Recipe: Coconut Macaroons

As someone who is addicted to sugar, I figured what better way to teach myself portion control than to buy a cookbook called Dessert for Two and bake my way through it? According to her website, Lane is a self-taught cook, who has written two cookbooks about cooking for two. Although not as well-known as someone like Gordon Ramsay, Lane’s cookbooks have been received with 5-star reviews on Amazon. If you are not willing to shell out about $18, her website contains many recipes designed for two people.

The first thing I made from her book was coconut macaroons. I decided to start with a simple recipe, mostly because I had a paper to write and I the only thing I had to buy was shredded coconut. The recipe takes about 8 minutes prep time and 17-18 minutes cooking time.

One thing I would suggest is melting a bit of chocolate to dip the macaroons in. This recipe did not exactly bind the coconut together that well, and without any chocolate sweetness, it tasted like a lump of coconut flakes. The honey added a bit of sweetness, but as my roommates can attest, the cookies definitely tasted better with some chocolate. Overall, the first recipe was a success, and in terms of my portion control, I only ate two macaroons!

Ingredients:
cooking spray
1 cup packed unsweetened finely shredded coconut
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons honey
1 large egg white
¼ teaspoon almond extract

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F, and spray small sheet pan with cooking spray.
2. In a bowl, stir coconut and salt. Add honey, egg white, and almond extract, and stir well.
3. Scoop six mounds of dough and pack together tightly as you place it on baking sheet.
4. Bake cookies for 17-18 minutes, until golden brown.
5. Let cool completely.

-Maggie Simon
Photos by Leah Sprague