The Best Macaroons Ever

The weekend is a time for spending a little extra time in the kitchen. A great way to spend time with friends or a loved one, even children, is to bake some cookies. This recipe is for extremely moist coconut & lime macaroons dipped in dark chocolate, and wind up being a perfect combination between a cookie and a candy. Great as gifts, for holidays or just for a sweet treat, this recipe will find its way into your collection and stay there for years.

A major complaint among most macaroons is either that they are filled with dairy or dry and lifeless. These are completely dairy free, and can be made gluten free by using rice flour in place of wheat. They taste just as good.

Ingredients
4 egg whites (can't subsitute quick whites because they won't whip up)
6 tbsp all-purpose OR rice flour
pinch of salt (1/4 teaspoon)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup sugar OR 1/4 cup agave nectar (for those looking for lower gycemic levels)
Zest and juice of 1 lime OR 1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 12 oz bag of unsweetened shredded coconut (look for a brand that looks moist)
8-10 oz Dark Chocolate chips (or one dark chocolate bar broken into chunks)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Start by beating the egg whites on high until they form soft peaks. This is done best by starting with room temperature eggs in a cold bowl. Slowly add in the sugar and continue whipping until the eggs form stiff peaks. Essentually this is meringue at this point.

> Peaks are determined by lifting the beater out of the eggs and whether the eggs cling to the beater and form rounded or sharp peaks.

Mix and sift all the remaining dry ingredients together (flour, salt, baking powder)

Use a technique professional bakers call "folding." It is best done with a spatula. Here is a video for making mousse that uses the same folding technique. It is best to pour the ingredients in slowly for this recipe and continue gently folding. This ensures that the air incorperated into the eggs does not deflate, and makes for lighter, moister cookies.

Now slowly sprinkle in the coconut following the same technique. If the coconut is moist, it is important to separate the shreds so nothing is too bulky. Zest one lime and squeeze the juice into the mixture. Fold one last time.

Spoon out cookies onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. They will not spread very much, but keep them about an inch apart. Place on the center rack in the oven for about 15 mintues or until the coconut on top is golden brown, but not burnt.

Let cool for 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, melt the chocolate in double broiler. To make a double broiler, fill a sauce pan with about an inch of water and boil. Find a bowl that will fit inside the pan but not touch the water, and drop the heat to medium. Pour in chocolate chips and stir until melted.

For a final touch, dip the macaroons in the dark chocoalte, coating the bottom and then place back on a cooling rack. These are best kept in the refrigeator, if they last long enough to keep past a day.

Enjoy! And a have a great weekend. This post will resume on Monday, February 23 and continue every Monday thru Friday from there on out.