Love and Lemon Macaroons
My fiancé is a fisherman in Alaska. That means every summer
I go four to five months without seeing him. It’s tough, lonely, interesting,
and uniquely binding. I like it, but also dislike it. It means I have four to
five months were I am Selva Wohlgemuth, nothing else. I do and am exactly what
I want to do and be…if that makes sense. An independent woman, scheduling my
life full of friends, family, and activities, in ways that I choose. I am busy,
and not distracted. I get a lot done, and feel accomplished at the end of the
day. However, deep down I am lonely and I miss my best friend. He is the yin to
my yang. He pushes me to challenge myself when I need the extra shove. He will
go on adventures with me when no one else will. He loves me for who I am, never
judging, just supporting. Gosh darn it, I love him!
So, with a few hours of down time, I decided to send him a
care package filled with homemade goodies, photos, and a letter, all perfectly
placed into a shoebox. Old school, romantic, and simple. It’s the communication of the past,
which can gift much more meaning than a phone call or email. It’s a package of
reflection, a package of home, and simply a package of love. A way to send a
little of me to him, over the many thousands of miles we are apart.
Within that package I was able to stuff my favorite lemon
macaroons. I love lemon, the smell, the taste, and the way it uplifts your
soul. Lemons offer a sense of brightness not only in color but also in flavor.
These small delicious macaroons are simply my take on a classic. They are
gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free. Made with coconut sap and honey,
shredded coconut, egg whites, a good bit of lemon zest, all dunked into the
finishing bittersweet chocolate. Yummm.
The coconut has become the newest and exciting food item
today. It is versatile, tastes delicious, and comes in many forms oil, sweetener,
flakes, cream, milk, water, etc. I am sure I forgot something, oh yea, flour.
It is one of the most popular items for those that are gluten or dairy free,
offering many vital nutrients including fats, carbohydrates, fiber, protein,
potassium, magnesium, iron, as well as B-vitamins. No wonder cultures have used it for centuries.
Now imagine a fisherman enjoying a bite-sized macaroon out
on the stormy Alaskan seas…its quite a silly image, right? Either way, I am
sure he will love them, as will you and your partner in crime.
Cheers to those in our lives that make every second worth
it!
Lemon Macaroons
Makes 26 individuals cookies
Ingredients
¼ cup coconut nectar
¼ cup honey
2 ½ cups shredded coconut, unsweetened
2 egg whites
Zest of 1 ½ small lemons
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 pinches fine sea salt
½ cup dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (can use chips too)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees fahrenheit. Using a
medium saucepan heat the coconut nectar and honey over medium heat until runny
and fluid.
2. Add the coconut, egg whites, and zest. Mix well and
reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for a minute or two.
3. Remove from heat and add the sea salt and the vanilla.
Mix well. Allow the mixture to cool. This allows the mixture to firm up a bit
more.
4. Roll up your sleeves and with bare hands form small balls
by squeezing the mixture tightly in your hand and pinching it into the correct
shape. Place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Parchment paper is
very important along the whole process. Do not go on without it!
5. After you have formed about 26 small macaroons, place
them into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Check on
them at 15 minutes and then keep a steady eye on them. Some may brown quicker
than others depending on your oven.
6. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool on cookie
sheet. I usually let them cool for 5 minutes on the counter and then put them
in the refrigerator (on the cookie sheet).
7. Meanwhile, prepare a double boiler, by bringing a little
bit of water to boil in a small saucepan. Once water is boiling place a bowl
into the saucepan, making sure that the water will not splash in. Reduce the
heat to medium-low.
8. Add ¾ of the chopped chocolate into the bowl and stir
frequently until all is melted. Chop the remaining chocolate even smaller.
9. Remove the saucepan from heat and slowly add the remaining
chocolate to the melted chocolate. This tempers the chocolate. Stir until all
is smooth and uniform. Keep the bowl in the warm water.
10. Now your chocolate is ready for dipping! Take the
macaroons out of the refrigerator and dip each macaroon into the melted
chocolate and place back onto the parchment lined cookie sheet. You may need to
stir the chocolate a couple times during this process to keep it melted and
smooth.
11. Once all macaroons are dipped put the whole cookie sheet
in the freezer for about 30 minutes to harden the chocolate. Now they are ready
to serve! Store in an airtight container in a cool space.
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