In the wake of last week's chocolate cream custard extravaganza (dark chocolate, cream and egg yolks), I was left with a cupful of egg whites. Here’s a recipe, especially for coconut lovers, to use them up.
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| Post-Valentine pleasures, sure to please coconut lovers--a heaping basket of chewy macaroons. |
This recipe for coconut macaroons comes from the Clarisa nuns of the San Benito monastery in El Toboso, the La Mancha village that was the home of the fictional Dulcinea—“Sweetie”—Don Quixote’s ladylove.
The nuns make a variety of pastries and sweets to sell to the public at the convent’s entrance. On the day they make their famous pelusas, lemon sponge cookies, requiring 13 dozen egg yolks, they follow with these cocos to use up the whites.
The recipe has a secret ingredient—mashed potato, which helps keep the macaroons moist and chewy.
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| Macaroons are golden and toasty on the outside. |
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| Inside, macaroons are moist and chewy. |
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| Optional: drizzle the baked macaroons with a chocolate topping. |
Coconut Macaroons
Cocos
Cocos
Makes 30 (2 ½ -inch) macaroons.
1 small baking potato (4 ounces)
2 tablespoons milk
1 large egg, beaten
4 cups shredded unsweetened coconut (10-12 ounces)
3 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
3 large egg whites, room temperature
1 cup sugar
Chocolate topping, optional (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons milk
1 large egg, beaten
4 cups shredded unsweetened coconut (10-12 ounces)
3 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
3 large egg whites, room temperature
1 cup sugar
Chocolate topping, optional (recipe follows)
Cook the potato in boiling water until tender. Drain and peel the potato. Mash it in a small bowl with the milk. Combine the potato with the beaten egg.
Place the coconut in a bowl. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt over it and stir to combine.
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment.
Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl. Beat on high speed until they hold stiff peaks. Beat in the sugar gradually. At low speed, beat in the potato-egg mixture.
Fold the coconut into the beaten egg whites.
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| Drop spoonfuls of batter onto baking sheets. |
Drop tablespoons of batter onto the baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake in upper third of the oven 10 minutes. Change position of the baking sheets and bake 10 minutes longer, until tops of the macaroons are golden.
Cool the macaroons on the baking sheets. If using the chocolate topping, drizzle it over the cooled macaroons.
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| Cool macaroons before removing from sheets. |
Store macaroons in an air-tight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or wrap them individually in plastic wrap and freeze.
Chocolate Topping
Glaseado de Chocolate
Glaseado de Chocolate
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
¼ teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon water
¼ teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon water
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Melt chocolate in microwave.
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Place the chocolate, oil and water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir. Repeat two more times until chocolate is melted and smooth.
Use the chocolate while warm to drizzle, dip or spread on cookies.
More recipes to use up egg whites:
And, if you started the macaroons with whole eggs, here are recipes to use up the yolks:
How fantastic that they are made with potato!
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