Lemon Blackberry Macaroons

So it's not quite blackberry season yet, but I couldn't resist getting some at the market the other day.  They pretty much screamed my name from across the aisle, so I gave in and got a small container.  I half expected them to be tart and almost inedible like most out of season berries are, but they were sweet and delicious.  Go figure. 

In wondering what to do with them, I had an idea to somehow work them into a macaroon of sorts.  I have some pink grapefruit macaroons in my shop, so I just tweaked it for this specific recipe.  In wondering how best to incorporate the berries, I came across this post from Smitten Kitchen.  The recipe has you blend everything up in a food processor - problem solved!  These macaroons are some of the best I've ever had or made.  The slight tartness of the lemon and blackberries works so well with the coconut.  Besides being delicious, they are also gluten free, grain free, and dairy free.  Yay!  It's quite unfortunate that I can't offer them in my shop.  The fresh blackberries in them wouldn't really ship well, so that's why I'm sharing them here.    

Before I give you the recipe and more drool-worthy photos, I feel I must inform you that I saw the first ripe dewberries of the season on my walk this morning!  I couldn't resist popping two in my mouth before awkwardly looking around to make sure no one saw me.  It was pretty much the highlight of my morning.  

Lemon Blackberry Macaroons
I used a small cookie scoop for these and ended up getting 14 macroons.  If you have a larger cookie scoop, you may want to double the recipe to yield more cookies.  Or, just leave it as is.  If you are not eating these the day you make them, they store best in the refrigerator in an airtight container, or covered in plastic wrap. 

1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup organic natural cane sugar (also called evaporated cane juice)
pinch of fine grain sea salt
zest of 1 lemon
about a tsp of fresh lemon juice
2 egg whites
heaping 1/2 cup of blackberries

Preheat your oven to 350F and place the rack in the upper 1/3 of the oven.  Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

Put the coconut, lemon zest, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine.  Next, add the sugar and salt and pulse a couple of more times.  Add the egg whites next and pulse a few times to bring the mixture together (it will start clumping together).  Add the blackberries and carefully pulse a few times (3 to 5 times) until the blackberries are roughly chopped.  You want the mixture to look streaked through with purple and chunks of blackberries instead of completely purple. 

 Using a small cookie or ice cream scoop, place mounds of the mixture onto your lined baking sheet.  You can shape the mounds if you need to using damp fingers.  Bake the macaroons in the upper 1/3 of the oven for 15-18 minutes until the bottoms are golden and the tops are just starting to turn golden.  Cool them on the sheet for at least 20 minutes before attempting to remove them.  Enjoy!