How
to Bake Macaroons
Macaroons
have been with us for centuries. Traditionally, they were made with
almonds pounded to a paste and flavored with rose water or spices. Today,
most people think of macaroons as coconut laced chewy cookies.
Meringues are a close cousin to macaroons. They are made similarly.
Meringues tend to be crisper; macaroons tend to be chewier. If a meringue
is under baked, it tends to be chewy. If a macaroon is over baked, it
tends to be dry.
Most macaroons are made with egg whites whipped to a foam and with no
flour—though there are some recipes that call for flour. Many
recipes include almond paste. The almond paste creates body to the cookie
as well as flavor. Macaroons made without paste tend to be light and
airy with the egg white foam forming a delicate crust with occasional
cracks and voids. French macaroons made with almond paste are sturdier,
piped for a uniform round shape, and often sandwiched together with
a frosting filling. The macaroons that we are presenting here are of
the light, delicate variety with a chewy interior. Once you are comfortable
making these cookies, we suggest trying those with almond paste.
Now
it's even easier!
Check
out these very easy coconut macaroons
Chocolate
and Vanilla
Coconut
|
There
are two keys to making these cookies. The first is making a light egg
foam with plenty of volume. We’ll explain how to do that in the
directions and in the baker’s notes. The second key is to have
the right consistency of batter—one that does not run and spread
too much. A spoonful of batter should stand up on the pan without too
much spread. If it doesn’t, simply add more nuts or coconut.
One of the challenges of macaroons is getting them to release from the
pan. Most recipes call for baking on parchment or foil with the cookies
peeled from the foil or parchment. We found that we could remove these
from a well-greased baking sheet with a thin metal spatula as long as
we removed them immediately upon taking the cookies from the oven. You
might try parchment or foil and see what works best for you. If the
cookies are not sufficiently cooked, the centers will be soft and be
difficult to peel from the paper.
Here
are the recipes that worked well for us—a coconut macaroon recipe,
a coconut and walnut recipe, and a chocolate nut recipe. You’ll
quickly see the similarity of the recipes, exchanging nuts for coconut
and adding chocolate for variations on the same formula. (Since the
coconut is sweetened, you may wish to reduce the amount of sugar when
making coconut macaroons.) For more variations, try adding other flavors
and fruits such as almond extract with chopped maraschino cherries.
You can also tint the recipes with pink or green food coloring.
If you follow the basic principles in the recipe, you will find these
cookies nearly foolproof.
Easy
Coconut Macaroons Recipe
Ingredients
3 large egg
whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract (optional)
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut (or more as needed)
Directions
Let the eggs
sit on the counter for about an hour before separating. Prepare a baking
sheet by greasing it very well. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1. Place the
egg whites in a medium bowl and starting at low speed, beat the egg
whites until they begin to foam. As the foam continues to build, you
can turn the speed to medium and then high. Beat until the foam forms
stiff, glossy peaks. Add the extract as desired.
2. With a spatula, fold in the powdered sugar and coconut until just combined.
Fold both in together to minimize the handling of the batter.
3. Spoon the batter onto the pan in rounded mounds. The batter should
be of a consistency that a spoonful will stand as a mound 3/4-inch high
on the pan. If the batter is too thin and tries to run, add more coconut.
If the last few cookies are too thin, add more coconut again.
4. Bake for 15 minutes for small- to medium-sized cookies, 18 minutes
for larger cookies, or until the cookies are a light brown color.
5. Immediately remove the cookies with a thin metal spatula by slipping
the edge of the spatula under the edge of the cookie and sawing back
and forth. Cool on wire racks.
Easy
Coconut and Walnut Macaroons Recipe
Ingredients
3 large egg
whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract (optional)
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cups chopped walnuts
3/4 cups sweetened flaked coconut (or more as needed
Directions
Let the eggs
sit on the counter for about an hour before separating. Prepare a baking
sheet by greasing it very well. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1. Place the
eggs whites in a medium bowl and starting at low speed, beat the egg
whites until they begin to foam. As the foam continues to build, you
can turn the speed to medium and then high. Beat until the foam forms
stiff, glossy peaks. Add the extract as desired.
2. With a spatula, fold in the powdered sugar and coconut until just combined.
Fold both in together to minimize the handling of the batter.
3. Spoon the batter onto the pan in rounded mounds. The batter should
be of a consistency that a spoonful will stand as a mound 3/4-inch high
on the pan. If the batter is too thin and tries to run, add more coconut.
If the last few cookies are too thin, add more coconut again.
4. Bake for 15 minutes for small to medium-sized cookies, 18 minutes
for larger cookies, or until the cookies are a light brown color.
5. Immediately remove the cookies with a thin metal spatula by slipping
the edge of the spatula under the edge of the cookie and sawi00ng back
and forth 6. Cool on wire racks.
Easy
Chocolate Macaroons Recipe
Ingredients
3 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract (optional)
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
3/4 cups chopped walnuts
3/4 cups sweetened flaked coconut (or more as needed)
Directions
Let the eggs sit
on the counter for about an hour before separating. Prepare a baking
sheet greasing it very well. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1. Place the eggs
whites in a medium bowl and starting at low speed, beat the egg whites
until they begin to foam. As the foam continues to build, you can turn
the speed to medium and then high. Beat until the foam forms stiff,
glossy peaks. Add the extract as desired.
2. With a spatula, fold in the powdered sugar, cocoa, nuts, and coconut
until just combined. Fold both in together to minimize the handling
of the batter.
3. Spoon the batter onto the pan in rounded mounds. The batter should
be of a consistency that a spoonful will stand as a mound 3/4-inch high
on the pan. If the batter is too thin and tries to run, add more coconut.
If the last few cookies are too thin, add more coconut again.
4. Bake for 15 minutes for small to medium-sized cookies, 18 minutes
for larger cookies, or until the cookies are a light brown color.
5. Immediately remove the cookies with a thin metal spatula by slipping
the edge of the spatula under the edge of the cookie and sawing back
and forth . Cool on wire racks.
Baker’s
Notes:
1. Egg white
foams have more volume if whipped at room temperature.
2. Use a metal, glass, or ceramic bowl to beat egg whites in. Sometimes
minuscule fat particles caught in the softer plastic bowls can cause
the foam to fail.
3. Make sure that there is no yolk in the egg whites. Even a little
fat from the yolk will cause the foam to fail.
4. Once the foam has been whipped to a maximum volume, fold in the sugar
and nuts with a spatula turning the mixture as little as possible.
5. For more uniform cookies, the meringue can be piped with a pastry
bag.
6. Granulated sugar can be used in the meringue. Since there is nocornstarch
in the granulated sugar as there is in the powdered sugar, you may need
to use more coconut to absorb the moisture. Granulated sugar makes for
a shinier finish on the cookies. A stiffer, drier foam will also lend
to a shinier finish.
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