What can I say about David Lebovitz that has not already been said before??? The man is pretty much the god of all things dessert. I would to say he was the god of all bakers, but that wouldn’t do justice to his gifts beyond the oven. The ice creams, the candies, the sauces, that jams, the liqueurs! Then came the savories. Oh! And the blog of all blogs! And now that cocktails! This guy is pure magic. I’m pretty much a crazy David Lebovitz fan girl. (Obvi!)
How did this hero-worship begin? At the end of the last millenium (I sound so old!), I was working part-time at Sur La Table in Berkeley when his debut book, Ready for Dessert came out and he signed my copy. Though I draw the line at tucking it under my pillow at night, it is one of my most beloved cookbooks. The smudges, spatters and smears will attest to that.
I swear that if I lived in Paris David Lebovitz would be my best friend and we’d cook, laugh, eat and drink for hours. But I don’t live in Paris, so for now I guess I may as well tuck his book under my pillow and dream!
GF-ing perfection is a tall order! These coconut macaroons in their original form are sheer perfection and could win over most non-coconut lovers. As noted below, it has taken several attempts to get it right.
Round 1: I used a top-line GF AP flour, but the results weren’t great: texture was off, kinda filmy on the tongue, while simultaneously a little gritty.
Round 2: I thought…coconut macaroons, why not try coconut flour? The reason not to = too much of a good thing. Crumbly, it lacked the glue that the gluten provided in the original.
Round 3: Thai rice flour and 1.5 x the honey (ok this was an accident, but I went with it). Results held together ok but were, unsurprisingly, too sweet compared to the original.
Round 4: Thai rice flour plus 1/4 tsp. Xanthan gum. This yielded a great result and is listed below.
Coconut Macaroons
- April 15, 2021
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Ingredients
- Adapted from Room for Dessert (Ten Speed)
- 8 large egg whites
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoons honey
- 5 cups unsweetened shredded coconut (see note)
- ½ cup Thai rice flour
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
Directions
- Step 1
- In a large pan with a heavy bottom, over medium heat stir the egg whites, sugar, salt, and honey.
- Step 2
- When mixture is warm to the touch, add coconut, flour and vanilla.
- Step 3
- Stir constantly until mixture is thick, slightly dry and has begun to sizzle and scorch. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
- Step 4
- Preheat oven to 350. Position racks in the center and upper part of the oven
- Step 5
- When cool enough to handle, using your hands or a scoop, form the dough into 1 1/2-inch mounds and place them evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Step 6
- Bake about 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown, rotating the sheets to ensure even cooking. Cool completely.
- Step 7
- Cover a baking sheet with plastic wrap or parchment paper.
- Step 8
- Melt the chocolate in a clean, dry bowl set over a pan of simmering water Dip the bottoms of each cookie in the chocolate and set the cookies on the baking sheet.
- Step 9
- Refrigerate 5-10 minutes, until chocolate has hardened.
- Step 10
- Tips
- Step 11
- Notes: Kept in an airtight container in a cool place, the macaroons will stay fresh for several days (if they last that long). The dough can be refrigerated for up to one week or frozen for one month or more.
