coconut macaroon

I make different versions from stiff whites to slightly beaten. The stiffer the whites give me a mound. The lightly beaten produces a flatter cookie, which we are loving. Beat whites until frothy (2egg whites) with a pinch of salt and 3 T. Granulated sugar. Fold in 1-1/2 C. Coconut. Parchment line baking sheet, drop teaspoon size batter and flatten with fork. Bake 350 degrees 13-15 minutes or until cookies are brown with some white showing. Let cool for 10 minutes.

I am by no means a baking expert. I have made coconut macaroons at least 50 times, though! When I used to make the most traditional type, I’d beat the egg whites to good stiff medium peaks. But to be totally honest, about 5 years ago I became devoted to Alice Medrich’s new classic recipe from this site and I’ve never looked back. I was skeptical at first. And if you do decide to try this recipe, I totally disagree that they are best eaten the day they are made. In fact, after they have been in the fridge for a day or two, the are pure heaven. Moist, chewy, dense, cold heaven.

Different ways of handling the egg whites will give you a slightly different texture in the finished cookie. In some cases, like when you warm the whites and then beat in the sugar- what you are making is a type of Swiss meringue. Those type tend to bake up puffy, crisp on the outside and rather chewy on the inside. A regular meringue- like when you beat the egg white to soft peak and then beat in the sugar, will give you a puffy and drier result. Honestly, all those different methods will yield different styles of macaroons. There is even a variation based on using sweetened condensed milk, rather than a meringue. The only thing I can say is you should give each a try and decide for yourself which style you like best. My group likes the chewy sort with a Swiss meringue, made with half sweetened/half unsweetened coconut shreds and a bit of coconut liqueur to enhance the flavor. There's no wrong way, only your preferred way to make the cookies you like best.