I am not particularly a traditionalist where Passover food is concerned and yet there is something about coconut macaroons for me. I absolutely must make macaroons when Passover arrives.
I usually make them pretty simply: plain old macaroons drizzled in some chocolate. And if I want to get really crazy, perhaps some additional salted caramel on top. Just look at those beauties.
But this year a dear friend and fellow cook suggested I try pistachio and apricot as a macaroon flavor. Well, as usual she was right, and they were divine. They are also beautiful – the specks of green and orange from the pistachio and apricot are such a welcome sight as spring nears. These light and sweet cookies will be so pretty as part of any Passover dessert spread. Or for breakfast with coffee, which is how I prefer to enjoy them. And they are ridiculously easy to make.
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A few notes: this recipe makes exactly 12 macaroons if you use a standard cookie scoop to make them (which I suggest doing), so if you are making them for a crowd, just double the recipe. To make the ground pistachios, just put whole, unsalted pistachios into a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and pulse for 30 seconds. Do not over-pulse – you don’t want to make pistachio butter.
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Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup whole almonds, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped apricots
- 1/4 cup ground pistachios plus extra for garnish
- 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips + 1 tsp vegetable oil (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Whisk together the egg whites and sugar. Add remaining ingredients and combine.
- Using a cooking scoop or your hands, create even mounds of macaroons and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet around 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 14-15 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack.
- If you want to drizzle them in white chocolate, heat the white chocolate chips and vegetable oil in a glass bowl in the microwave at 25 second intervals until melted. Using a fork drizzle the melted chocolate on top. Allow to dry completely before storing.
