The following recipe is from Welcome to Junior's cookbook, by Marvin and Walter Rosen, William Morrow and Company, 1999. Junior's, in Brooklyn, NY, is renowned for its 50 years of great service and cooking. They are most famous for their cheesecakes, however, this cookbook is proof that there's a lot more to Junior's!

coconut macaroons

"Often macaroon cookies come small and dainty. But not at Junior's. These are over 3 inches in diameter and chock-full of coconut. Biting into one is a treat - golden crispy on the outside, white and chewy on the inside."

yield: 2 dozen macaroons (this recipe doubles easily)

ingredients:

  • 3 Tablespoons cake flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 extra-large egg whites
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon orange extract
  • 2 cups shredded or flaked coconut
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment or brown paper. Line cooling racks with damp towels. Mix the flour and salt together and set aside.

Beat the egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high until soft peaks begin to form, about 3 minutes. While the mixer is still running, gradually add the sugar, about a Tablespoon at a time, and continue beating until the mixture stands up in stiff glossy peaks, about 5 minutes of beating in all.

Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and blend in the flour mixture and the vanilla, almond, and orange extracts. (Do not overmix the batter at this stage, as the protein in the flour might become overdeveloped, which can result in chewy cookies.)

Drop the batter by heaping Tablespoons onto the lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart (you will have about 24 cookies). Bake the cookies just until they are golden and set, about 15 minutes. Slide the paper liners, still with the macaroons attached to them, to the lined cooling racks. Let cookies cool completely, then peel away the paper.

Store the macaroons in an airtight container.
Do not refrigerate or freeze macaroons.