Serving Up Spring
Coconut macaroons are one of those treats that may grace a table at either Passover or Easter, as they can be made without flour and contain no leavening. Mounded in the middle, they resemble eggs, a harbinger of spring.
Coconut macaroon dipped in white chocolate
A little dunk in chocolate gives them a celebratory look. Sometimes we dunk them in white chocolate, sometimes in dark. Any way you make them, they are tasty and pretty. Eat them within a few days of making them (if they last that long!). Store, covered, on the counter top, but preferably out of reach of anyone under 3 feet high.
Nikolas posing with the coconut macaroons
Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons
2 ½ cups shredded unsweetened coconut
2 Tbs. whole wheat pastry flour OR ground almonds
6 Tbs. maple syrup
½ tsp. almond extract
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1 egg white, whipped to stiff peaks
2 oz. white chocolate
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine coconut and flour. In a separate bowl, whisk together syrup, extract, and salt. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and stir well until you have a crumbly mixture. Fold in egg white.
With moist hands, squeeze mixture into small mounds in the shape of ovals or spheres. Don’t be afraid to be firm. Squeeze two or three times so that the mounds hold together. Place them side by side on the cookie sheet (they won’t spread) and bake 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool to room temperature.
Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler, stirring occasionally. Dip the top of each macaroon in the melted chocolate. Let chocolate set until firm before serving (brief refrigeration will hasten this process).
Makes about 12-14 macaroons.
Adapted from Mothering Magazine