Note: This Coconut Macaroons recipe was originally part of my Biscuit Advent Calendar, a one-recipe-a-day email series in December. You can find the other recipes and sign up for the next round if you want here.
For me, Christmas biscuit baking has three distinct phases: planning, baking, giving away. Depending on how ambitious or time-constrained I feel, I plan between 5-8 varieties. And of course, I have some guidelines: there has to be at least:
- one biscuit that’s a cut-out (because it’s fun)
- one biscuit with chocolate
- one biscuit with jam
- a variety of nuts and seeds: hazelnuts, almonds, peanuts, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds (delicious), pistachios, walnuts/pecans
- one biscuit that contains marzipan.
- one biscuit that’s filled
- one biscuit that is spiced
- one biscuit I haven’t tried before
- egg yolks and whites should balance out more or less
Yes there are eight variety rules but only five slots…there are biscuits that can fulfill more than one condition…
The planning phase is very much an entertaining part of the whole project and as a bonus it doesn’t require standing in a kitchen all day either. My laptop might think otherwise… yesterday it told me that my browser using 60 GB of working memory was “hitting the limit.” 😀
I then adjust the recipes so I have roughly equal amounts of biscuits of each variety although this is not a must. For example, filled biscuits are usually quite big and heavy so I make fewer of those. I also scale recipes because of the egg rule (roughly same number of yolks and whites.)
Then follows the final stage of the planning phase: marveling at the quantities of butter and sugar involved…
One biscuit that sometimes finds its way onto my biscuit plate, not having gone through the planning phase is the Kokosmakrone (coconut macaroon). And that is when I somehow end up with too many egg whites…or I can’t be bothered to make the really labor intensive egg white biscuits I was planning to make (yes, looking at you cinnamon stars). Then I just make these instead. They are easy, complement any flavor profile, look pretty, and they taste nice. Oh and as a bonus they are relatively cheap to make, too.
I would hazard a guess that more coconut is eaten in Germany at Christmas than at any other time of the year (if you are North American and reading this: German chocolate cake is not German at all).
I use unsweetened shredded coconut here. If that is hard to come by where you are, then reduce the quantity of sugar you add severely (see below).
There are two methods for making these: you can either whip the egg whites into a meringue and then fold in the coconut. This one is bake-dried with gentle heat. These macaroons are more light, and crunchy .
Or you can heat the mixture very gently without whipping. This mixture is then baked quite hot. This method results in more chewy, moist, and dense macaroons. The recipe below is the heated method.
Kokosmakronen Recipe
Makes about 50
Ingredients
- 3 medium egg whites
- 150 g sugar
- 200 g desiccated coconut (unsweetened)*
- pinch of salt
- Optional:
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar or 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
- fresh lemon zest from half a lemon
- 70 g chocolate to dip or drizzle
*If you can’t find unsweetened coconut then reduce the added sugar. As sweetened coconut varies in sugar content, 60 g is a good starting point.
Instructions
Optional: you can toast your shredded coconut first in a pan which heightens the coconut flavor. If you do that, make sure you cool down the pan and the coconut before going to the next step (so you don’t cook the eggs). And they do burn easily, so keep the heat low.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan and line a baking tray with parchment.
Add the sugar, egg whites, flavorings, and a pinch of salt to a pan. Gently heat the mixture until the sugar has dissolved (keep the heat low and stir as you don’t want to cook the egg). You can also do it in a heatproof bowl over a water bath, then there is less risk of overheating.
Mix in the coconut and keep on heating until the mixture is creamy. Depending on the dryness and fineness of the coconut you may need to add a little bit of water (a tablespoon at a time (and if it gets too wet just wait for the water to evaporate)) and a little more egg white.
Shape or pipe the biscuits onto a tray. You can use:
- two spoons
- a scoop
- a freezer bag with a corner snipped off
- a piping bag with a star nozzle
Bake at 180°C fan for 10-12 minutes. Watch out for the coconut, it can burn quickly. Let them cool.
Melt the chocolate in a little bowl. Dip the bottom or drizzle it over the top. Let the chocolate dry.
Pack the Kokosmakronen into tins or boxes. They should last for a few weeks especially in a cool place. You can even freeze them. Whenever you store biscuits be sure to let them cool down completely/let the chocolate set to slow down mould formation.
Enjoy!!
I made these yesterday and I made the mistake of not dissolving the sugar in the egg white first- I just chucked it all into a pot. Well…it was not a shortcut and I cannot recommend it, despite having seen it done in videos. My coconut absorbed all the liquid immediately and it never became creamy, probably because the sugar didn’t melt. I ended up needing an entire extra white for them to stick together. So yes, learn from me and follow the recipe 😀 Although…can I call these high-protein now?!
And just to show you: this is the other type of coconut macaroon with whipped egg whites. They both have their charm.
Which way are you leaning? Meringue or chewy? Or no coconut at all? That’s what my kids think. These biscuits are childproof in our house.
