From Martha Stewart / Sarah Carey (View their video)
Preheat oven to 325 F. Makes about 15 cookies
2 large egg whites
1 TB granulated sugar
2.5 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites, sugar, vanilla and salt until foamy. Add coconut and mix well to combine.
Form coconut mixture into 1.5 TB mounds; place on parchment-lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
Bake until golden brown, 16 to 17 minutes, rotating halfway through. Let cool on a wire rack.
[See my tips below.]
Notes and Tips...
- Egg whites - see my detailed 'egg whites' tips page
- Coconut - see my detailed info page on coconut; typically what I have on hand/use is the desiccated / finely shredded coconut
- Mix well - after adding coconut, mix well with a fork. This will seem like a mixture that is not "holding together" - don't worry. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes and the coconut will absorb some of the egg white - that will make the mixture seem even more dry, but the resulting bake is better.
- Form into mounds - some like to create macaroons that resemble scraggy mounds - in which case simply grab a bit of the mixture and mound it on the bake sheet. I use my purple handled scoop (which holds about 3 tsp). To ensure that I will get a "perfect" mound I press the coconut quite firmly into the scoop, adding more if needed to achieve a flat fill. Then I press the release and place the scoop of coconut on the bake sheet.
- Bake - in my oven this needs only about 15 minutes. This doesn't take long and partly depends on desired toasty brown appearance. OTOH, bake too long and they will be dry instead of pleasantly chewy.
- Storage - these store well at room temperature in a closed tin for about 3 days. At Xmas I keep them cool and they store well for weeks.
Trim scraggy bits before dipping in chocolate
Modifications
- Chocolate Dip - If adding this step, then the cookies must be absolutely cool. Use a paring knife to gently trim any scraggy bits around the bottom before dipping. Prep a new sheet of parchment or simply turn over the one used for baking. Melt a large 70% Lindt Chocolate bar. This may seem odd, but once chocolate has been melted, let it cool a bit. Start dipping too soon, and the chocolate will run off, and the macaroon will be sitting in a pool of chocolate. Alternatively, dipped macaroons can be placed on a cooling rack and any chocolate run-off will drip through. I am careful to let excess chocolate drip off before placing cookies back on the parchment. I always find there is just enough chocolate to drizzle over top - using a spoon or an icing piping tool. Winter or summer, I find that the chocolate sets better after brief refrigeration.
- Other Variations - Google 'macaroons' and view the 'Image' results. There seem to be endless variations - add mini chocolate chips, chopped craisins. etc. A whole almond can be added to the top of each before baking and once drizzled with chocolate it may come close to the Almond Joy experience. Here's Martha's recipe for chocolate macaroons - using 3 egg whites.
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