Cherry Coconut Macaroons

I wanted to make a friend a gift of cookies for her birthday. My mom used to make coconut macaroons when we were young. So, I thought that would be good. I found a recipe for 3 ingredient macaroons, but read all the comments and everyone complained about the consistency. I talked it over with the friend who suggested I add flour. I also decided to add meringue to give the cookies shape.

Because this was a gift, I decide to make them special by adding dried cherries. You can use them or substitute any other dried fruit. I wouldn’t use raisins because this is very sweet and needs something to cut that. The cherries are slightly bitter. I think dried orange or lemon peel would work well. You could also drizzle chocolate on them afterward. I made a second batch and added ¼ cup toasted, sliced almonds and replaced ½ teaspoon of the vanilla extract with almond extract.

My friend loved them. I took a second batch to a party and people came looking for me to ask where I had found them. They were amazed that I had made them from scratch. They stay fresh and moist in an airtight container for a week. Find a pretty tin and give these macaroons as a gift.

 

 

Cherry Coconut Macaroons

Servings:  2 dozen cookies

Time:  Prep: 15 minutes, cooking: 20 minutes

Hardware:  Measuring cups and spoons, 2 mixing bowls, wooden spoon, a mixer, a baking sheet, a silpat or parchment paper, a rubber spatula, cooling rack, plastic wrap

Ingredients

• 14 ounces shredded, sweetened coconut
• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• ½ cup dried, chopped cherries
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup flour
• 3 large egg whites
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees°. Cover the baking sheet in the silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In one bowl, combine the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, cherries, vanilla and salt. This is best to do with the wooden spoon.
3. Separate the eggs. Save the yolks for something else. Add the cream of tartar to the whites and whip until the eggs are holding soft peaks.
4. Stir the flour into the coconut. Then gently fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.
5. I used the ⅛ cup to scoop out 2 tablespoons of mixture. Place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until the coconut is toasted. Allow them to cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes before moving to the cooling rack. Cover the cookie dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge between batches. Store in an airtight container.