Recipe: Les Rochers Coco avec les copeaux de chocolats, aka choc chip macaroons

The little French soul inside of me jumps in delight when she see les macarons in the window of a patissier, she always opts for un pain au chocolat at her local bakery, and cries when she hears the sweet melody in Marion Cotillard's La Vie en Rose.  

Having learnt French for five years, and living with my dear grandma who has written recipe books, including a French pastry book, it's like my love for all things French was meant to be.

This little French soul became even more French when she learnt the difference between the macaron and macaroon in early 2011.

So when I saw the fresh and unused egg whites in the fridge, and a whole heap of dessicated coconut in my pantry, I knew exactly what to make.

This recipe is soooo easy, and it takes less time than cake mix!


Recipe: Les Rochers coco avec les copeaux de chocolats, aka choc chip macaroons

Adapted from Taste's coconut macaroons

You need:

• 1 cup of dessicated coconut (fine or coarse, it's up to you. I had fine dessicated coconut in my panty so I used that)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 cup or a few pinches of dark chocolate chips, a pinch of white chocolate chips, and a few more for decor (I like to use the Nestle Choc Chips because they're in a nicely piped shape, and they hold that shape throughout the baking process)

Makes 16 bite-sized spheres, just a tad bigger than a Ferrero Rocher.

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C.
2. In a bowl, lightly stir/whisk the vanilla extract into the eggwhite, don't beat the eggwhite.
3. Add dessicated coconut, caster sugar, the dark choc chips, and the pinch of white choc chips into the same bowl, and mix with a spoon/whisk until well combined.
4. Scoop out a bit of macaroon mix, and roll into a small ball. With the spare white choc chips, press one onto the top of each macaroon ball.
5. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until the outsides of the macaroons become a caramel colour.  Then turn off your oven and leave the macaroons in the oven for the residual heat to bake it to completion for about another minute.

The result? A lovely caramelised and slightly crispy and crumbly outer layer (crumbly due to the addition of the choc chips) with a softer and sweeter coconut-y innard.

These bite-sized coconut-y babies are a lovely treat. And they'll be gone in a flash.

And I mean it.

Ooh, and a tip with the baking? Get to know your oven.  

I learnt the hard way.  

Haven't been baking much these holidays as I would've liked.  But I'm glad my 12 Week Food tour is still rolling throughout February, so those posts will be coming up throughout March :)