Christmas Bakery: All About Macaroons

Macaroons are the most easy cookies that you can make for Christmas.

Every year before Christmas thousands of hobby bakers make out of egg white, ground nuts and coconut delicious macaroons. They can be simple or refined.
If you don’t have much time or if you are a starting baker macaroons are the best to bake. Just mix the ingredients, heap them on the baking tray and bake them – done within 30 minutes.
Many bakers use the egg white because they used the egg yolk for other cookies and it is  a left over.
Use ground almonds or hazelnuts, or grated un-sweetend coconut for the macaroons.
But also Cashew nuts, walnuts are good ingredients. With some baking marzipan in the dough the macaroons are even more moist.
Or add candied or dried fruit to the dough which adds a nice fruit flavor to the macaroons. If you use them the egg white must be beaten very fine and with care otherwise the fruit pieces sink onto the bottom of the macaroons.
Adding flavors is another variation: cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, nutmeg or baking oils such as rum, almond or lemon. Add some lemon or orange zest and your macaroons will be gone within seconds.
What about adding some chocolate, instant coffee or cocoa powder? yes, this is also possible.
If you make the hazelnut macaroons don’t forget to add a half or whole nut on top of every macaroon.

Now the way to place them can be done in 2 ways: elegant or sloppy. If you choose the elegant way use a one time useable frosting bag and cut of a bigger edge, place dough into the bag and press little uniform heaps on the baking tray. The macaroons will look uniform with the same size. If you don’t want to do it this way just take 2 teaspoons and place little heaps on the tray.
If you don’t use wafers melt dark chocolate and dip them briefly into the melted chocolate. This can be the top or the bottom, or decorate them with the chocolate.

TIPS to make the best Macaroons in Town

• use fresh egg whites if possible.
• whiskers or mixers should not be having any grease on it because if so, the egg white won’t get firm.
• add a pinch of salt to the egg whites, this helps to get it firm.
• the finer the sugar the better it will dissolve in the egg whites.
• when placing them on the baking tray have enough distance between them otherwise they will stick together.
• macaroons stay soft, it you place an apple that has been cut into the cookie jar.
• if you love them crunchy keep them in a jar that is closed tightly.
• always use un-sweetend grated coconut for the macaroons.
• in Germany we use thin wafers for the bottom but you also can make them without, but using wafers have one advantage: they will not stick onto the tray with wafers.