Twelve Days of Baking: Coconut Almond Macaroons
November 14, 2011
Day 5: Coconut Almond Macaroons
Of all the cookies I make for the holidays, there are only a couple of kinds that I have to “hide.” They are my husband Guy’s private stash. Yesterday I made his favorite coconut/almond macaroons. I like macaroons that are a bit crusty on the surface but chewy on the inside. This cookie is so easy to make and will quickly become your private stash too if you like coconut. The secret to a great tasting and nicely textured macaroon is to start with large egg whites that are at room temperature and to really dissolve the sugar well. Here is the recipe.
Chewy Coconut/Almond Macaroons
Makes about 2 dozen
Preheat oven to 325F
4 large egg whites at room temperature
1 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon almond extract
½ cup sifted unbleached all purpose flour
2 ¾ cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/3 cup finely chopped almonds
Coarse colored sugar to sprinkle
Place the egg whites and sugar in a bowl and place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Do not let bottom of the pan touch the water. Whisk the egg whites and sugar together until very creamy looking and sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes.
Remove bowl from pan and whisk in the salt and almond extract. Whisk in the flour. Fold in the coconut and almonds.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Drop 1 tablespoonfu of the batter onto the baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 1-inch apart. Sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar or leave plain.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the macaroons begin to brown around the edges and are firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.
Store airtight for up to 5 days or freeze for future use.
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