What’s Passover without a macaroon? I always thought I didn’t like macaroons. I mean, why would I? They’re dry, kinda tasteless, and come in a can. Not to mention they were probably from LAST passover. At least at Grandma’s house…But then I realized that you can make macaroons at home. They don’t have to be store bought. And they’re very simple to make, especially if you follow Mark Bittman’s recipe. Passover recipes use up a lot of egg whites. That’s just the nature of these flourless desserts. Deal with it. I have a bowl full of yolks in my fridge, waiting to be made into custard or ice cream.
You really can’t go wrong with this recipe. If you like coconut, you’ll like these. Just make sure not to buy sweetened coconut, or your teeth might fall out from sweetness. The coconut flakes I used were very big, so my macaroons are way different looking than Mark Bittman’s. But the kosher for Passover selection for flaked coconut is pretty limited, so I went with what they had. And I bought too much, so I’m going to have to make some more coconut-y desserts with it.
Coconut Macaroons, adapted from Mark Bittman:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut
- 3 egg whites, lightly beaten till a bit frothy
- Pinch of salt
- If you can find kosher for Passover vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of that. I just omitted it.
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well with hands or a rubber spatula.
3. Shape the macaroons: first, wet your hands. Then take about a tablespoonful of the mixture and shape into a ball with your palms. Place on baking sheet and repeat, placing them about an inch apart.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly browned.
5. Let cool on a rack 30 minutes before serving, or store in an airtight container for up to three days.
