and there was cake: coconut macaroons

It has been a very busy week in the studio as we welcomed back the inspirational textile artist Debbie Lyddon for a two day stitched collage workshop.  If you've ever been on one of our Textile Adventures you'll know that as well as providing most of the materials we like to feed you too!  Morning coffee with homemade biscuits is ready to welcome you as you arrive in the studio and  one of our favourite recipes is  chocolate macaroons.

Anything which has coconut in it is sure to be a winner with Terry and I, but what makes this recipe really great is that I can adapt it to suit both gluten free and lactose free diets.

When baking gluten free recipes I have recently been using this flour from Cloud 9, which can be substituted weight for weight for regular flour in recipes.  I buy mine from the Costco here in the UK, but I'm sure if you search online you will be able to find it or similar.

The recipe I use is one I have adapted slightly from Sarah Leahey-Benjamin's The New Baker in The Telegraph:

MAKES
26 to 30 cookies
INGREDIENTS
4 large egg whites (I use pasteurised dried egg whites )
250g (9oz) granulated sugar
1 tbsp mild honey
210g (7½oz) unsweetened desiccated coconut
4 tbsp flour (substitute with gluten free if requitred)
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
200g (7oz) dark chocolate (minimum 70 per cent cocoa solids)

METHOD

1. In a large frying-pan mix together the egg whites, sugar, honey, coconut and flour with ½ tsp salt.
2. Place the frying-pan over a medium heat. Stir slowly but constantly to dissolve the sugar. Keep an eye on the bottom of the pan – when the mixture starts to stick remove the pan from the heat. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the vanilla extract. At this point the mixture can be left chilled, in an airtight container, for up to a week.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Line a baking-tray with baking-parchment.  Damp your hands with water. Scoop a spoon of the coconut mixture into your hands and form into a ball.
4. Place the macaroon on the baking-parchment and flatten with your hand slightly.
5. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. The macaroons should take on a fairly uniform golden colour all around. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes on the tray before lifting them on to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Gently melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a bowl of warm water, then dip in the base of each macaroon, place on baking parchment and leave to set.

To make the macaroons suitable for a lactose free diet simply miss off the chocolate or use a dairy free chocolate such as the type made by Double Spiral Chocolate.

Perfect to accompany any freshly brewed pot of tea or coffee!

Hazel & Terry