This year my family decided not to exchange Easter eggs, which I am quite grateful for (because I do find it hard to contain myself when it comes to chocolate!).
However, as I was sitting at my desk yesterday I couldn’t help feel something will be missing this Easter weekend without chocolate … so I had to do something!
I always have spare egg whites in the freezer, and I always have beautiful organic desiccated coconut on hand … so coconut macaroons kept coming into mind (which usually consist of three ingredients: coconut, sugar and egg whites). But it needed to be “chocolaty” so I made the macaroons and added Dutched cocoa powder (it has a stronger chocolate flavour) and dark chocolate buds (I use Callebaut) into the mix and voila!
If you don’t have real chocolate buds, then chop some dark chocolate into small pieces similar to the size of a bud. I also added sea salt flakes and vanilla bean paste for extra flavour, and I do believe they add that little “extra something”.
It is important to allow the mix to sit for 20 minutes to firm up enough to scoop easily into the tablespoon measure for rolling. I also find having a small bowl to dip the spoon into very handy as the wet spoon allows the mix to come off easily in your hands. I also dip my fingers into the bowl periodically to keep them moist when I am rolling the mix, but I did also rinse my hands a couple of times during the process when they started to get a bit “sticky”.
These are a lovely little chocolate treat that are not only delicious, but also gluten free for those that need to consider that. They are particularly decadent eaten on the day they are made as the chocolate in the macaroons will still be a little liquid, but still gorgeous eaten over the next few days.
NB: For the small amount of chocolate needed to drizzle over the macaroons I used a microwave to melt my chocolate, but for more information on tempering chocolate please see my post here.
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- Sugar and cocoa powder milled together
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- Chocolate, coconut, vanilla and salt added and …
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- … mixed on reverse for 5 seconds
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- Egg whites added …
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- … and kneaded together for 30 seconds
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- Mixture put aside for 20 minutes
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- Two trays lined with baking paper, and jug with water and spoon ready for rolling
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- Mixture either rolled into balls and baked as such, or they can be slightly flattened with your fingers if you wish
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- Macaroons baked as balls
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- Macaroons baked slightly flattened
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- When ready to drizzle chocolate … snap lock bag placed into a cup with one corner facing the base of the cup before pouring in melted chocolate
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- Tip of bag is cut to allow drizzling of melted chocolate
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- Macaroons drizzled as balls
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- Macaroons drizzled as slightly flattened macaroons
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- Ready to eat
Ready to eat
- 200g raw caster sugar, or plain caster sugar
- 40g Dutched cocoa powder
- 100g dark chocolate buds (I use Callebaut)
- 200g desiccated coconut
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- 120g egg whites (usually from 4 eggs)
- 150g dark chocolate, melted (see method)
- Place sugar and cocoa powder into TM bowl and mix 10 seconds / speed 9
- Add chocolate, coconut, vanilla and sea salt flakes and mix 5 seconds / reverse / speed 5
- Add egg whites and mix 30 seconds / interval (kneading function)
- Place mixture into a separate bowl and allow to sit 20 minutes to firm up making it easier to handle
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees fan forced
- Prepare two baking trays lined with baking paper
- Place a 20ml tablespoon in a small bowl of water and put beside the baking trays
- Press the wet spoon into the mix, then roll mix into a ball
- Place ball onto baking tray and leave it as a ball, or slightly flatten with your fingers if you prefer
- Continue until all the macaroons are done
- Place one tray at a time in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, turn tray around and continue for another 8 minutes
- Remove macaroons from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before placing on a cooling rack to cool completely
- Once cool store macaroons in an airtight container for up to a week
- If preferred you can drizzle the macaroons with a little melted chocolate, allowing the chocolate to set before storing at room temperature
- For piping the chocolate over the macaroons, place a snap lock bag into a mug with a corner of the bag facing into the base of the mug
- With the small amount of chocolate needed I tempered the chocolate by melting 120g in a small plastic container in the microwave (glass retains the heat too much) using short bursts of 20 second intervals, stirring well between each burst until all the chocolate is melted and smooth (I stir it with a flexible spatula which I find easier than using a spoon), then add the balance of 30g chocolate (finely chopped or as buds) and continue stirring until all the chocolate is melted (the heat of the melted chocolate in the bowl will melt the extra you have put it ... you need to keep stirring really well with the spatula until the mix is smooth ... it will take a couple of minutes but you then have tempered chocolate)
- Pour the melted chocolate into the bag
- Remove the bag from the mug, and use one hand to clasp the bag around the top sealing in the chocolate
- Snip off the tip of the bag that was facing down into the mug and drizzle chocolate over the macaroons
- Allow to set before storing macaroons at room temperature for up to a week
If you don’t have real chocolate buds, then chop some dark chocolate into small pieces similar to the size of a bud. I also added sea salt flakes and vanilla bean paste for extra flavour, and I do believe they add that little “extra something”.
It is important to allow the mix to sit for 20 minutes to firm up enough to scoop easily into the tablespoon measure for rolling. I also find having a small bowl to dip the spoon into very handy as the wet spoon allows the mix to come off easily in your hands. I also dip my fingers into the bowl periodically to keep them moist when I am rolling the mix, but I did also rinse my hands a couple of times during the process when they started to get a bit "sticky".
These are a lovely little chocolate treat that are not only delicious, but also gluten free for those that need to consider that. They are particularly decadent eaten on the day they are made as the chocolate in the macaroons will still be a little liquid, but still gorgeous eaten over the next few days.
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