Holiday cookie recipe: Ambrosia macaroons

Coconut macaroons are like pillowy puffs of coconut, crisp and golden on the outside, yet delicate and tender on the inside. And if you love coconut, odds are you’re a fan. Coconut macaroons are one of the easiest treats to make, using only a handful of ingredients. This recipe comes courtesy of reader Tené Harris of Los Angeles. She was a finalist one year in our L.A. Times Holiday Cookie Bake-Off. She writes:

“My dad was raised in a rural area of Texas called Garland [in Bowie County]. It was truly the country. Years ago in the 1970s, when we visited my grandfather’s farm on summer vacations, there was a dirt road, no street lights and a water well. There was plenty of land with fresh vegetables and fruits. My dad would always tell me and my brothers about his memories of Christmas with my grandfather and his siblings, and how excited they would be when they received a bag of fruit, nuts and peppermint for Christmas. He told that story almost every Christmas, and I never grew tired of hearing it. This ambrosia macaroon recipe reminds me of my dad and great Southern traditions.”

AMBROSIA MACAROONS

Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes, plus cooling and chilling times | Makes about 4 1/2 dozen macaroons

Note: Adapted from a recipe by Tené Harris.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel
3 eggs
24 ounces sweetened, flaked coconut (about 6 cups firmly packed)
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line 3 large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and salt and beat until well-blended. Beat in the grated orange peel, then the eggs, one at a time. Gently fold in the coconut.

3. Drop the batter by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing each macaroon 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until golden on the bottom and browned in spots, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely on the sheets.

4. Using a fork, drizzle the melted chocolate over the cooled macaroons. Chill, still on the sheets, until the chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes.

Each of 4 1/2 dozen cookies: 111 calories; 1 gram protein; 10 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 8 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 15 mg cholesterol; 8 grams sugar; 43 mg sodium.

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