Happy hanukkah from della, plus a recipe for vanilla macaroons

Tonight marks the first night of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, aka the Festival of Light.

For the CliffsNotes version of the story, this holiday celebrates a group of Jewish rebels, the Maccabees, who fought for their freedom from a tyrant king. Spoiler alert: They defeated the king and witnessed a miracle, giving double reason to celebrate.

When the Maccabees returned to the temple after their victory, they discovered that only a small amount of oil remained to light their menorah. Well, that tiny bit of oil lasted eight days (crazy!) and kept the eternal flame lit until they could make more.

(Modern day equivalent: when you drive 100 miles with your gas light on --who wouldn’t do a happy dance?)

During these crazy times, there are many Hanukkah messages that we can all take to heart.

My top three are as follows:

1. “There can be miracles… when you believe….” (cue Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey) 
2. Light is contagious: let’s our do our best to spread it during dark moments.
   
3. Small amounts of energy can multiply with a little perseverance and luck.

A holiday message from us wouldn’t be complete without a festive recipe, so here it goes:

Recipe: Raw Vanilla Macaroons 

Macaroons appear often on our holiday dessert menu, and this is one of our favorite renditions. (You can also find the chocolate version and many other delicious recipes in our cookbook.)

My family sometimes goes a bit overboard at holidays with the dessert offerings. One Thanksigiving, my sister-in-law Leah walked into my Mom’s kitchen, observed the scene, and casually said: “Wow, how many desserts did you guys make?” At the same moment, from opposite sides of the kitchen, my sister and I said in unison: “Too many.”

To all those that celebrate, Happy Hanukkah! And for those of you that don’t, happy eating anyways. :)

Yield: 25 macaroons

Equipment and Utensils: Mixing bowl, Whisk

INGREDIENTS

1.5 cups almond meal or almond flour

2.5 cups coconut, unsweetened shredded

 ¾ cup maple syrup

5 tablespoons coconut butter

½ teaspoon sea salt

1½ teaspoon vanilla extract

 

PROCEDURE

1. Place the almond flour or meal and coconut into a large mixing bowl.  
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, coconut butter, vanilla, and sea salt. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix well. 
3. Scoop rounded tablespoons of the macaroon mix onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper and place in the fridge for at least one hour. Serve cold.