Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients

• 2 large egg whites
• 2 1/2 C. (150 g) finely ground coconut (unsweetened)
• 3/4 C. (185 g) sugar

Instructions

1. Blend all ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Form 1 1/2-2 T. of the mixture into “mounds” or balls and place on parchment paper or greased cookie sheets. Bake at 300° F (150° C) for 20-25 minutes or until light brown.

I make these Coconut Macaroons more than almost any other cookie. In fact, I almost always make a double batch as they’re also nice to share with friends and neighbors. Here’s why I make them so often:

• They’re crunchy outside and moist inside…and if you brush them with chocolate on top…wow!
• They are made with finely ground coconut, the only type I can find in Europe where they don’t sell the shredded coconut.
• They keep for ages in an air-tight container.
• They only use three ingredients! Egg whites (full of protein and good for you), sugar (I know, it’s bad for you) and coconut (not too bad for you).
• They’re nice and small, so when I need a quick little treat, they fit the bill.

Crunchy on the outside, moist inside, these Coconut Macaroons are hard to beat!

First, I did a little research about coconut and thought you might be interested… Did you know that a coconut tree produces about 70 coconuts a year, for approximately 70 years! It takes approximately a year for a coconut to ripen. In some countries, such as Thailand, monkeys have been trained to pick the coconuts and can average 1000 coconuts per day!

Coconuts are highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. For some very interesting information about the nutritional aspects of coconut, check out the Coconut Research Center.

Now, back to our cookies….many friends in Europe have bemoaned the fact that you can’t buy moist, shredded, sweetened coconut here that you can in North America, and they don’t like the powdery, dry coconut sold in Europe. But after making this recipe. you’ll be glad if you can find it! Plus, you only need three ingredients to make these wonderful macaroons!

2 1/2 cups dried, unsweetened coconut, 3/4 cup sugar and 3 eggs

First, I separated the three eggs…if you’ve never done this before, just crack each egg gently but firmly and pull it apart, allowing the white to fall into your bowl…

.

.. and tip the shell so that the yolk doesn’t fall in with the whites.

Often I pass the yolk back and forth between the two shell halves a time or two to make sure I get all the white separated from the yolk. The egg whites are the only liquid in this recipe.

Next, I added the 3/4 cup sugar to the egg whites…

And then the 2 1/2 cups of dried coconut…just dumped it in.

With a wooden spoon, I stirred the mixture together…

Perhaps you have more patience than I do, but I find that after the initial mixing, it saves time to just wash your hands and knead the mixture together, like this:

Next the mixture is shaped into small balls. Sometimes, because the coconut is so dry, I’ve found it’s easier to let the mixture set a little while; this way the coconut absorbs the liquid (the egg whites).

However, when I’m in a hurry, I shape them immediately–more by pinching the mixture together, rather than rolling them between my palms:

These cookies really stick to the cookie sheet–guess it’s all that sugar melting. I advise using parchment paper if at all possible. Otherwise, grease your pan well! The cookies can be placed very close together since they do not rise at all. The size you make them is the size you’ll get!

By the way, if your batch makes less cookies than this (below), that’s because I made a double batch–I usually figure that while the oven’s on, I’ll bake enough to share. Plus they store very well!

Now, into the oven–300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for about 20 minutes. Every oven is a bit different so make sure they’re nice and brown, like this:

The macaroons are yummy just like this, but for a little extra somethin’ somethin’, melt a bit of chocolate in the microwave or on top of a double boiler, and brush the tops (or bottoms). Wouldn’t these be good just rolled around in the melted chocolate? I’ll have to try that next!

I bet you’re drooling! They are go-ood!

For additional recipes, please visit: http://ciaofromdebbie.com

©2014 Thrive.