Coconut Macaroons

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's been years since I made macaroons. My original recipe called for sweetened condensed milk and I thought the cookies made with it were cloyingly sweet. Despite that, I made the cookies each Christmas for Bob's dad who really loved them. When we lost Andy, macaroons, and his favorite chocolate covered cherries, were dropped from my Christmas baking list. I was browsing through the Joy of Baking website the other day when I happened on the recipe I'm featuring today. It is substantially different from the one I had used in the past. I had coconut in the pantry, so I decided to give this version a try. I'm glad I did. While the cookies are way too sweet for my taste, Bob and one of our neighbors loved them. The cookies are very easy to make and the only problem I had was getting them to brown in the time suggested by the recipe. My cookies were still pale at the 20 minute mark and I had to bake them for an additional 10 minutes to get some color. I also suggest adding a small amount of almond extract to the cookie dough. If you have a sweet tooth I think you'll love this recipe. The cake flour gives the cookies a texture that is quite different from that of the usual macaroon and they are slightly less sweet. Here's the recipe.

Coconut Macaroons...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Joy of Baking.Com

Ingredients:
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup cake flour, sifted
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Directions:
1) Combine egg whites, sugar and salt in top of a double boiler set over simmering water. Whisk until mixture feels warm and is creamy. Stir in vanilla and almond extract and then add coconut and cake flour. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for about two hours, or until firm.
2) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3) Place small mounds (heaping tablespoons) of batter on parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing several inches apart. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 2 dozen macaroons.

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Coconut Almond Macaroons - Dish by Trish
Coconut Vanilla Lime Shortbread - Luna Cafe
Chocolate Coconut Cookies - Alessandra Zecchini
Lime Glazed Coconut Snowballs - A Bountiful Kitchen
Lacy Coconut Cookies - Family Spice