Three egg whites, coconut and sugar, a mixture warmed over a water bath: macaroons with golden tips, soft inside, that don't spread.
Coconut rochers are the little treat that rescues the egg whites left at the back of the fridge after the yule log or the mayonnaise: coconut, sugar, whites, and that's it. Flourless, they're crisp at the tips and soft in the middle.
The pastry chef's trick: warm the mixture over a water bath for a few minutes before shaping it. The sugar melts, the whites start to set, and the mixture turns sticky and easy to mold. The macaroons then keep their pretty pyramid shape instead of slumping into flat cookies.
In the bowl, mix the egg whites, sugar, salt and vanilla with a fork, just to break up the whites (no need to beat them). Add the coconut and mix well, until all the coconut is moist.
Set the bowl over the pan of simmering water and stir constantly for about 5 minutes, until the mixture feels hot to the touch (around 50 °C, 122 °F), the sugar has melted and it sticks together in a ball.
Take it off the heat and let the mixture rest for 30 minutes in the fridge, covered: the coconut finishes soaking and the mixture firms up. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F), conventional heat, and line the tray with baking paper.
Wet your fingers in the bowl of cold water, take a heaped tablespoon of the mixture (about 25 g) and squeeze it between your fingers into a little pyramid with a well-defined tip. Set the macaroons on the tray, 3 cm apart.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes. They're ready when the tips and edges are deep golden and the base is light golden. Let them cool completely on the tray: they're fragile when hot and firm up as they cool.
If you like, gently melt the chocolate over the water bath. Dip the base of each cooled macaroon 5 mm deep, scrape off the excess on the edge of the bowl, and set it back on the baking paper. Let it set for 30 minutes in a cool room.
Check off every step to celebrate.
The macaroons keep for 5 days in an airtight box at room temperature (in the fridge if they have a chocolate base and it's warm). The raw mixture keeps for 2 days in the fridge, well covered: you can make it the day before and bake at the last minute.
The mixture was too runny: large egg whites, or not warmed and rested enough. The water bath and 30 minutes in the fridge fix that; otherwise, add 20 g more coconut.
The recipe contains no flour and no gluten. Still check the labels on the coconut and chocolate, which may contain traces.
Down to 120 g without any trouble. Below that, the macaroons hold together less well and are drier, because the melted sugar binds the mixture.
Add this recipe to your meal, then come back for appetizers, a drink, cookies with coffee: Popotam brings them together, with the shopping for your whole table and the timeline up to dessert. Free, no account.
