Jumbo Coconut Macaroons
Whether you celebrate Passover or not, if you are a coconut lover, you need these in your life!
Just look at all that golden caramelized yumminess!
And with just 5 simple ingredients, you can whip them up in no time!
For the last 20 some odd years, I’ve been making these classic sweetened, shredded coconut macaroons with or without the layer of chocolate on the bottom and they have never failed to please. I still love them. Truly!
But these, made with wide shards of unsweetened coconut which lets the coconut flavor power through even more, are my new favs!
They’re sticky, chewy, intensely coconut and best of all HUGE!!!
So much more to love!
And if you’re looking for other great macaroon recipes and more Passover-friendly food, click here!
Jumbo Coconut Macaroons
Makes about 8 or 9 large cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes for batter to sit; Bake Time: 15-18 minutes
Ingredients
4 large egg whites
3 ⅓ cups (5.25 ounces) unsweetened dried flaked coconut chips (I get them at Trader Joe’s—buy a few bags and stock up, ‘cause they last forever)*
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
The Recipe
1. Add a couple of inches of water to a large saucepan and bring to a low simmer. Find a largish heatproof (preferably metal) bowl that would fit over the pot without the bottom of the bowl touching the water. Place all of the ingredients in the bowl and use a rubber spatula to combine them well. Now keep using the spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl as the egg whites thicken and turn from clear to opaque and coat the coconut. This should take about 6-7 minutes. The mixture will be goopy but should not be too liquidy.
2. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and let it sit for 30 minutes to let the coconut absorb more of the mixture.
3. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Use a large spoon to make 8 or 9 large heaps of the batter on the sheet, spacing them a few inches apart. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes and then rotate the pan so that they bake evenly. Cook for another 5 minutes and check. If they are a golden brown with darker edges and seem firm you can take them out—I usually cook them for another few minutes to get the shards even more caramelized—all ovens differ.
5. Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack on the sheet. Then peel off and enjoy. These are best on the day you bake them but pretty yummy on day 2 and 3 too. Store in an airtight container at room temp.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy by Alice Medrich. I misread the recipe the first time I made these and discovered perfection (isn’t that always the way?!!) I tripled the size of these so I only get 9 instead of 22 and I cook these at a lower temperature for longer. Also, I use a double boiler instead of putting the bowl right into the simmering water.
*If you can’t find unsweetened coconut, use regular sweetened shredded coconut and lower the amount to 3 cups but keep the ¾ cup sugar anyway.
