Coconut Macaroons Recipe
Well we’re two days into lock down and already the boys have had a full on fist fight and I have lost the will to cook 3 meals a day. Anyone else? Quarantine is so the answer, but it’s pretty bloody hard to stay positive. Clyde is still going into work because a TV editor works in isolation at the best of times, so he’s managing to stay sane. I am, of course, hiding in the kitchen trying to dissuade the boys from eating all our food in one day. For want of anything better to do I cleared out my cupboards and discovered the EU desiccated coconut mountain, so today, for your delectation, here are my Coconut Macaroons.
What seems like 100 years ago, when I was allowed to go to Costco, I would always buy a tub of their Coconut Macaroons. So in the absence of being able to visit the store of my dreams, I’ve made my own. These are easy, bloody easy and they won’t even utilise one of your precious eggs. They are just a simple stir and bake option with only a handful of ingredients. You don’t even need to bother with the chocolate drizzle if you really can’t be arsed, or don’t have any chocolate. You can’t get a food delivery for love nor money and the shops, although less ravaged, are still a barren wasteland. However, I did spot the odd bag of desiccated coconut, so on one of your limited trips into the outside work, get one if you can.
Sweet treats, alcohol and exercise are the way forward through this if our house is anything to go by. And just for the record, it’s the boys exercising, I am just cheering, and drinking, from the sidelines.
Here’s the line up for these treats, along with photographic evidence of my excess of desiccated coconut. This recipe got shot of half of it, so it’s a win all round with a delicious prize at the end of it.
Make a start with this by pre heating your oven to 150 fan assisted and lining two large baking trays with greaseproof paper. Next, take a big bowl and measure in the flour and your mountain of coconut.
Add a pinch of salt, stir, then pour in the condensed milk and the vanilla extract.
Stir well until you have a stiff, slightly sticky mixture. Either using a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, place heaped mounds of macaroon mixture onto your lined trays.
Pop these into your pre heated oven for around 15 to 20 minutes. The finished treats will be golden, firm and smelling really rather tempting.
Now, you can eat these straight from the tray, warm and chewy, or you can adorn them further with some dark chocolate. If you’re going for the chocolate then pop 100g of your chosen dark, milk or white in a food bag along with a teaspoon of butter or coconut oil. Pop this in the microwave to melt for a minute or so, or alternatively, briefly melt in a pan on the stove and then scrape into the bag.
Snip the end off the bag and drizzle the melted chocolate mix onto each macaroon. Think Jackson Pollock.
Let the chocolate set, if you can bear to, then tuck right in.
A simple, good old fashioned treat. I can’t help but feel I have stepped back in time being at home with the boys, cooking, cleaning, foraging around, making 3 meals a day. While the world changes around us, take comfort in the things you know, like these Coconut Macaroons.
Stay safe and well.
Lucy x
Coconut Macaroons Recipe
Makes 18 to 20, more if you make them smaller
You will just need a bowl and two lined baking sheets
Macaroons
40g plain flour
A pinch salt
200g desiccated coconut
300ml condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Drizzle
100g dark, milk or white chocolate
1 teaspoon coconut oil or butter
Pre heat your oven to 150 degrees fan assisted and line two large baking trays with baking paper.
Take a large bowl and measure in the flour, desiccated coconut and the pinch of salt. Mix to combine. Pour in the condensed milk, measure in the vanilla then mix well with a spatula until you have a sticky-ish, well coated mixture.
Using an ice cream scoop if you have one, if not a tablespoon, measure mounds of the mixture out and place on the lined baking sheets. Place into your pre heated oven for around 15 to 20 minutes or until golden, firm to the touch and smelling divine.
Leave to cool on the tray. If you want to add a dark chocolate drizzle take a food bag and add the chocolate and the coconut oil or butter. Microwave for a minute to melt. You could do this in a pan on the stove and scrape into the bag.
Cut a small snip off the corner of the bag and drizzle the chocolate over the tops of your cooled macaroons. Leave these in a cool place until the chocolate has set. Then devour. These will keep in an airtight tin for 3 to 4 days.
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