Summerfest: Chocolate Dipped Macaroons

Last weekend I entered our small hometown's Baking Contest for the annual Summerfest and won 1st with my Chocolate Macaroons! Following in my grandmother's footsteps, who won last year for her peach pie, I decided to try the Italian take on macaroons.

Different than the French sandwich cookie macarons, the base for these cookies is coconut. They are gluten-free as well as the French macarons (which use almond flour instead of wheat flour). Read my tips at the bottom of the post before baking for the best outcome!

Chocolate Dipped Macaroons

yields: 45 small cookies

14 oz.     Sweetened Shredded Coconut

14 oz.     Sweetened Condensed Milk

2             Egg Whites (Room Temperature)

2 tsp.      Vanilla Extract

1/4 tsp.   Salt

10 oz.     Mini Chocolate Chips, Semi-Sweet (optional)

1. Line baking sheets with parchment paper & preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Combine coconut, condensed milk and vanilla extract until fully incorporated. Sprinkle in salt and continue to mix evenly.

3. In a separate bowl beat egg whites on high until white form peaks. 

4. Gently fold egg white into coconut mixture until evenly distributed.

5. Place bowl in refrigerator for at least 15-20 min. so the batter is easier to handle when scooping.

6. Using a small cookie scoop (I used a 1/2 tablespoon measuring tool) and form small rounded balls and place on baking sheet. 

7. Bake from 17-25 minutes depending on your oven. 

8. Remove cookies from oven and place on cooling rack or a separate piece of parchment paper to let cool. Cookies must be cool before dipping in chocolate. I let them sit overnight in the refrigerator before covering in chocolate but there is no need to wait that long. 

To decorate macaroons with chocolate, first microwave a chocolate for 30 second intervals, stirring chocolate until liquid. Dip macaroon bottoms in chocolate and place on parchment paper to dry. Fill a small bag (or Ziploc bag) with chocolate and cut a small tip at the end of the bag. Drizzle chocolate over the top of the macaroons. Enjoy!

Tips 

Since this is not my personal recipe I tweaked a few of the steps and had many test runs until they came out perfect. Initially, the batter became too runny and would spread out on the baking sheet and the macaroons did not keep the tall shape they should take. So, I have included my tips on how I perfected this recipe to yield correct results. I have only made this recipe twice, so next time I make these I will add what ingredients I changed!

-Do not use the entire can of condensed milk. The first batch I made came out too runny and I think too much condensed milk was at fault. I didn't want to add more coconut and overkill the taste. So, with my second batch I did not scrape the inside of the can when I poured out the condensed milk. Pour the contents of the can into the coconut but you do not need every last drop!

-REFRIGERATE!!! This made the batter less sticky to handle and also hardened the batter so they kept their tall shape when baking.

-When you take the batter out to form the rounds DO NOT mix the batter. It releases more moisture and makes them runny again, making the macaroons lose their shape in the oven. When you get to the end of the batter after placing them on the baking sheet their will be a watery mixture at the bottom of the bowl. I assumed it was the condensed milk (which was making it too runny) had dripped to the bottom of the bowl and collected. Simply DO NOT stir that back into the batter. 

-Your baking time of your oven will never be the same as the recipe calls for. Everyone's oven is different. I found with my oven around 18 minutes for a sheet of macaroons was perfect. So continue to watch your first few sheets of macaroons until you are comfortable with a time for your oven. 

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Chocolate Macaroon

German Chocolate French Macaron

Macarons are the new cake pops

The trendiest but toughest cookie to bake, you can practically find macarons on any baker's menu. One of my  roommates introduced me to the idea of actually trying to make these cookies. After many batches I just threw in the trash I finally figured out the tricks and tips I'll share to perfect these French treats.

The recipe come from Les Petit Macarons: Colorful French Confections to Make at Home (http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/23810484.jsp). My roommate found this book at Anthropologie and it is the Macaron Bible. 


German Chocolate Cake Macaron
yields: 24 sandwich cookies

1 C.        Powdered Sugar
1/2 C.    Almond Flour (I use Bob's Red Mill. You can find this at any major grocery store)
3 T.        Cocoa Powder
2            Large Egg Whites
5 T.        Granulated Sugar


1. First, lay out 2 eggs until they are room temperature. It creates more volume when you beat the eggs      making for a tastier macaron. Plus, they are easier to separate. Usually it takes only a couple of hours although some recipes call for aged egg whites and instruct you leave them out overnight. 

