Cookie Collection Recipe 4

Last night at dinner, a friend inquired when I was going to post more cookie recipes here and it was just the kick I needed to quit being so negligent in this endeavor. I’ll try to make up for the missed weeks ASAP. In the meantime, here are a couple of Passover-friendly macaroon recipes.

Macaroons really do need to be baked on parchment paper or a silpat because they’ll stick like glue to an ungreased pan and spread too much on a greased one. Luckily rolls of parchment can now be found at nearly all supermarkets. But, if you frequently bake cookies, you may want to buy parchment paper in larger amounts. King Arthur Flour Baker’s Catalog carries pre-cut sheets of parchment that fit a standard half-sheet pan ($17.95 for 100 sheets, item #5854, here).

And, although I prefer not to recommend recipes that require specialty equipment (and pricey equipment, at that), these macaroons are easiest to make with a food processor. If you don’t have one, you may be able to grind the almonds/coconut in a blender in smaller batches and then mix in the eggs by hand. However, one of the best material items that RWT brought to our marriage (and one of the few we still own) was his father’s old DLC-7 Cuisinart, so I have no experience using anything else for these cookies.

Almond Macaroons
Makes about two dozen 2-inch cookies

3 cups (12 ounces) blanched, slivered almonds
1½ cups sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (3 large) egg whites
1 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line two half-sheet pans (or cookie sheets) with parchment paper.

Put the almonds into a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade and process for 1 minute, add the sugar and process for 15 seconds longer. Add the eggs whites and almond extract and process until the dough wads around the blade. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and process about 5 seconds longer until the dough forms a stiff, but cohesive, malleable paste (similar in consistency to marzipan), about 5 seconds longer. If mixture is crumbly or dry, turn the machine back on and add water by drops through the feed tube until you get the right consistency.

Scoop balls of the dough, 1 to 2 tablespoon-sized (you can also make them smaller, just be sure to adjust the baking time), onto the parchment-lined pans, spacing them ~1½ inches apart. For a more finished look, you can roll the dough into smooth balls with slightly-dampened hands. You can also make fancier macaroons by piping out the dough into mounds using a large pastry bag fitted with a ¾-inch open star tip, but if you do go this route, add a bit of water to the dough to make it slightly softer and be prepared to use considerable hand strength. Usually, I just use a small (1½ tablespoon-sized) scoop (like a mini-ice cream scoop) and then use dampened fingertips to smooth the tops of the dough.

Bake the macaroons, switching the positions of the pans midway through baking, until the cookies are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. If overbaked, the macaroons will dry out rather quickly when stored (but we still always manage to choke them down… somehow…). After the macaroons have completely cooled on the parchment paper, peel them off and store in an airtight container.

Coconut Macaroons
Makes about two dozen 2-inch cookies

14 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
1½ cups sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (3 large) egg whites
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line two half-sheet pans (or cookie sheets) with parchment paper.

Put the coconut into a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade and process for 1 minute, add the sugar and process for 15 seconds longer. Add the eggs whites and vanilla extract and process for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and process about 5 seconds longer until the dough forms a paste that resembles slushy snow. If mixture is crumbly or dry, turn the machine back on and add water by drops through the feed tube until you get the right consistency.

Scoop balls of the dough, 1 to 2 tablespoon-sized (you can also make them smaller, just be sure to adjust the baking time), onto the parchment-lined pans, spacing them ~1½ inches apart. For a more finished look, you can roll the dough into smooth balls with slightly-dampened hands. You can also make fancier macaroons by piping out the dough into mounds using a large pastry bag fitted with a ¾-inch open star tip, but if you do go this route, add a bit of water to the dough to make it slightly softer and be prepared to use considerable hand strength. Usually, I just use a small (1½ tablespoon-sized) scoop (like a mini-ice cream scoop) and then use dampened fingertips to smooth the tops of the dough.

Bake the macaroons, switching the positions of the pans midway through baking, until the cookies are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. If overbaked, the macaroons will dry out rather quickly when stored (I’ve found the coconut macs tend to dry out less quickly than the almond macs, but they also burn more easily, so you’ll still need to watch them pretty closely near the end of the baking time). After the macaroons have completely cooled on the parchment paper, peel them off and store in an airtight container.