Christmas Macaroons

Coconut Lime Leaf Macaroons

And of course Christmas in my house won't be Christmas without my favourite sweet of the season -Macaroons.  I always make a different type every year and this year I decided to use coconut which is so beloved by my adopted country Malaysia.  I wanted to give it a twist, so when I was in Bangalore bought some copra and and brought it back with me to Malaysia.  And then a bulb went off in my head when I was in the wet market looking at all the green leafy stuff for sale.  I spotted some kaffir lime leaves and bought a few, chopped them fine and added them to the Macaroon mixture.  The taste was really good, so I've made them again to share with my numerous friends.

The Recipe:

1 1/2 cups copra, cut into tiny pieces; 500 gms sugar; 18 cardamoms, seeds only; white of 1 large egg, you may need to use more or less and a squish of lemon juice; 5 lime leaves, cut really, really fine.

Blend the sugar and cardamom till very fine.  Place in a large bowl.  Add the copra, lime leaves and the lemon juice and mix well with a wooden spoon.  Add the egg a little by little until the  mixture clumps in the middle.  Discard the rest of the egg white.  It should be neither too wet or too dry.  Make into marble size balls and place 2 inches apart on baking tray.  Bake at 160 Centigrade in preheated oven for 10 - 12 minutes until they puff out and change shape.  Cool thoroughly and store in an air tight container.  These delectable morsels make great gifts and you can pop them into your mouth any time you want a sweet fix.  Too good for words.

NB:  You can use any lime leaves for the flavour.  Kaffir lime leaves are used in a lot of Malaysian Recipes which is why I opted for it.

The Fifth Recipe For Christmas

 Christmas Macaroons

I am always on the prowl for Macaroon Recipes which are absolutely a must for Christmas in our family. This year I made two kinds -  Walnut Macaroons with brown sugar and Coffee Macaroons with cashew nuts, which I know will go down well with the coffee addicts in our family. The Walnut Macaroons are nearly over and the Coffee Macaroons are hidden away.

Walnut Macaroons: 500 gms brown sugar, powdered in mixer with 18 cardamoms (seeds only); 1 ½ cups chopped walnuts; white of 2 medium sized eggs.
Mix the the sugar and nuts together. Add the egg white very slowly until the mixture becomes a dough like mass. Discard remaining egg white. Make into balls and bake 2 inches apart in preheated oven at 175C for 10 minutes or until puffed out and transluscent. Makes 50.

Coffee Macaroons: 500 gms coarse sugar, powdered in mixer with 18 cardamoms (seeds only); 1 ½ cups chopped cashewnuts; white of 2 medium sized eggs; 2 tsp Nescafe dissolved in 2 tbsp hot water.
Mix the the sugar and nuts together. Add thenescafe and mix well. Next add the egg white very slowly until the mixture becomes a dough like mass. Discard remaining egg white. Make into balls and bake 2 inches apart in preheated oven at 175 C for 10 minutes or until puffed out and translucent. Makes 50.