Looks Aren't Everything!

Sometimes when you try out a new recipe, it is best to just make it for your family first. I have learned this from some very embarrassing situations. Thankfully it was only with good friends, and before I make another quiche for guests, I will most certainly make it for my family first.


I had a similar experience yesterday. In respect of Passover I chose to make a traditional desert, thinking I might bring it for a get-together tonight. I went to the store in search of coconut, and was reminded I was already several days into Passover, so the selection was limited. I came home with 2 small bags of flake coconut, not the shredded called for in the recipe. No big deal, right? Time for the rest of the ingredients. This was a simple recipe, but there was one addition that made it extra appealing, chopped almonds. My freezer is stocked with raw nuts, especially almonds from a family orchard in northern California, so I was looking forward to using them. Back to the ingredients; some coconut, egg white, sugar, chopped almonds, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Easy, right? I mixed it all together, got my sheet pans and silpats ready, oven was preheated, and brought out my small ice cream scoop, hoping they were all the same size. As I put small balls of almond coconut macaroons on my pans, they didn't seem to hold together. I was hoping they might miraculously form cohesive balls of coconut during the baking process.... a girl can dream can't she? Out of the oven 15 minutes later and they were somewhat cohesive, but certainly not the pretty balls of coconut I was aiming for.

Now here is where I struggle with baking. I had 2 sheet pans with cookies, and more dough in the bowl, just waiting for a sheet pan. I was supposed to wait 5 minutes, I may have short-changed that cooling time on the pan. When I tried to gently remove the macaroons, they fell apart! Lucky for me they were still warm, so I just mushed them back together and put them on the rack. It was at this point (yes, the mushing together point) I decided that I wouldn't share these outside my family and I'd need to make something else for my friends. I had one last batch to put in the oven, I crossed my fingers that these would turn out better. Of course that is what happened. I'm not sure what factor made the difference: one pan in the oven, accidentally letting them cook longer than the recipe said or leaving them on the pan for plenty of time for them to cool. Whatever it was, these held together better, but were still not the pretty balls of coconut.


By the end of the evening I had a plate full of crumbly, misshapen almond coconut macaroons, but you know what? They were delicious! The flake coconut certainly added a different texture to the cookies, and probably affected their ability to hold together, but it doesn't mean they didn't taste good. This batch of cookies is just for my family to enjoy, I made my trusty Lemon Cake for my friends tonight.