Coconut Wafers

Coconut Wafers

Adapted from Alice Medrich’s “Flavor Flours” by Blue Heron Kitchen

These simple coconut cookies are crispy, buttery, flourless, don’t look anything like a macaroon, are gluten-free, and are open to variations. Just in time at the last minute, here’s a Passover-friendly dessert that you’ll want to bake anyway, anytime.

Banned from gluten, I’ve been in a downward baguetteless, donutless  croissantless vacuum. It was kismet that I opened this poppy field, “Flavor Flours”. You'll want a copy for your library. Medrich is a master pastry chef.  

For the cookies: If you have vanilla sugar, use it. There are three basic ingredients: vanilla, butter and coconut, nothing less than a patisserie ménage à trois. Truc:I keep several ‘flavored’ sugars in my pantry: cardamom, rose and vanilla. Throw the pods from vanilla beans you’ve used (or if you have vanilla beans that are old and expired and you’ve never used them, put them into a jar of sugar and leave them there for a few weeks!)

Coconut? I like Bob’s Red Mill. Whatever brand you use, be sure it's fresh and unsweetened coconut.

I’ve always used Kosher salt when I bake, but for these recipes, where the batter is ‘fine’, and mixed by hand, I prefer ‘fine’ sea salt, but either will do.

We’re going to my friend Rick’s seder again.  He’ll make the famous “Molly Kugel”, his “Chrain”, and this year, he’s sous vide-ing brisket. 

Charoset truc: Add a teaspoon of Lyle’s Golden syrup to the apples, cinnamon, walnuts and (don’t laugh) Manischewitz Concord Grape wine. Splash in a bissel of balsamic vinegar (mine's flavored with fig) and some freshly grated or chopped ginger. 

To freedom and breaking through power, laced in corruption, greed and xenophobia. Three cheers and at the very least four glasses for Harriet Tubman!

peace and love,

jane

Coconut Wafers

Equipment:

Aluminum foil lined baking sheets, dull side up, buttered, or use non-stick aluminum foil

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp./45 g. unsalted butter, melted (more for greasing the foil, if you’re not using non-stick foil)

3 egg whites, size large

1 c. plus 2 Tbsp./100 g. unsweetened dried shredded coconut

½ c./100 g. granulated white sugar (or vanilla sugar, or ‘other’ aromatic sugar)

Optional: ½ cup finely chopped toasted and cooled pecans

Optional: melted chocolate for drizzling

Procedure:

Line baking sheets (you’ll have three, in all) with regular or non-stick foil. If using regular, dull side up, brush with melted butter.

Mix egg whites with coconut, sugar and salt until well blended. (By hand is fine.Take time to beat and really blend the batter.)

Stir in the butter. 

Let batter rest for at least 15 minutes to allow coconut to absorb moisture.

Even better: cover and store in the fridge for several hours or for up to 3 days!)

To bake: If you’ve refrigerated the batter, remove from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature (an hour.)

Position racks in upper and lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 300º F.

Stir batter well. Drop level tablespoons onto baking sheets, about 3” apart. Flatten each into a round, about 1/4” thick.

If you’re adding pecans, sprinkle (generously) each flattened round with the toasted and finely chopped pecans.

Bake for 20-25 minutes (or longer), until nicely golden, rotating baking sheets, top to bottom and front to back, half way through the bake. Be sure they are nicely golden, or the cookies won’t be crispy.

Move to cooling racks. Leave on foil until easily transferred to cooling racks. Cool completely before storing in airtight container as soon as they are cool. If you don’t store them as soon as they’re cool, they’ll lose some of their crispiness.

If you’re drizzling or dipping them in melted chocolate, melt some great quality chocolate in a small bowl over barely simmering water or on a lower power in the microwave, stirring every 10-15 seconds. Using a small pastry bag or if you know how to make a paper cone, drizzle chocolate to make a basket weave pattern. You can use the tines of a fork, but you’ll have less control. If drizzling sounds arduous, dip. Place on waxed paper or parchment until chocolate is set. For a quick set-up, place in the fridge! Cookies dipped in chocolate are best served the same day.

Without additions, these should last, stored airtight, for 1 month.

Yield: approximately 3 dozen cookies