Jennie’s coconut macaroons

It took my friend Booth being diagnosed with celiac for me to discover these.

After Booth had given up gluten, I met Nina at one of our favorite grocery stores in Seattle to roam the aisles and find him food he would like. I pointed out all the little bags of flours, the foods that might have hidden gluten, the brands of foods with few ingredients that I genuinely like to eat.

She waved her hand toward a can of Jennie’s coconut macaroons and said, “Of course, you know about these macaroons. Booth can’t get enough of them.”

Actually, I had never seen them before. I love this learning.

These macaroons are the talk of the internet, apparently. People love them because they are made without grains or sugar. Some folks are feeding them to their babies. Fans promote them because they are full of proteins and fiber, seemingly without any bad stuff.

Seemingly is probably the operative word. I’m still more likely to make food from scratch than grab a can. The zero-carb version of these cookies (which I’ve never seen, and am unlikely to buy) contain maltitol, which makes some people uncomfortable. I wouldn’t claim these as a health food. They are cookies, after all.

I just like them because they taste good. And no matter how much you love food in its whole form, sometimes you like gluten-free food you can buy off the shelf.

Now, I have to admit, they might be just a touch too sweet for me. I’m not the proper judge right now, because I seem to have lost my sweet tooth during this pregnancy. But they taste moist and wholesome, with a real flavor all their own.

And since I can’t eat the whole can in two days, I like to put them in the freezer. Each bite feels like a little treat this way, and the sweetness isn’t quite as pronounced.

I never thought I would like cookies from a can. But here they are. You will too, I’m sure.