Passover is almost here! Ahhhhh! Okay, I’m done freaking out. Now it’s time to rave about this incredible recipe. It takes one of my favorite Passover (and year round) snacks and combines it with one of my favorite sweet and tart desserts. If you love coconut and you love lemons, how could you go wrong combining them, right?!? You can make these macaroons and eat them on their own or take it up a notch for dessert and serve them as individual lemon meringue coconut macaroon pies. Yup, I totally went there! The macaroon itself is infused with fresh lemon zest then toasted up, filled with dairy free creamy lemon curd and topped with whipped and torched egg whites. I’ve heard some chatter from fellow foodies that lemon curd without butter just doesn’t taste as good and I’m here to tell you that lemon curd with coconut oil is insanely delicious and worth a try if you want a dairy free alternative. I was literally eating it with a spoon like pudding! Maybe I shouldn’t have admitted that…but I highly recommend it!
Lemon Meringue Coconut Macaroons
makes around 16 macaroons
Coconut Macaroons
4 egg whites
3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
Lemon Curd
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 Tbsp lemon zest
Meringue
2 egg whites
1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
I began with the lemon curd, which needed some time to cool before serving. In a small saucepan, I whisked together the egg yolks, lemon juice, honey and lemon zest and brought it to a simmer over medium heat. I slowly added the coconut oil to the lemon mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until all of the oil was mixed in.
I continued stirring the mixture constantly over medium heat until thick and bubbly, for around 2-3 minutes. The lemon curd coated the back of the wooden spoon when it was ready. I poured the lemon curd through a fine mesh sieve to remove any small pieces of egg that may have cooked with the lemon. I placed the lemon curd in the fridge to cool.
Next up came the lemon macaroons. I preheated the oven to 350 degrees F. and lined a baking sheet with parchment paper. I warmed the honey in the microwave for 15 seconds, until thinned out, then mixed in the egg whites, shredded coconut, lemon zest and salt until all of the coconut was mixed in. I scooped around 2-3 tablespoons of the coconut mixture on to the parchment paper then pressed down and created a well in the center. I repeated this process for all of the macaroons, leaving half and inch between each macaroon.
I baked the macaroons for 15-20 minutes, until toasted on the bottom and beginning to brown on top. Cook them longer for denser and darker macaroons.
I love a toasty macaroon!
I set the coconut macaroons aside to cool on the baking sheet for 30 minutes then transferred them to a cooling rack to cool completely. When the macaroons were cool, I whipped the egg whites for the meringue topping. In a stainless steel mixing bowl, I combined the egg whites and pure maple syrup and whipped them to stiff peaks, for around 5 minutes.
Then it was time to assemble! If you don’t have a kitchen torch, set your oven to broil. I placed the cooled coconut macaroons back on the parchment lined baking sheet and spoon the lemon curd into the well in the center of each macaroon.
I scooped the whipped egg whites into a piping bag then piped a dollop of the meringue on to the lemon curd. Using a kitchen torch, I toasted the top of the meringues. If you are using the oven, place the macaroons in the oven for 30 seconds to toast the meringue but be careful not to melt the lemon curd.
Like a little lemon meringue pie on a coconut crust!
kitchen-tested.com
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