Coconut Macaroons Recipe

Under no circumstances can you use reduced fat coconut for this recipe. Even subbing a portion of the coconut with the reduced fat kind will result in a dough that doesn't want to hold together or cookies that are too dry to be good.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Yield: Makes 20-24 cookies.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup (60g) of egg whites (from 2 extra large eggs, or a teaspoon and a half less than what you can get from 3 large eggs)
• 3/4 cup sugar (5 1/2 oz, 150g)
• 2 to 2 1/4 cups* medium grate unsweetened coconut (5.5 to 6.17 oz, 150-175g)
• 5 teaspoons smooth, unsweetened applesauce (regular or baby food)

METHOD

1 Line a bakingsheet with parchment or Silpat.

2 Place the unsweetened coconut in a food processor. Pulse for 60 seconds.

3 Combine the egg whites, sugar, coconut, and applesauce in a medium-sized, thick-bottomed saucepan. Mix well and heat on medium low heat, stirring frequently, until the ingredients are well incorporated, and the mixture forms a smooth paste and is warm to the touch (about 120°F). If the mixture seems too dry or stiff to pipe through a piping bag, add a little more applesauce. If the mixture seems too wet, add a little more coconut.

4 Place warm mixture into a pastry bag and pipe tall mounds onto a baking sheet, about an inch and a half apart from each other. Or form mounds with a 1 tablespoon sized scoop. Let the formed cookies dry out for a few minutes (15 minutes or so) before baking.

5 Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake the cookies until they start to get color on the edges where the cookie meets the pan, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool on the pan for a couple minutes, then carefully lift the pan liner with the cookies off the pan and place on a rack. The cookies will firm up as they cool. Once cool, remove from the pan liner.

Store in a covered box for up to 5 days at room temperature.