Easy Coconut Macaroons Recipe

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I never knew how easy it was to make macaroons! I found this recipe in my Real Simple magazine (love love love that publication). Literally took 10 minutes of prep. I’ve posted it here to share:

Ingredients

  • 3  large egg whites
  • 1/2  cup  sugar
  • 1/2  teaspoon  pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt
  • 1  14-ounce package sweetened shredded coconut (about 5 cups)

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 325° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
  2. Vigorously whisk together the egg whites, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until glossy, foamy, and the sugar is mostly almost dissolved. Fold in the coconut, stirring until evenly combined.
  3. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop the batter in mounds (about 2 tablespoons each) 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through, until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes; let cool completely. The macaroons will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

The macaroons came out a little dry with this recipe, so I recommend adding a bit of milk to the mixture to make it a bit creamy. Jonathan and I also experimented by adding cinnamon to a few and mole spices (Mexican cocoa powder mix) to a few others. I was a huge fan of the cinnamon! Definitely have fun in the kitchen customizing this basic recipe.

How To Cook Bitter Melon

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Bitter Melon is a vegetable that requires an acquired taste. It’s kind of like what an IPA is to beers, and in fact, in Asia, there are beers that replace hops with bitter melon. The vegetable is super healthy (some people attribute it with medicinal properties), and also very easy to prepare.

Prep

Like a squash, the bitter melon has seeds that needs to be scooped out. Halve melon, remove seeds, and cut into slices.

Cooking

It can be cooked multiple ways - in an omelette, in a vegetable stir fry, etc. but if you’ve never had it before, I would ease your taste buds into it by adding sugar. The sugar will off-balance the bitterness along with other sauces you may use. Tofu is also a great add because it has a neutral taste and soaks up the flavors that you cook the bitter melon in.

It takes a while getting used to, but once you’ve developed that acquired taste (and tapered down the sugar), it’s very enjoyable AND you reap all the health benefits.

FOOD ACTION PLAN #1

Use new ingredients at least once every two weeks.

New Chocolate Chip Cookie Record

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Every holiday season, I make the one baked good I’m best at - classic chocolate chip cookies. In 2012, I set a new record: 172 cookies. All personally kneaded and baked with love.

TIP If your cookies come out a bit hard, leave it in an air-tight container with a piece of bread overnight. Bread has this amazing power of osmosis that keeps cookies moist. If you are storing/mailing cookies, the bread will help it stay moist for weeks!