Macaroon Magic (Including a Vegan Variation!)

Name: Macaroon Magic (Including a Vegan Variation!)
Total time: PT-496084H19M13S
Ingredients: 3 egg whites; 1 cup sugar; 3 cups Bob’s Red Mill shredded unsweetened coconut; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; Pinch salt; Decorations, toppings, or fillings as you like (see the variations)

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Makes 2 to 4 dozen 1x

Time about 20 minutes, plus time to cool and decorate

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Ingredients

3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
3 cups Bob’s Red Mill shredded unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
Decorations, toppings, or fillings as you like (see the variations)

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Use a whisk or an electric mixer to beat the egg whites with the sugar until frothy. (The whisk results in a coconutty macaroon; the mixer delivers a more marshmallow-y texture.) Fold in the coconut, vanilla, and salt with a soft spatula until the coconut is evenly coated. (Another tip: Let the dough sit for 15 to 30 minutes before shaping so the coconut absorbs liquid and plumps a little.)
Wet your hands, grab some of the macaroon dough and press it into the desired size and shape directly in the prepared pan. Your hands are the best tool here: As you work, use your fingers to smooth any cracks around the edges and to form indentations and rims as necessary to hold fillings. (Or simply make classic gumdrop-shape mounds with 1 or 2 tablespoons of dough.)
Bake until golden, about 15 minutes for medium macaroons; a few minutes longer for big cookies or tart shells; less time for mini macaroons. Let the macaroons rest to set in the pan for a couple minutes before carefully moving them to wire racks. Cool for at least 30 minutes before decorating or eating. These will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, refrigerated for a week after that. Or you can freeze them for months.

– Recipe developed by The Bittman Project for Bob’s Red Mill

Recipe variations

Vegan Macaroons
Works with all the following variations. Instead of the egg whites, use an electric mixer to puree 1/4 cup packed firm tofu (about 4 ounces; 1/4 of a 16-ounce block) with the sugar in Step 2. Everything else stays the same.

Cookie-Like Macaroons
Works with any of the variations here. Adding flour makes the dough behave a little more like traditional cookie dough so you can press mounds easily into thin snaps or a less delicate tart crust than described in the variation that follows. And this works for both the classic and vegan macaroon recipes. When you add the coconut in Step 2, include 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, then finish the recipe.

Macaroon Thumbprints
Works with the main recipe or any of the variations here. In Step 3, roll a pinch of dough in your hands to form a ball of any size. Transfer the ball to the prepared pan and use your thumb to press a crater in the center. Before baking, fill the center with a piece of candy or chunk of chocolate; it will melt or solidify in the oven. Or leave the thumbprint empty and after cooling, fill it with a spoonful of frosting or glaze, jam or preserves, lemon curd, or Tart Cherry Topping (below) or any other pie-like fruit filling.

Decorated Macaroons
Works with the main recipe or any of the variations here. In Step 3, shape the macaroons so they’re flat enough to decorate. Scatter sprinkles, jimmies, or decorative sugars over the top and press gently to help them stick. Everything else stays the same.

Freeform Macaroon Tarts or Tartlets
Works with the main recipe or any of the variations here. After mixing you can flatten the dough into tart crusts of any size, including minis that eat like thumbprint cookies. Work directly on the parchment-lined cookie sheet. Use all the dough to make one big tart to serve 8 to 12, or divide the dough into equal portions to make tartlets or cookies of any size. After transferring the dough to the parchment in Step 3, use both hands to press and shape it into a round-ish crust about 1/2 inch thick. As you work, press inward and down to smooth out cracks. To hold the filling, shape a little ridge around the edge with your fingers. Big tart crusts can take up to 20 minutes to bake; cool them in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully moving to a serving plate with two stiff spatulas. For mini tarts or tartlets, bake, rest, transfer, and cool as directed in Step 4.

Tart Cherry Topping
Enough for 1 recipe of classic, vegan, or cookie-like macaroons. Put 4 cups frozen tart cherries (aka pie cherries; about 1 pound) in a medium saucepan with 1/2 cup sugar over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves and the cherries thaw and become glossy. Taste and add more sugar 1 tablespoon at a time if you’d like, stirring to dissolve after each addition. Drain in a colander to trap the juice. (Save it for spiking drinks or drizzling on pancakes or oatmeal.) Use the cherries to top tarts, tartlets, or individual thumbprint cookies after cooling. (To up the wow factor, spread a layer of melted chocolate over the macaroons before spooning on the cherries.)