RCP: Coconut Macaroons

[Mike Filigenzi]

Back in the "separating eggs" thread, I mentioned that my wife often makes macaroons with leftover whites. This is a recipe for them that she recommended. It's from Martha Stewart's "Cookies":

3/4 c. sugar
2 1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut
2 large egg whites
1 t. pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325° and line a cookie sheet with parchment.


In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix with your hands until everything's well combined. (1/2 c. coarsely chopped semi-sweet chocolate can be added to the mix for chocolate chunk macaroons. Just mix them in and proceed.)


Dampen hands with cold water. Form mounds of 1-1/2 tablespoons on the baking sheet, spacing each about 1 inch apart.

Bake until golden brown, about 16 - 17 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. Cool on a wire rack.

(Jeff - if what you were looking for was more along the lines of the almond macaron, let me know - we have one for those as well although we haven't tried it out.)

[Jeff Grossman/NYC]

Thanks, Mike. This sounds good... it has a lot less liquid than the first recipe I tried (from "Joy of Baking").

I need to ask, though... what is an almond macaroon? (I guess it's not just using almond extract and adding a nut here and there? )

[Mike Filigenzi]

The almond version is what the French use for the outer part of the macaron sandwich cookies - a completely different animal. My understanding is that these are a lot more tricky than the coconut haystacks.

[Jeff Grossman/NYC]

Ah, OK. No, I don't need a recipe for the French macaron. Thanks, though.