I tend to pick new recipes in two ways. 1. I think of something I want to make and research what seems like a thousand different recipes until I find the perfect one 2. I read a recipe, become fixated on it and have to make it immediately. This recipe falls into the latter category. I was doing my usual browsing and brainstorming for our Easter menu when I came across these raspberry coconut macaroons in my weekly email from Smitten Kitchen. I had already decided on a dessert, but I couldn’t get these out of my head. They seemed so quintessentially Easter to me. Little egg-like mounds of white coconut swirled with pinkish purple raspberries. Not to mention that raspberries are my favorite berry. I had to have them.
I know I’ve stumbled upon something good when Colin comes home from work and says “I love walking in to the smell of baked goods.” Needless to say, these were a huge hit! The combination of raspberries and lightly toasted coconut is perfect. Plus, as Smitten Kitchen mentions in her post, the berries actually give the macaroons more moisture so they don’t dry out like a lot of macaroon recipes.
With only six ingredients, these come together really quickly. I actually made them a few days in advance, stored them in an airtight container and re-crisped them in the oven just before serving. With a recipe this simple and delicious, I know these macaroons will be making an appearance at many more spring time, or, realistically, any time of the year, events.
Raspberry Macaroons
Ingredients
- 14 ounces (400 grams) sweetened, flaked coconut
- 2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 large egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/8 tsp coconut extract (optional)
- 1/2 pint (6 ounces, 170 grams or 1 1/4 cups) raspberries, fresh (if washed, patted very dry) or frozen (thawed on a stack paper towels to absorb extra liquids)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, blend the coconut for a minute.
- Add sugar and blend for another minute.
- Add egg whites, salt and extracts and blend for another minute.
- Add raspberries and pulse machine on and off in short bursts until the berries are mostly, but not entirely, broken down. I had some small pieces of raspberries remaining. To get the white and pink swirl, you’ll want some of the batter to remain white, so try not to stir the batter completely together. The batter will be very moist.
- Scoop batter onto prepared baking sheets in 1-inch mounds, using either a cookie scoop or a tablespoon. The macaroons don’t spread so you can put them fairly close together, leaving about 1-inch of space. To get the swirl effect, scoop some of the white batter with the pink batter.
- Bake cookies for 25 to 30 minutes, until a little toasted on top. Let them cool completely on the tray, or for at least 10 minutes if you need to use the tray again. These will be hard to move when they are warm but will firm up as they cool.
Notes
1. As a frequent baker, I always assume I have basic ingredients on hand. The original recipe calls for almond extract, but, of course, I didn’t realize that I had used all of mine up until I was halfway through the recipe. I substituted 1 tsp vanilla extract and they turned out great! Next time though, I will definitely try them with almond.
2. After taking these pictures, I dipped some in semisweet chocolate. The chocolate adds a little sweetness and turns these into a rich, two bite, dessert. The contrast of the dark chocolate and pink/white is beautiful too!
3. These are great to make ahead. As I mentioned in the post, you can store them in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days. They will also freeze well in an airtight container or zip bag for a month. Either way, re-crisp them in a 400 degree oven for 2-4 minutes on a parchment paper lined baking sheet before serving.
4. Want to use unsweetened coconut? Read about those adjustments here!
Recipe barely adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Serving Size: 2 macaroons Calories: 80kcal Carbohydrate: 11g Fat: 4g Protein: 1g