You know how sometimes you see a photo of something that just looks so delicious that you want to make it straight away? Well, that was the case with these delectable little morsels – it was just before my Christmas cookie baking extravaganza that I spotted this post by Susan at Food Blogga, which made my jaw drop! I’ve always loved coconut macaroons, since my first dance with them almost a year ago, thanks to a Nigella Lawson recipe, I’d enjoyed making these and enjoying them with a little dollop of raspberry or strawberry jam.
Well, there was that one time when there was no jam in the pantry, so I tried peanut butter…errr, yeah, I don’t recommend that combo.
Anyway, the photos of the white coconut against the luxurious dark chocolate were quite enticing, so I decided that I’d make them as part of the cookie hampers and eagerly mixed up a batch to try. However, once I tasted them, I felt just a little heartbroken. Not with the cookie, but with the almond extract. You see, the cookies themselves were fabulous, all crisp and chewy on the outside with the most achingly wonderful moist softness inside, and the sweetness of the cookies worked as a wonderful balance to the bittersweet chocolate, but I found the almond too powerful a flavour for me. What to do with the rest of the cookies? Well, my cousin tried one and was smitten with them so much that she promptly devoured half the batch, and took the rest to be shared with her friends!
I loved the look and texture of these too much to not try again, but this time I thought I’d work with the tried-and-tested chocolate and orange combo…while I have to admit that orange and chocolate is not a combination that I like very much, I thought that the mild citrus flavour would work nicely to brighten the overall flavour of these adorable cookies…plus, it was a perfect opportunity to use the tiny bottle of natural orange extract I’d picked up over a year ago but still not cracked open!
The outcome to this little exchange were these aesthetically-pleasing tiny little morsels that you see here:
White coconut next to dark brown chocolate
Crisp, chewy exteriors with moist, soft interiors
Sweet, citrus-scented coconut next to the bold, bittersweet chocolate
You see, opposites can work in perfect harmony together!
Just a note – if you can’t get your hands on any natural orange extract, just use some very finely grated orange zest, which would probably be the better alternative (and which I would have used if I’d had any oranges in the pantry!)
Bittersweet Chocolate-Dipped Orange & Coconut Macaroons
(adapted from Food Blogga’s recipe)
Ingredients
60g egg white (from approx. 2 eggs)
200g sweetened shredded moist coconut
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp flour
1tsp natural orange extract (or finely grated zest of 1 orange)
150g bittersweet chocolate
1 tsp natural orange extract (or use 1 tsp orange zest)
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees C and line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the coconut, egg white, sugar, flour, salt and orange extract/orange zest till evenly combined (you don’t want any dry coconut or random blobs of flour!), then use a teaspoon to form heaped teaspoons of the mixture into a shape like a quenelle (smooth, oval shaped domes). Carefully slide each macaroon off the teaspoon onto the lined baking trays. You may want to occasionally wash your hands during this process as the stickier your hands become, the harder it is to form shapes.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or till they are lightly coloured and edges become golden brown. Carefully remove them from the tray and allow them to cool on a wire rack.
4. Meanwhile, place the chocolate into a ceramic bowl and place this over a smaller bowl half filled with boiling water (the bowl with the chocolate should sit on top, not inside the smaller bowl). Allow the chocolate to sit for 5 minutes, then carefully stir to aid the melting process, then stir in the orange extract/zest.
5. Once the chocolate is smooth, dip half of a coconut macaroon into the chocolate, then carefully tap against the bowl to allow any excess to drip off. Place onto a sheet of non-stick baking paper, then repeat with the rest until they’re all dipped, then leave for the chocolate to harden before serving. These can be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for up to 5 days, but do not store in the fridge as bringing them back to room temperature will make the chocolate ‘sweat’!
Be warned, these taste so good that you may not be able to wait for the chocolate to set before devouring one, to leave a lonely chocolate stain on the baking paper!
[tags]chocolate, coconut, orange, macaroons, recipe, sweets, cookies[/tags]
