Coconut Macaroooooooons....

Things that make you go hmmm...
things that are crisp on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside....
hmmm....
how about
macaroons......
hmmm...
with a cup of hot coffee or a cup of masala chai....
hmmm...
I like the sound of it...and the thought of zero unhealthy fat or cholesterol from the egg yolks or only a teaspoon of sugar per macaroon..
hmmm...
The fact that one thought that these were only make-able by the bakery walas...
hmmm...
but lo and behold ...I made3 these ...the first time.... and...
hmmm....

with a burs of fanfare...these delectable lil bites are here..........
Big problem here in Ranchi...its soooo humid that you don't need to drink any water....you are breathing in more than the required 8 glasses.....
so anything with sugar is like a moisture "catcher".....
very difficult for us..those who like to bake...
Thankfully these came out as good as the ones available in the market....so my "DIY" happy fingers were uber thrilled...

For these
Coconut Macaroons.........
you need...

4 egg whites

200 gms caster sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla essence/extract...

60 gms flour

300 gms dessicated coconut

..........divided over almost 50 cookies...that's not a bad deal...so with this don't add sugar to your tea or coffee...to balance out ...

no one said you have  to eat 10 in one sitting....

Now something new....

I can assure you it was a herculean feat..setting up a Bain- Marie and taking photos...but I did it...and the reason you need a glass -heat proof bowl is that a steel bowl will cook the egg whites before the sugar and salt are fully incorporated...so Follow...

Separate 4 eggs....

use the egg yolks for something else...maybe a Tiramisu...soon on the cards....

to this bowl add the sugar and the salt...beat a little...

Now get half a saucepan full  of water simmering...remember the bowl has to be suspended above the pan not sit in the water...if it does touch the water it will break and you will have sweet scrambled eggs with shards of glass.So this is what you do...

and beat till kingdom come...till the meringue cooks.....

Now is the time to get it off ...it will be nice and warm ...stress the word warm ...and creamy to the touch....

Take off the pan and beat for a few minutes till it is cool.

Now add  your ticket to heaven....the vanilla....

and the flour and the coconut..gently does it...fold it all in with a metal spoon..
.all of it .....you can lay your beater to RIP for now...it has done its job....for now....

It will look like a gooey mess...

Now cover with film and chill in the refrigerator for two hours....

Get you oven preheated to 165C and for those of us whose ovens work in multiples of 10...160 will do...meringues like the warm touch and not hot!delicate babes these...

Spoon them out on a baking sheet 

Regular or irregular shapes......the sheet is blackened with use and abuse....

and pop them into the oven for 15 to 20 Min's....

and they come out like this....

and so let prettily plate these...they have to cool down a bit....

Ready to be dunked into your morning or evening or anytime cuppa.....

hmmmmm...

Sonali Nagpal Giri. these were for you...so when you get them in the evening......try them out and tell me....I hope you and your family looooooove them and that you are inspired enough to try them out.....

So what are you baking today?????