to get excited about plantain bread when it’s part of the protocol helping you recover from an illness. It’s a bit harder to muster the excitement when you’re being force-fed it at a holiday get-together.

So what’s a hostess to do? Well, I’ve been perfecting my arsenal of AIP-friendly foods that aren’t just “good” because they are AIP good. They are good for anyone, anywhere, anytime! And that’s what I’m serving. I don’t want anyone saying (or thinking) “Well, that’s pretty good…for being gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, dairy-free.” I just want folks to say, “Holy guacamole! That’s delicious!” Period. End of thought. And that’s the category these No-Bake Clementine and Clove Macaroons fall into.

My holiday treat boxes this year are going to be a little different from years past. Instead of the normal Perfect Frosted Sugar Cookies, Chewy Gingerbread Cookies, and Lemon Snowdrops (always a hit), I’m instead making treats like these macaroons—still sweet, decadent, and incredibly festive, but fitting lots of different dietary needs.

These macaroons couldn’t be easier—the recipe is comfortingly simple. And just like with most simple recipes, it’s really, really important to get high quality ingredients. Each ingredient in this recipe shines, and you want to get the most flavor out of every bite! In this recipe, I used both ground cloves and shredded coconut from Nuts.com.

As a Nuts.com Ambassador, I can’t recommend them enough. They are one of the most affordable places out there to buy healthy cooking staples like whole grain pastas, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices and dried fruit—and you get awesome bulk discounts, free shipping everyday, and the quality is absolutely top notch. I was a Nuts.com customer before they started working with me, and I’ll be one for life! It’s such a great resource for those of us who live far away from a health food store and don’t quite have the access to healthy staples like you would in a city.

To get the most flavor out of your clementines, you’ll need a very sharp zester—a dull one just doesn’t do the trick with soft-skinned clementines. Also, when you head to the store, try to find clementines that have a rind that is a bit tougher (more like an orange). Those will be much easier to zest. And if you can’t find clementines? No problem. Any kind of citrus fruit will do the trick. I’ve made these with lemons, grapefruit, and oranges—all delicious! Happy holidays!

 

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nuts.com. All opinions are entirely my own. Learn more about Nuts.com by visiting their website or following them on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

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