Spring Coconut Macaroons

In honor of this being Spring (but feeling like Winter, and they predict more possible is snow in the next few days) , I baked coconut macaroons (coconut looks a little snowy/wintery, right?) with a spring twist...I'm adding a little zing of kaffir lime (click on the link to learn more about kaffir limes). 

They look yummy and taste delicious, but I did encounter a few snags along the way.  This was an experiment and learning opportunity!  After reading today's blog, if any of you have additional suggestions or thoughts you'd like to share about how I might do things differently the next time, please leave a comment!

Spring Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients:

2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp kaffir lime juice
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp grated kaffir lime zest
1 7oz. bags of sweetened shredded coconut

This recipe will make 1 dozen large macaroons; I believe the recipe could be doubled to increase the yield.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Beat egg whites with salt, vanilla, lime juice and zest until soft peaks form.  Here's the first thing I learned...you are correct, this picture doesn't show soft peaks...I believe the lime juice kept the egg whites from stiffening because I added them too soon...next time, I will beat everything into soft peaks before adding the lime juice, then slowly incorporate it...I think this will work.

 
Gradually and sugar until stiff peaks form.  Since I couldn't get soft peaks, I didn't get stiff peaks either!...another change I will make the next time I try these is adding a little corn starch, which is what helps meringue thicken and stiffen.

Gently incorporate the coconut into the mixture.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls about 2" apart onto a baking sheet lightly coated with non-stick spray.

Bake 20 - 22 minutes until lightly browned and firm to the touch.  Hmmm, not so pretty is it...because the mixture was thin, the cookies 'melted' while baking..."now what?" I say to myself, yes, out loud...

...I decided to broil them a bit to brown the tops.  I didn't want to bake them longer for fear of drying them out. 

And you know what?  It worked!  Once the cookies cooled briefly I transferred them to wire racks to cool completely.  But I had to scrape them from the sheet, because they were pretty sticky...not sure if this has to do with the sugar content...but I probably would change the other things like I mentioned before changing the amount of sugar.

How did they taste?  Though a little crumbly, they were still very moist and very tasty.  The true test?  Mountain Man...he loved them, especially the added zing from the kaffir lime's...which is a much less acidic flavor than lemon or lime, it almost tastes sweet like a Meyers lemon, only lime flavor.

You know, I love this process of learning as I bake...sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but I have fun and I like sharing what I've discovered along the way.  I'm not sure I'd recommend making all these test recipes unless you are up for a learning experience yourself, but if you do try it, and you learn something special, I'd love to hear from you!!!  You can comment to this post or reach me at liseslogcabinlife@gmail.com.  

One more thought...what to do with the egg yolks?  I cooked them briefly in the microwave, and will give them to Pogo with his breakfast tomorrow.  He deserves it, as he was poked and prodded at the Vet this morning because he had another aural hematoma on his earlobe (blood pools in a space that is formed in the ear lobe and a stint has to be inserted so it will drain and eventually heal back together) fortunately not the same ear as the last time (click on the link to read more).  Waste not, want not!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise