Macaroons

Passover is here and so are macaroons. I make them every year at this time. I have tried different recipes over the years. This year was the best. Unfortunately I cheated and used flour so if you are strict about the realities of Passover (no flour) then these are not for you, at least during this week. You might be able to substitute Matzah meal but I have not tried it.

1 cup egg whites (it is about 8 or so eggs)
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups unsweetened coconut
1 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

Whisk together the egg whites, sugar, honey and vanilla in a large stainless steel bowl. Put the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk occassionally until the mixture becomes tepid (warm bathwater).

Remove the bowl from the heat and fold in the flour and coconut. Make sure you sift the flour. Also, I had originally used only 2 cups of coconut and it just didn't look thick enough for me, so I mixed in another 2 cups. It began to get thick which how you want it. So, perhaps it had to do with the way the eggs worked with the sugar but you can start with 2 cups and continue to add in more until you feel it is thick enough.

Here is the key. Put this in the refrigerator over night to get really cold. If the batter isn't really cold, the macaroons just melt in the oven.

Mold the macaroons into small balls and bake at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Key here too is 300 degrees, otherwise they get flat.

Once they are cooled, you can coat the bottoms with chocolate. Break up the chocolate into pieces and melt in a small pot over a low heat. If you don't have a pastry knife, use a dinner knife to spread the chocolate on the bottom of the macaroons. Put them in the refrigerator for about an hour to chill.

Voila.