Coconut macaroons

 

I have a couple of overdue posts, but I am skipping right to this one, since it's holiday-appropriate for Passover.

Although I usually tinker with recipes that I get online or from other people, I took this one almost word-for-word from epicurious.com (my favorite recipe website). You can find it here. It's simple, but very well balanced, and if you like coconut, you will love these macaroons. The only thing that I am on the fence about is the chocolate on top. I've previously made them with chocolate, but not this time, and I like them better without. I find that the chocolate messes up the delicate balance of flavors and makes the macaroons a bit too sweet, but that's just my palate - it's really a matter of taste. Also, S and I used clementine peel instead of orange peel, and it was an interesting, though very subtle, change.

Anyhoo, here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel
3 large eggs
24 ounces sweetened flaked coconut (about 6 cups firmly packed)
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted (optional)

METHOD

1. Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325°F. Line 3 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar and salt; beat until blended. Beat in orange peel, then eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in coconut. Drop batter onto sheets by tablespoonfuls, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart.

2. Bake macaroons, 1 sheet at a time, until golden on bottom and browned in spots, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely on sheets.

3. (Optional) Using fork, drizzle chocolate over macaroons. Chill on sheets until chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes.