Coconut Macaroons
Every year I am requested to make these for the holidays. They are light and not too sweet.
Every year I am requested to make these for the holidays. They are light and not too sweet.
- Carbohydrate 12.9464263623347 g
- Cholesterol 11.6544444444444 mg
- Fat 3.40139249113146 g
- Fiber 1.3085319208695 g
- Protein 3.07432151330685 g
- Saturated Fat 3.00509414290529 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (44g)
- Sodium 68.9511381024736 mg
- Sugar 11.6378944414652 g
- Trans Fat 0.0555440637559421 g
- Calories 92 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Grease and flour a baking sheet, 2 if they are small.
- Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.
- Stir in egg whites, yolk and almond extract until well blended.
- Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet(s).
- If using cherries, take a spoon and lightly make an indentation in each, place the cherries and gently press to hold their spot.
- Bake 25 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
- Let stand a few minutes before cooling on wire racks.
French macarons rely on meticulously aged egg whites and almond flour to form delicate, smooth-topped sandwich cookies. Coconut macaroons diverge entirely from that technique, functioning as drop cookies built on shredded endosperm bound by coagulating proteins. Granulated sugar draws moisture from the egg whites through osmosis, creating a dense syrup that coats the flaked coconut and prevents it from scorching instantly in the oven. Incorporating a small amount of flour provides starch molecules that gelatinize during baking, anchoring the loose strands of coconut together so the mounds retain their shape rather than spreading flat across the baking sheet.
Chemical Interactions and Heat Application
Baking at 325 degrees Fahrenheit promotes controlled Maillard browning without incinerating the delicate natural sugars present in the coconut meat. Egg whites coagulate between 140 and 158 degrees Fahrenheit, transforming the fluid batter into a firm matrix. Almond extract contributes benzaldehyde, an aromatic compound that provides a distinct nutty background note to mask the high natural oil content of the coconut flakes. Allowing the baked cookies to rest on the hot pan for a few minutes completes the structural set before transferring them to a wire rack.
- Dryness occurs if the egg-to-coconut ratio is unbalanced; measure carefully by weight if possible.
- Greasing and flouring the baking sheet prevents sticking, but parchment paper offers a non-stick alternative without adding extra starch.
- Dietary adjustments require minimal modification; substitute standard wheat flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend containing xanthan gum to maintain structural binding.
