This seems to be the year that I have trouble locating my Passover recipes. I found my favourite macaroon recipe on my computer, but only the plain version, not the chocolate.
The macaroon recipe, from an old Martha Stewart magazine, is my favourite not only because it’s delicious, but because you don’t have to beat the egg whites. It’s one less step – and leaves one less item to wash – than most other Passover macaroon recipes. Just mix coconut, egg whites, sugar, vanilla for flavour, a bit of salt, and that’s it.
I know there was a chocolate version, but I couldn’t find it online. However, I found two other recipes that gave me confidence I could recreate what I’d made before, or even make a new, improved version.
The easiest recipe, on about.com, is a regular (beaten-egg) macaroon recipe that becomes a chocolate macaroon recipe with the addition of melted chocolate. I could do that with my regular macaroon recipe too.
But then I came across the Smitten Kitchen recipe for dark chocolate coconut macaroons. To read it is to swoon, so my first thought was to follow it to the letter. But it calls for sweetened coconut, and I only had unsweetened. It also calls for unsweetened chocolate, and I only had regular chocolate bars. Plus, it calls for more coconut than I had, so I had to fiddle with the proportions. I also didn’t want to bother getting my food processor out, so I guess I’ll have to try it another time.
One more change. Once I was making the recipe my own, I decided to substitute Sabra (chocolate orange liqueur) for the vanilla. I think next time I would add more. The flavour in mine is so subtle that unless you have a very discerning palate – or know it’s in the cookies – you might not appreciate it.
The friends who tasted my macaroons teased me that they looked like falafel balls. But the taste was rich and chocolatey. Not too sweet either. I cut down on the sugar, because, um, we’ve already eaten a lot of sweet desserts this holiday.
Here’s my brand-new recipe:
Passover Chocolate Macaroons:
1/3 of a 3 1/2-oz. chocolate bar (72% cocoa content)
6 oz. (170 grams) unsweetened shredded coconut (2 cups + 1 tbsp.)
2 large egg whites
pinch of salt
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
a generous tsp. (or more) of Sabra liqueur
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1. Melt chocolate in microwave-safe bowl on low heat.
2. Combine thoroughly in mixing bowl coconut, egg whites, Sabra, salt, sugar, cocoa and melted chocolate.
3. Form into 1″ balls or haystacks on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
4. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
Yield: 32 small macaroons
Enjoy!
franceskraft 