Back to the big smoke after our mini-break in the countryside and we swapped flowers, animals and rolling hills for Kensington in the sunshine as we headed to the Science Museum for Space exploration! Great fun, but thoroughly exhausting - and hubby and I were relieved to collapse on the sofa by late afternoon :) I needed a pick-me-up, moreish and yummy - and healthy would be an added bonus.
After searching for lavender throughout the local stores and garden centres over the last couple of weeks (having decided not to order it online as it would take too long and then had to wait even longer to find it naturally) I found some last week at my parents' house. Dried lavender from last year's lavender crop in their garden and I only needed three-quarters of a teaspoon. It's been safely sitting in my bag for when I had enough time to make the second recipe I wanted to try from Hemsley & Hemsley, their Lavender & Maple Coconut Macaroons. I LOVE all the ingredients of these little macaroons, even though most shop assistants I approached when searching for the lavender to use in cooking looked at me like I was nuts.
This recipe is gluten and dairy free and the only sugar comes from the maple syrup so this is a healthy alternative to cookies and cakes. The macaroon itself is made predominantly from shredded coconut so for me, is very reminscent of the macaroons I enjoyed when growing up, when macarons (the deliciously almondy French variety I love so much) were a thing of distant dreams. As with many of my other bakes, I used liquid egg whites but you can use the whites of 3 medium eggs instead if you prefer. There is just the merest hint of lavender in these macaroons and I think this could be upped, probably to at least 1 tsp next time I make them. They don't take long to make, so provided you have the ingredients in your store cupboard, you can whip them up in no time for a lunchbox or afternoon treat.
I love these little macarons. There's not much about coconut I don't like, but I really like the pairing with maple syrup and the hint of lavender for a slightly more unusual twist. This is the second recipe I've made from Hemsley & Hemsley (see the Pumpkin Puds recipe here) and am hard pushed to say which I prefer more, so I forsee I will be making these two recipes many times over - just while I make my mind up, of course!
Lavender & Maple Coconut Macaroons Makes 18 (from Hemsley & Hemsley)
Ingredients
- APPROX ¾ TSP LAVENDER FLOWERS
- 4 TBSP MAPLE SYRUP
- ½ TBSP VANILLA EXTRACT
- 150G UNSWEETENED DESSICATED COCONUT
- 180G LIQUID EGG WHITES (OR EGG WHITES OF 3 MEDIUM EGGS)
- 1/8 TSP SALT
Method
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees and line two baking trays with parchment paper
- Finely chop the lavender and mix it with the maple syrup, vanilla extract and coconut in a large bowl
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with the salt until stiff peaks form
- Gently fold the egg whites in with the coconut mixture using a metal spoon
- Using a tablespoon measure, scoop the mixture onto the baking parchment and then neaten the mounds with your hands
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the macaroons are lightly browned
- Remove them from the baking tray and place on a wire rack to cook (I used a slice to remove them as they were a bit sticky underneath but they came away easily)
- They are quite soft when they first come out of the oven, but firm up as they cool down!