Pineapple-Coconut Macaroons

Thursday, December 23, 2021

 

Pineapple-Coconut Macaroons - David Lebovitz
About 35 cookies
 

Once baked, the nicely browned cookies will have a delightfully crackly crust. But the inside remains soft and slightly sweet, thanks to the bits of caramelized pineapple tucked inside. So be sure to cook them so they are entirely browned all the way up the sides.

pineapple-coconut macaroons




I prefer to use unsweetened pineapple packed in its own juice, but if you can only find pineapple packed in light syrup, reduce the amount of sugar to 3/4 cup (150 g) for caramelizing the pineapple. If you want to use fresh pineapple, you’ll need 1 1/4 cups of caramelized crushed pineapple paste.
One 20 ounce can (about 600g) crushed unsweetened pineapple
1 cup (200g) sugar
pinch of salt
3 1/2 cups (245g) dried unsweetened shredded coconut
3  large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Put the pineapple in a wide skillet (preferable nonstick) with the sugar and a pinch of salt.

2. Cook the pineapple until the liquid is evaporated, then continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the pineapple gets thick and sticky, and just begins to brown. Remove from heat and scrape the caramelized pineapple into a large bowl. Then mix in the coconut into the pineapple, then the egg whites and vanilla.
(The mixture may be rather difficult to mix with a spatula. You can mix it with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or use your clean hands.. No need to  beat the egg whites.  Just mix it in).  Readers recommend adding rum or soaking the pineapple in pina~colada)

3. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

4. Use your hands to gather a bit of the batter, about the size of an unshelled walnut, and form it into a round or a pyramid-like shape, onto the prepared baking sheet. Continue forming all the cookies then bake them for about 30 minutes, rotating the baking sheet midway during baking. The cookies are done when they are nicely browned up the sides.

Storage: These cookies are best served the day they’re made, since over time, they’ll lose their slightly crunchy crusts. You can store the batter up to five days in the refrigerator and bake them off as desired.

Notes: Unsweetened coconut is available in shops that specialize in ethnic ingredients and in natural food stores. It’s also available online on Amazon.

I’ve not tried this recipe using sweetened coconut flakes since it often contains additives and preservatives. So do try to seek out unsweetened shredded coconut, which is sometimes called dessicated coconut.

Eagle-eyed readers will note that I baked these on foil, since I was using a kitchen that wasn’t mine. You can use it as well, although I prefer parchment paper.


Orange Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

 Makes about 7 dozen cookies

1 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1/2 preparedBasic Butter Cookie Dough at room temperature
about 1/2 cup sugar

Step 1

In a bowl soak cranberries in warm water to cover 15 minutes. Drain cranberries well and chop fine.

Step 2

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Step 3

In bowl of a standing electric mixer beat cranberries, oats, and zest into basic dough until just combined well. Form dough into 1-inch balls and roll balls in sugar to coat. Arrange balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets and flatten to 2-inch rounds with bottom of a glass wrapped in wax paper to prevent sticking.

Step 4

Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until pale golden, about 12 minutes, and cool on racks. Cookies may be stored between layers of wax paper in airtight containers up to 6 weeks frozen.

Oatmeal Cookies

 

  • Prep Time

    25 minutes

  • Total Time

    35 minutes

This is a no-nonsense chewy oatmeal cookie recipe. It’s not an oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. There are no cranberries or chocolate chips, no pecans, peanut butter, coconut, or any other add-ins, either (not even dates)—nothing that could divert attention from the buttery comfort of this classic cookie.

Old-fashioned oats—not quick oats—give these favorite cookies just the right chewy texture, while vanilla extract and ground cinnamon lend them the warmth and spice that’ll keep you coming back to the cookie platter for more. Soften your butter to room temperature, and make sure your eggs are at room temperature, too, so that they blend easily into the cookie dough. Doing some last minute baking? Here’s how to soften butter quickly.

The best oatmeal cookies are evenly sized (so they bake evenly) and perfectly round, so it’s ideal to use a #70 sized cookie scoop to portion the cookie dough into tablespoon-size balls. Place the dough balls at least 2 inches apart on parchment paper–lined cookie sheets since they’ll spread as they bake.

Editor's note: This recipe was originally published in the September 1999 issue of ‘Gourmet’ and first appeared online on August 20, 2004.

Ingredients

Makes 24 cookies

1¾ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1¼ sticks unsalted butter, softened
⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

Step 2

Stir together oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a stand mixer or in large bowl with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined well. Add flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Step 3

Drop dough by heaping tablespoons 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets and flatten mounds slightly with moistened fingers. Bake cookies in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden, about 12 minutes total. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Christmas Baking - BA’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Ingredients

Makes 16

1½

cups (200 g) all-purpose flour (spooning into measuring cups, then leveling)

1¼

tsp. (4 g) Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. (4 g) Morton kosher salt

¾

tsp. (4 g) baking soda

¾

cup (1½ sticks; 169 g) unsalted butter, divided

1

cup (200 g) (packed) dark brown sugar

¼

cup (50 g) granulated sugar

1

large egg

2

large egg yolks

2

tsp. vanilla extract

6

oz. (170 g) bittersweet chocolate (60%–70% cacao), coarsely chopped, or semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation

Step 1

Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 375°. Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside.

Step 2

Cook ½ cup (1 stick; 113 g) butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, swirling often and scraping bottom of pan with a heatproof rubber spatula, until butter foams, then browns, about 4 minutes. Transfer butter to a large heatproof bowl and let cool 1 minute. Cut remaining ¼ cup (½ stick; 56 g) butter into small pieces and add to brown butter (it should start to melt but not foam and sizzle, so test with one piece before adding the rest).

Step 3

Once butter is melted, add both sugars and whisk, breaking up any clumps, until sugar is incorporated and no lumps remain. Add egg and egg yolks and whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Whisk in vanilla. Using rubber spatula, fold reserved dry ingredients into butter mixture just until no dry spots remain, then fold in chocolate (the dough will be soft but should hold its shape once scooped; if it slumps or oozes after being scooped, stir dough back together several times and let rest 5–10 minutes until scoops hold their shape as the flour hydrates).

Step 4

Using a 1½-oz. scoop (3 Tbsp.), portion out 16 balls of dough and divide between 2 parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets. Bake cookies, rotating sheets if cookies are browning very unevenly (otherwise, just leave them alone), until deep golden brown and firm around the edges, 8–10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets.

Do Ahead: Cookies can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.


TIPS:


Chris, oh Chris: I’ve said this countless times but you are my Favorite at BA (sorry!). Master of flavors and technique: your instructions are always so simple, straightforward, and the final product, always Amazing. Make sure you brown the butter. It took me double the amount of time to brown. After adding the rest of the cut up butter, you have to let the batch of butter cool Completely which takes some time, meaning it can’t be warm! Use high quality baking chocolate and 9 mins in the oven, my cookies came out perfect. I didn’t chill my dough as it retained its shape. My only regret: halving the ingredients and not making the full batch of 16 cookies. I made exactly 8 perfectly sized cookies-highly recommended!

Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )