Congolais (coconut macaroons)

[Deleted]

My grandmother was a specialist in making these. She called them by the northeastern French name of "macaron" but in places like Paris, a macaron is something completely different, and these coconut things are called congolais.

Ingredients (for 12 macaroons) :

- 1 egg white at room temperature (if taking an egg from the refrigerator, let the egg white sit for an hour)
- 60 g granulated sugar
- 60 g coconut powder (this corresponds to the 150 g level for flour in a measuring glass)
- 1/2 tsp butter

Preparation :

Slowly melt the butter. Once it has melted and is still warm, add the egg white and stir vigorously, add the sugar while still stirring. The mixture should be foamy but not like meringue.

Add the coconut and mix thoroughly.

Put little dollops on an oven sheet that has been greased and coated with flour -- form them into cones with your fingers.

Bake in a 175°C oven for 20 minutes. They should be slightly golden but not brown.

Use the blade of a knife to unstick them from the baking sheet.

[bixaorellana]

*swoons*

I absolutely LOVE these and am thrilled with the authentic recipe.

What is coconut powder, please? The "macaroons" in the picture have the texture with which I'm familiar, which is finer than regular shredded coconut.

[Deleted]

It isn't really powder. In France it's called coconut flour but it has a texture more along the line of grains of sand. I would imagine that if ever it can't be found, it could probably be made more or less by running shredded dried coconut through a blender.

[auntieannie]

ooooh! macarons! yum yum!