Celebration Coconut Macaroons
I am so excited to be going home for the holidays this year. For me, it means hopping on a plane from Tokyo to Hawaii, where my family lives so it's extra special for me. I just got a call from my sister a couple of days ago saying that she had arranged a family dinner and that I will most likely be in charge of the cooking! My first thought was, "Are you kidding me? I'm on vacation here!". But then on second thought, I realized that I've always been the cook in the family and well, how often do I get to cook for my family these days? Not that often!
All I know is that she has a frozen turkey waiting for me ( I've only baked a turkey once in my entire life. Yikes! ). I also know that I'll most likely be in charge of making sweet treats for everyone. So what can I make that's easy and quick as well as being festive enough for this special occasion?
Holiday Coconut Macaroons of course!
Sometime last week, I had the sudden desire for coconut macaroons and realized I haven't had one in ages. So for this year's family treats, I'm going to be making some of them along with some home-made vegan gingerbread snowflake cookies that everyone can decorate. Coconut macaroons are so easy to make and although you can just eat them without the frosting, I think the red and green frosting adds just the perfect amount of holiday cheer.
Ingredients
- MACAROONS
- 2 cups flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1/3 cup butter softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
- Combine the coconut, sugar, flour and salt in a bowl. Add egg whites and vanilla and mix well.
- Drop one-inch balls onto greased baking sheet. Slightly flatten with the back of a spoon.
- Bake at 325F for approximately 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool completely on a wire rack.
- Make the frosting by mixing together the confectioner's sugar and butter.
- Mix on low speed until well blended and then at medium for 3 minutes.
- Add the vanilla and heavy cream and beat for another minute adding more cream is necessary.
- Separate the buttercream into two bowls.
- Add red food coloring to one batch. Add green food coloring to the other batch.
- Put a dollop of whipped cream on each macaroon and add sprinkles if desired.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like my food and travel blog over at TabiEats. Lots of fun travel stories, recipes prepared in my tiny urban kitchen in Tokyo and so much more!