On the fourth day of Christmas, Jena’s Tiny Kitchen gave to you, Coconut Macaroons, Peppermint Pinwheels, Rice Krispie Treats and Snickerdoodle cookies.

I went to one of my best friend’s houses to make this recipe, because I wanted a change of scene, and she had a Madeline tray with my name on it. I realised on my way to hers that I had forgotten to bring my electric whisk. Now, said friend is not much of a baker, and so while she does have loads of equipment, an electric whisk is not one of them. I was suddenly very fearful of whipping up egg whites manually….

But, fear not. The egg whites whipped up within record time, the macaroons were ready for the oven within 10 minutes of starting. Such a quick and easy recipe.

Now just remember, macaroons and macarons are not the same thing. Macaroons are these fluffy, meringue coconut bites, while macarons are the almond flour, cream-filled fancy French biscuits. These are nowhere near as technical or as “scary” as macarons, and they are super delicious and Christmas-y. Get on it!

Ingredients

2 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
100 grams caster sugar
30 grams plain flour
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250 grams shredded coconut

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Beat the egg whites until frothy, then add the cream of tartar. Continue beating until soft peaks form.
3. Add the sugar a teaspoon at a time and whisk until the peaks are firm (but not too stiff) and shiny. I did all of this whisking by hand, without an electric mixer, and it only took about 8 minutes from start to finish.
4. Carefully fold in the flour, vanilla and coconut. They mixture should be sticky, and hold itself in shape when clumped together.
5. Form into 12 slightly-larger-than-golf-ball domes, and place on the baking sheet. Keep them rounded, rather than trying to flatten them. The macaroons will not spread, so you don’t need to leave too much space between them.
6. Cook for 15 – 20 minutes, until they’re just starting to turn golden in areas.