Paleo Pumpkin Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pumpkin meat raw or cooked - that's about 120 grams (If mixing by hand, mash or grate the pumpkin first)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk, medium to thick.
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups sweetener to your taste, such as Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root sweetener, or 3 1/3 tablespoons PureLo Lo Han Sweetener by Swanson, or 3/4 cup raw honey, or your favorite sweetener. (I included 1/3 cup Just Like Sugar Brown natural chicory root sweetener in that, for deep flavor.)
• 1/4 teaspoon unprocessed salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon maple flavor (optional)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon each cardamom, cloves, ginger, and allspice)
• 1 large egg
• Finely grated zest of 1/2 orange (optional for more zingy flavor)
• 3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut flakes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor or blender, mix together the pumpkin, coconut milk, sweetener, salt, vanilla, maple, spices, egg, orange zest, and 1/2 cup of the coconut flakes. Mix well until sweetener is dissolved. If mixing by hand - use grated or mashed pumpkin.
3. Mix the rest by hand in a mixing bowl. Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups shredded coconut. Stir until combined.
4. With two teaspoons, drop 1-inch mounds of dough spaced 1/2-inch apart on the cookie sheets. Press each mound together a bit if you like so it stays intact. Macaroons can be slightly irregular and shaggy. They don't spread much, so they can be close together.
5. Bake 16 - 20 minutes, or until slightly golden brown on the bottom. Remove from oven, cool 5 minutes (if you can) and enjoy.