Achoo!
So, after a week of my body fighting off the onset of a cold, it seems to have finally dug it’s germy little claws into my body - I have been sneezing and shivering all day, with these ol’ bones of mine creaking and aching away. Of course, this is probably my own doing after overdoing it a bit yesterday - on 6 hours of broken sleep I was running around and barely stopped for about 20 hours. Yeesh!
Part of my running around yesterday was that I’d finally managed to line up a photography lesson with one of my favourite Melbourne-based photographers from Flickr, and in exchange for a free lesson on taking landscape/scenery shots for the day, I was going to provide a few baked goodies! However, a problem arose when I checked the pantry on Friday to discover that I had run ridiculously low on baking supplies! Egads! Suddenly, the list of things I wanted to bake was no longer viable, and after taking an inventory, I had to make a new list of things that could be done with what was already on hand.
One of the things I had a plenty of was dessicated coconut - almost a full bag of the stuff! I sat and pondered what I could use it for when I had such little flour, but plenty of eggs and sugar. Browsing through my cookbooks, I realized that it had been awhile since I indulged in any Nigella Lawson goodness, so decided to give her coconut macaroons a try!
Now, I did slightly overcook these little sticky domes of sweet, chewy goodness, but according to the reports of M, who also received a goodie basket for taking me along to the Melbourne Comedy Festival show, they were still pretty alright… the only thing he rued was the fact that he couldn’t add a little bit of jam on top of these marvels, the way he remembered enjoying these in the past.
These are quite easy to make, and a bit amusing, especially when trying to roll them into shape! It’s essentially a meringue base with lots of coconut tossed in, and as a result they are deliciously fragrant and sweet without being rich or overwhelming in flavour. I’ve since tried these with a little jam, and do have to admit that they do go down pretty well with a dab of strawberry or raspberry jam!
Now, please excuse me while I curl up in bed with a nice big mug of tea, Mr. Woofy and some movies while I try to will this cold away 
Coconut Macaroons (from ‘How To Be A Domestic Goddess’ by Nigella Lawson)
Ingredients
2 large egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
100g caster sugar
30g almond meal
A pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g shredded coconut *
* You do need shredded coconut for this recipe, not dessicated. Dessicated will make these far too stodgy and compact without giving the soft, sweet chewiness that is the desired result!
1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C.
2. Beat the egg whites till they’re frothy (using a hand mixer at the highest speed, this should take about 1-2 minutes), then add the cream of tartar and continue to beat till the egg whites are at soft peak stage.
3. Add the sugar slowly, 2 tsp at a time, beating well after each addition, and keep beating till the egg whites can be formed into firm peaks , then fold in the salt, coconut, almond meal and vanilla. Make sure its well combined and the result should be a sticky mess that still holds together when shaped.
4. Shape them into little spheres about 8cm in diameter (you should get about 8-9) and bake them for about 15-20 minutes or till they just start to go golden! Do not overcook them like I did as they’ll lose some of that beautiful sticky chewiness and begin to go dry!
5. Remove from the oven and set aside on the tray to cool - do not touch them till they have completely cooled down as whilst still warm they are still a bit unstable. Once cooled, serve with a little raspberry or strawberry jam and enjoy
I took quite a few photos of Melbourne-town that I like on my outing, and will be uploading them slowly onto my Flickr page over the next few days if you’d like to see what a pretty town I live in
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Comments
Laura Rebecca I hope you’re feeling better soon. It’s clear, however, that having a cold hasn’t affected your baking skills at all — the macaroons look great!
Paz bless you!
how delicious -looking and what wonderful pics!
feel better real soon.
hugs,
paz
Cris I love coconut macaroons! Wonder if I can use fresh coconut… you used the one in bag right? Hope you feel better soon!
gilly Hi Ellie! I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been sick too… it’s obviously pandemic if it’s made it from my end of the globe to yours! 
These look fantastic! I’m intrigued with the idea of having them with a bit of jam - I’ve never heard of that!
Stephanie Dear Achoo… divine idea… have never made them… you will spur me to try.
(For a cold, my Mum recommends a drink of one part each of olive oil, lemon juice and honey … it’s wonderful!)
Lisa I hope you feel better soon!
These look quite tasty, although I’ve never made them before myself, I have a friend who makes them occasionally and always sends me a dozen or so - before I dive in, I usually melt a lil chocolate and dip them in. *evil grin* I look forward to trying them with the jam - sounds really good!
xoxo
Ellie Tanna - It’s not too bad a cold, thank god! I’ve just been getting lots of rest and drinking tea and soup, so hopefully it won’t hang around for long
Christine - Ahh, a fellow Nigella fan Cheers, am feeling much more human today, so I think the cold isn’t too serious!
Kat - Thanks hon
Laura Rebecca - Hehehe, cheers hon
Paz - Thank you 
Cris - I don’t know how well the fresh would work as they’re so high in moisture content…maybe if you got the fresh and dried it out? Yeah, the one I used was from a bag
Gilly - I think it’s the changing of the seasons, I always catch a cold when the seasons are changing as the weather is usually a bit haywire and messes with my body 
I’ve never actually had coconut macaroons before so the whole thing was a novelty to me, but I do have to recommend the jam
Peabody - Thanks hon
Stephanie - I hope you do like them I don’t think I’m daring enough to drink olive oil, but I am downing litres of honey, lemon and ginger tea and seem to be coming back alive Will see if I can work up the courage go to give your ma’s suggestion a try!
Lisa - Hehehe, I actually saw a similar thing with them dipped in chocolate in another one of my cookbooks but thought it might be a bit much for my first attempt at these Will give it a try next time!
Cheryl I hope you get better soon. But these cookies sure look like a great way to help you spend the time while resting in bed.
Patricia Scarpin I’ve been meaning to make these ever since I bought the book, months and months ago - they look great, Ellie!
Susan from Food "Blogga" Is there any service I can provide you in exchange for some of the macaroons? They are one of my favorites! I hope you’re doing better!
CM Not a very original idea, but I just had these little macaroon balls — two macaroons stuck together with apricot jam and the whole thing drizzled with chocolate and crushed pistachios. I’m not a huge macaroon fan but this was very yummy with the additions.
Monisha I do hope you feel better soon, lots of fluids! These macaroons looks delicious and are a perfect treat with a cup of chai and a nice book…
Ellie Cheryl - Thanks hon, I’m feeling better than yesterday but I’m not quite there yet
Patricia - Cheers hon
Susan - LOL, well, I am running low on lemons
CM - Now that sounds like an utterly decadent way of enjoying these!
Monisha - Am trying to keep the fluids up No chai at the moment though, I’m staying away from milky things because of the gunk in my breathing tracts
So sorry Ellie. Colds are such surprisingly nasty things. Hope you feel better soon.
I’ve never tried Coconut Macaroons. Really like the almond meal touch! These look wonderfully yummy.