German Chocolate Macaroons

Hi friends!   As you may have noticed, this blog got a bit of a facelift over the weekend. The most exciting change is the spiffy new header. Isn’t it lovely?   The header was designed by WinchesterLambourne, whose clipart also appears elsewhere on this blog.   Working with her was an absolute pleasure, and I am thrilled with the end result.   I would highly recommend her work to anyone.

The sidebar got a little makeover as well, and I’ve also added new social media buttons -- including a “pin it” button embedded in each post.  I'm still working on adding/improving a few gadgets, but I hope to have everything worked out by the end of the week.  Thanks for your patience!

Now, onto the desserts!   Last week, when I posted these Homemade Graham Crackers with Maple-Walnut Glaze, I promised to share more desserts featuring black walnut extract. When I bought this extract from the Savory Spice Shop, I wanted to be certain that I would find multiple ways to use it.   One of the easiest uses may be these German Chocolate Macaroons. 




These are inspired by the classic German Chocolate Cake, which has a coconut-pecan frosting smothered on top of chocolate cake.   My favorite part of German Chocolate Cake has always been the frosting.  Since walnuts and pecans are often used interchangeably in baking, I figured that adding walnut extract to these macaroons would help to replicate the flavor of the German Chocolate frosting. These macaroons are rich and chewy, and they’re so very simple to make.   Start to finish, they take just over 30 minutes -- unless you dip them in chocolate, which is definitely worth a little extra time and effort, if you ask me.

(Click here for printable recipe)

 
German Chocolate Macaroons

2 cups coconut
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
2 Tbsp. flour
1/8 tsp. salt
2 egg whites
1 tsp. black walnut extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional, for dipping)



  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. 

2. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together coconut, brown sugar, nuts, cocoa powder, flour and salt. 

3. In a small mixing bowl, use a fork to whisk eggs whites and extract together. Stir egg mixture into dry mixture until well combined. 

4. Use a 1 Tbsp. measuring spoon to drop coconut onto prepared cookie sheet (these macaroons won't spread as they bake, so it's fine to crowd them together on the baking sheet).  Bake approx. 20 minutes, then cool on wire racks.
5. If desired, melt chocolate chips in a double boiler.  Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Dip macaroons in melted chocolate to cover the base of each macaroon.  Place on wax paper and chill in fridge until chocolate has set.  (Note: depending on the temperature of your home, you may want to store these macaroons in the fridge to keep the chocolate from softening).

Yield: 24-26 macaroons 



(Click here for printable recipe)

Note: I am not affiliated with the Savory Spice Shop, and this post was not sponsored by or endorsed by the Savory Spice Shop.