Friday, January 16, 2009

OOOH! THESE WERE REAL GOOD



They caught my senses when I was looking through the cookbook for something to whip up for knit night. Of course, we had to go to the store for some things not usually on hand in our pantry. But maybe I will stock flaked coconut and dried apricots from now on because these babies were pretty quick (except for the chill-time) and simple to prepare. And y-u-m-m-y for sure!

The second half of the mixture is in the oven now, and I'm going to dip these in dark chocolate as described in the Variation below.



Dried Apricot Macaroons from Tassajara Cookbook lunches, picnics & appetizers by Karla Oliveira.

1 c. sugar
4 c. unsweetened flaked coconut, divided
1 c. chopped dried apricots
4 large egg whites
1/4 tsp. salt
1 T. butter, melted (I used Coconut Oil*)
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Mix sugar, 3 cups coconut, apricots, egg whites, and salt together with your hands. Add melted butter* and extracts; combine well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Moisten the palms of your hands with cold water. Roll 1 tablespoon of the dough mixture between your palms, squeezing tightly together to form a compact ball. Roll each ball in remaining coconut.

Place on cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 2 dozen macaroons.



Variation: After forming dough into a compact ball, place on a clean surface and using a spatula, flatten one side at a time to form a pyramid shape. Bake as above and then let cool completely. Melt 3 ounces semisweet chocolate and 1 teaspoon butter in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted. Dip top 1/2 inch of each pyramid into chocolate mixture.

I do now have 4 egg yolks without their whites sitting patiently in the fridge. Any suggestions for what I can do with these?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Niko will love to take those yolks out of your hands!