Every year around this time behind the scenes I conduct my annual Macaroon Marathon where I decimate bags and bags of coconuts in an attempt to find a variation on the humble macaron worthy of public release. As evidenced by the fact that my archives are virtually coconut macaroon-free I had thus far been unsuccessful. But that was not for lack of trying.
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
 Vintage Zest | 2017-03-09 18:58:05 |  64 Views |
Raspberry-coconut macaroons recipe
Two years ago in my insistence on making something my coconut-hating chocolate-adoring husband would like I made several attempts at chocolate coconut macarons. They were… brown. And messy. And rarely chocolatey enough. I can’t look back on them fondly. Last year’s experiments centered on the terrible home economics that had led to me having three (3!) bags of unsweetened coconut in my pantry and my determination that they would leave my kitchen in cookie form. They were… okay. I’m sure more skilled macaron makers than I can make excellent macarons from unsweetened coconut but I found them to be consistently drier and grittier than those that started with sweetened coconut. This week’s coconut macaroons were the most obsessive-about so far with versions rolled in unsweetened coconut chips (gorgeous but boy are those chips unpleasant to chew) chopped almonds (tasty but hardly noteworthy) thumbprinted with the intention of filling the indentation with jam or chocolate later but losing interest before I did (a sure sign they were taking a nap) and even flattened with designs on a sandwich cookie. If it weren’t for the one where I actually pressed a whole raspberry into a sealed ball of coconut macaroons I wouldn’t be talking about macaroons here today because while the flavor was tricky and weird to construe it smelled unmistakably of cookie destiny: coconut and raspberries were meant for each other.
And here they are. The simplest of steps elevate these coconut macaroons from the ordinary to something us (admittedly) macaron-ambivalents can’t help but gorge on. First I grind my coconut in the food processor reducing the cough-inducing slivers to a thick paste that bakes into a delicately textured cookie. The sugar is kept in check at less than half of what I’ve seen in some recipes (surely the combination of sweetened coconut and 1 1/2 cups of sugar is in the running for the 11th plague?). The remaining sweetness plays off the tartness of fresh raspberries which aren’t quite pureed but are left here and there in little berry droplets in a sea of snow cookies. Almond extract and sea salt fill in the missing bits and they’re scooped into little mounds that miraculously stay intact in the oven. (I held my breath.) Once cooled they’re perfect on their own—sour and sweet all rolled into one—but I wouldn’t be worthy of this microphone you’ve given me if I didn’t tell you how much better they are with a drizzle of melted chocolate on them. Don’t worry I didn’t drizzle chocolate on them out of some greater sense of duty. I did it for the boss.
One Year Ago: Spaetzle Two Years Ago: Hazelnut Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies Baked Kale Chip Almond Macaroon Cake Three Years Ago: Homemade Chocolate Waffles + Fridge Cupcakes Four Years Ago: Swiss Easter Rice Cake and Vegetarian Cassoulet Five Years Ago: Rich Buttermilk Waffles and Arugula Ravioli