2. Combine Almond Flour, Powdered Sugar and Cocoa Powder in a large mixing bowl. Try sift the mixture as even as possible with minimal lumps. 

3. Using a mixer, whip egg whites until frothy. Medium-High speed for about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue to beat until the egg whites are firm and form stiff peaks. 
            -This is the hardest section, knowing when to add ingredients and when to stop mixing. Use this
             picture from pintsizedbaker.com as a guide

4. Gradually fold the egg whites into the dry mixture. Make sure to fold the ingredients by making "J" motions with your spatula instead of mixing.

5. Pipe the filling into a bag with a round tip (You can also use a Ziploc bag and cut the end corner to make a small opening) onto parchment paper. Squeeze the mixture (what will end up being the center of the cookie) and let it fill out to a desired size. I used to squeeze the batter from the outside in, making a swirl but you will see that design after the cookie is baked. After piped, rap the baking sheets a couple of times to let out the air in the mixture. It will eliminate bumps and help prevent the cookie from cracking in the oven.

6. Now, preheat your oven to 325 degrees. While your oven is preheating your want your macarons to sit. You want a skin to form on the top of the macaron. It will be ready to bake when the batter is no longer sticky to touch.

7. Bake for 13-16 minutes depending on your oven so it is best to watch the first batch to determine how long to bake the rest. You want them to stay in long enough to develop the "foot" of the macaron and a nice crunch on the outside of the cookie. If you take them out of the oven and they are stuck to the parchment paper they are not done yet. When perfectly cooked they easily pop off of the sheet.

8. Take out and let cool on a cooling rack. If you let them sit on the tray the bottoms will continue to cook from the heat of the tray.



Coconut Filling
yields: 1 pint, filling for 40 sandwich cookies

1/2 C.    Unsweetened Condensed Milk 
1/2 C.    Granulated Sugar
6 T.        Butter
2            Egg Yolks
3/4 C.    Shredded Coconut
1/2 C.    Finely Chopped Pecan Pieces
1 t.        Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Salt


1. Bring the condensed milk, sugar and butter to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.

2. Reduce heat to medium & stir in the yolks, coconut, pecans, salt and vanilla extract. Continue cooking, stirring continuously until the mixture thickens and begins to slightly boil. It will begin to darken due to the caramelization of the sugar.

3. Let cool slightly. If the mixture becomes too cool it will harden and be too hard to fill the sandwiches with, so spoon immediately between two sandwich cookies that match in size.

Sweet Treats

After interning this past spring at a hospitality PR firm in Chicago, my inner foodie was sparked. Crab Tartine, Tako Su, Duck Confit & Crispy Pig Tails were water cooler conversations. These are the people who know about Kale or Macaron trends before they appeared on every restaurant's menu this year. Essentially, food hipsters.

It was the first I've worked in hospitality PR and I was hooked. Since my internship has ended I have  taken up baking, daily if I could. I have been a vegetarian for over 5 years so baking is much easier. Almost every dessert is sans meat so when I make a dish people don't roll their eyes when I tell them it's "vegetarian" or "gluten-free." My grandmother (who my blog & I am named after) is our small-town baker. Every birthday, anniversary, church event, etc. my grandmother is called to make pies or a cake. I have gotten most of my natural proclivity to baking from her and it only makes sense to share my first post with her recipe: Strawberry Shortcake.

The recipe for the dough is one of her only baking secrets so I actually won't be sharing the details on this post. This hand rolled and homemade dough is the reason her pies are so popular. And because she will make anyone a pie for free, she has that going for her too.

To make these tarts you have to start with fresh fruit. Not only will they taste better they are also must healthier without all the additives you will get from a supermarket. The prep is simple. Spread out your pie dough (you can use store bought or here is a recipe I plan on trying http://www.crisco.com/Recipes/Details.aspx?recipeID=1242). Using a lot of flour to keep the dough from sticking to your rolling pin is the hidden detail. 

Rolling pie dough can be irritating but coating your rolling pin, the dough and the baking sheet with continuous flour will prevent these frustrations. Once your dough is thin, fit a circle around outside of a cupcake tin to form your fruit cup. With a knife cut small strips in the dough for an even bake. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool and serve with your favorite fruit! Our family lets the strawberries sit in a few Tablespoons of granulated sugar for about an hour forming a sweet glaze for the strawberries.