Pistachio Macaroons: The Macaroon Bible

Earlier this month I received a bible. The Macaroon Bible that is! It's a super cute book filled with zillions of variations on a classic coconut treat written by Dan Cohen, the owner Danny Macaroons, which I really want to visit one day.

Whether you are a fan of espresso, or spiced pumpkin, or want to bring back the memories of camp fire s'mores into your home, there's a recipe for you in The Macaroon Bible.

If you've followed my blog, however, you know that I LOVE pistachios, and so it's not surprising that the first recipe I made from Dan's book was the Pistachio Macaroons.

Pistachio Macaroons: The Macaroon Bible
Yield: twenty-four 2-inch macaroons {I made mine larger: 18}

Ingredients
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 ounce pistachio paste (if you can't find pistachio paste, grind 1 cup unsalted roasted pistachios until paste-like)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
One 14-ounce bag sweetened shredded coconut
2 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup pistachios, toasted and chopped

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F with a rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. In an extra-large bowl, measure out 10 1/2 ounces by weight of the condensed milk. If you don't have a scale, use approximately 8 ounces (1 cup) by liquid measure. Add the pistachio paste and vanilla. Incorporate with a rubber spatula. Add the coconut to the condensed milk mixture and combine until thoroughly mixed.

3. Add the egg whites and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer (or small bowl if you're using a hand beater) and whip on medium-high until very stiff peaks form, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.
4. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture. After it's combined, push the mixture into one big blog to make it easier for you to portion out the macaroons.
5. Dip 2 spoons into a small bowl of water, shake them off, form mixture into balls approximately  1 1/2 inches in diameter, and place them on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart. (You can also form them by hand, but be sure to wet your fingers frequently). Sprinkle the chopped pistachios onto each macaroon.

6. Place the sheet into the oven to bake for 20 to 25 minutes. After about 22 minutes, start checking for coloring. Look for an even, light golden color and for the undersides to be nicely tanned.

7. Remove from the oven and let the sheet rest on a cooling rack, leaving the macaroons on the sheet until they're cool enough for you to pull off (about 2 minutes depending on how sensitive your fingers are). Transfer the macaroons to the cooling rack to let cool completely. The macaroons will keep at room temperature 3 to 5 days, for about 3 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge, and for a few months if stored in an airtight container in the freezer.

My thoughts:

• This was a super simple recipe to make! I did not feel like searching for pistachio paste, so I made my own.
• I used salted roasted pistachios, which I'm really happy that I did because the macaroons were really sweet. It's dessert, so nothing wrong with that.
• I made my macaroons larger because I used a metal scoop and then rolled them with my hands. I ended up with 18 macaroons and baked them for closed to 30 minutes.
• These were a huge hit with my friends and I can attest to the fact that they freeze well.
• I wonder if you can make the same recipe using 1/2 regular coconut flakes and 1/2 sweetened ones...opinions?

Have you tried adding fun flavors to your macaroons? What's your favorite combination?

Disclaimer: I received a copy of The Macaroon Bible for review purposes. I received no monetary compensation for this post. All opinions are my own as always.