Sweet and golden, coconut macaroons are a classic treat made with just three ingredients.
Macaroons take their name from the Italian ’maccarone’, meaning paste. Not to be confused with macarons, which are made from almond paste, macaroons are craggy little mounds made from desiccated (or shredded) coconut whisked into a frothy paste with egg whites and sugar. Crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, these little sweet treats really are a cinch to make and will keep in a cake tin for up to a week. Even nicer when their bottoms are dipped into melted chocolate and popped into the fridge to set - like a homemade Bounty bar.
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites
- 100g caster sugar
- 150g desiccated coconut
WEIGHT CONVERTER
Method
- Preheat the oven to180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4
- Mix the egg whites, caster sugar and desiccated coconut together with a fork to make a soft paste.
- Shape into 8 small mounds on a parchment lined baking tray and bake for 12 minutes until just very lightly browned. These cakes will keep for 1 week in a cake tin.
Top tip for making coconut macaroons
Why not add a little grated lime zest to the mixture, or top the macaroons with a little piece of glacé cherry before baking.
Why do my coconut macaroons fall apart?
We've tried and tested this recipe, so you should find the macaroons have a good, sticky consistency, with just the right amount of moisture to hold them together. However ingredients do vary which can have an effect on results. If you find your macaroons are on the crumbly side there are a couple of things you can try. Once you have mixed the ingredients together, cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave it for 20 minutes, before you shape them into macaroons. This gives the ingredients time to bond. Alternatively, you can try using shredded coconut instead of desiccated. It's not as widely available - you may need to source it in health food shops, but it retains more moisture than the desiccated variety.
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