This happens to me every Halloween:  I sit in the living room with a bucket full of candy on my lap, waiting for  kids in the neighborhood to visit.  I take a Kit Kat out of the bucket, then a Butterfinger, then a Snickers bar…  I end up with a pile of candy wrappers in front of me before the Disney princesses and the vampires even show up. 

This year, I decided not to go down that road again and made these slightly-healthier coconut macaroons to snack on.

These macaroons are super easy to make, even for those of you who think you can’t bake.   And they are so delicious for how little effort they take.  They are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, better than any candy I’ve tasted. 

I keep shredded coconut at home all the time.  I bake with it, sprinkle it in my granola and use it as garnish when I make dishes with coconut milk.  I get the unsweetened kind because I like to control how much sugar goes into my food.  I bought mine from the bulk bin section at Henry’s, but it’s usually available at any natural foods store.  Coconut is high in fat, so it spoils easily in the pantry.  I keep it in a Ziploc and stash it in the freezer. 

So the macaroons probably aren’t that much healthier than candy, especially if you eat all two dozens of them like I did.  But hey, it was Halloween.  Did you really think I was going to snack on baby carrots while giving out candy?