by Caroline

macaroons

I own over a hundred cookbooks, and yet still subscribe to several magazines containing recipes and visit food websites frequently. My usual route through a magazine is read and tear, read and tear, saving those torn-out recipes to (eventually) file in one of my recipe binders and (someday) try. When I find good-looking recipes on line, I email the link to myself (and often, too, my sister and mom) and save it in a “recipes” folder on my computer. It is rare that a recipe arrives in my inbox and I just make it, right then.

But Friday night, it was less than an hour from “oh, that looks good” to cookies coming out of the oven — a new land speed record for me. Chalk it up to having a well-stocked pantry, two kids as busily occupied by LEGO as Lisa’s, a recent stroll past Paulette, San Francisco’s new source for Parisian macaroons, and one really easy recipe. Don’t be put off by the need to separate eggs; it’s only two, and you can keep the yolks to throw into an omelette the next day.

I found the original recipe over at Svelte Gourmand, following a link from my new favorite source for everything food-related, The Food News Journal. It’s a delicious cookie: crisp on the outside, chewy inside, the sweetness of the coconut and nutella wonderfully offset by the salt. It would be good spread with dark chocolate ganache instead of the nutella, of course, but I don’t keep a jar of dark chocolate ganache in my pantry. No matter what, it’s much more delicate and delicious than those giant softball macaroons you find most places. I tinkered with the recipe slightly (I can’t help myself), so here’s how I did it:

Pichet’s Coconut Nutella Almond Macaroons

2 egg whites
½ c granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 t vanilla extract
2 T all-purpose flour
1-1/2 c shredded coconut, unsweetened
1/3 c nutella
1/4 c almonds, toasted
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 325.

Beat the egg whites until frothy, then gradually add the sugar and salt, continuing to beat until just stiff.

Whisk in vanilla and flour until well combined, then fold in coconut.

Pour the batter onto a baking pan lined with parchment and spread it with an off-set spatula so it is about 1/4” thick.

Bake until the top is toasted and dry to touch, about 30 minutes.

While macaroon is still warm, cut into rectangular pieces.

Let cool until room temperature and then spread nutella on the cookies. Sprinkle toasted almonds on top of the nutella, then finish with a sprinkle of sea salt.