Posted by KB on February 2, 2011
Those fancy little French macarons have been getting far too much attention of late. Sure, they're crisp and light and come in more inventive flavours than we've ever dreamed of, but where's that sticky coconutty satisfaction, or the confidence that comes with saying “macarooooon” and knowing you've pronounced it correctly.
We say put the kettle on and help yourself to a couple of these classic coconut biscuits, and remind yourself that good things come in sweet packages, even if they're not that fancy.
Coconut and cherry macaroons
3 eggs whites
1 1/2 cups desiccated coconut
3/4 cup sugar
glace cherries (optional but delicious)
Preheat your oven to 170C and cover a tray with baking paper.
Whip your egg whites until soft peaks form (an electric beater is awesome for this, but using a whisk will give you bigger muscles). Add the sugar a bit at a time and continue beating until glossy.
Change to a spatula and gradually fold in the coconut, making sure you don’t overwork the mixture.
If you are using cherries, place them on the baking tray, leaving plenty of room around them. Then using a spoon - or a piping bag if you want to be fancy - cover the cherries in a mound of mixture.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned. As the macaroons cool, any brown bits will be crispy and the white bits will stay nice and chewy.
recipes, biscuits