Vanilla Bean 'Besitos de Coco’ (Macaroon Kisses)
Every week, we’re spotlighting a different food blogger who’s shaking up the blogosphere with tempting recipes and knockout photography. Below, Alejandra Ramos of Always Order Dessert shares her family recipe for vanilla bean–flecked macaroon “kisses.”
Photo: Alejandra Ramos
Vanilla-Flecked “Besitos de Coco” (Coconut Macaroons)
Makes about 2 dozen
"I’m thinking of baking cookies tonight," I told my boyfriend recently.
"Macaroons?" He asked immediately. I decided to make him these.
These easy-to-bake cookies were ubiquitous in my house growing up, although we knew them by their Spanish name, besitos de coco, which means ”coconut kisses.”
I used a whole vanilla bean in this recipe, and the tiny flecks of vanilla really look beautiful against the pure white of the coconut. I like to let these bake until the tips are just slightly toasted, then drizzle half the batch with melted semi-sweet chocolate. This recipe makes quite a bit, so you can save any leftovers in an airtight bag or container. But if your significant other is anything like mine, these won’t make it through the weekend.
3 egg whites (about 1/2 cup)
1 cup white granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups unsweetened dessicated coconut (if you can only find sweetened, reduce the sugar to 3/4 cup)
1 whole vanilla bean
5 ounces semisweet chocolate
Mix the egg whites, sugar, and coconut in a large bowl. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise down the middle and scrape all the seeds into the bowl. Mix again making sure to evenly distribute the vanilla seeds. You should see tiny specks of black throughout the batter.
Using a tablespoon or ice cream scoop, place 12 scoops of batter at a time (evenly spaced) on a baking pan lined with parchment paper; each scoop should be about the size of a golf ball. The batter will be thick and lumpy with little peaks of coconut.
Bake for about 12 minutes at 350 degrees or until the tips of the coconut turn golden brown. Let cool completely on the pans, then separate the batch in half.
In a microwave, heat the chocolate for 30 seconds at a time until completely melted. Dip a spatula into the melted chocolate and wave over the macaroons about 4 or 5 inches above the tray. Let the chocolate drizzle down in zig-zag patterns and let cool. (You can also dip the cookies one at a time by hand.)
More recipes for your inner coconut fanatic:
Fruity apricot-flecked coconut macaroons
Coconut flour pancakes, perfect if you’re gluten-free
Spicy mussels swathed in coconut milk
Are you a coconut nut, or do you hate the stuff? Tell us below!
