Coconut Diamond Macaroons

It's up to you.

11 detailed steps, from preparation to service.

1. Preparing the plate and weighing

   Preheat the oven to 175 °C in conventional oven setting (no fan) and place a sheet of baking paper on a large cold baking tray. Weigh 200 g of grated coconut and 120 g of sugar in two containers. Prepare a large bowl, spoon or spatula and a small bowl of water to moisten the fingers during shaping; this water will not be added to the dough.

2. Separating and Weighing Whites

   Break the three eggs one by one in a small bowl and separate the whites from the yolks, without dropping any shell. Weigh 90 g of whites and pour them into the large bowl; keep the yolks for another preparation. The whites must remain liquid: this recipe does not require them to be snowed. Wash and dry your hands after handling the eggs.

3. Mix sugar and vanilla

   Add the 120 g of sugar and the vanilla teaspoon to the 90 g of whites. Stir gently with a fork for 30 seconds to break the white filaments and distribute the sugar. The mixture remains fluid and a little granular; do not frolic to obtain a foam, because the goal is simply to moisten the coconut.

4. Moisturize the coconut

   Pour the 200 g of grated coconut into the bowl. Mix with a spatula for 1 minute, bringing the material from the edges to the center and scraping the bottom until there is no dry coconut left. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Then take a small portion and squeeze it between your fingers: it must form a block that stands, while keeping a fibrous surface.

5. Share the preparation in 20 portions

   Divide the mixture into 20 small piles of close size, about 20 g each, on the baking paper. You can use two small spoons to avoid keeping too many on your hands. Scrape the bowl to distribute the rest among the heaps. Wet the tip of your fingers very lightly, then shake the excess water before giving each portion its final shape.

6. Form four simple faces

   Take each portion between your fingers very slightly damp and cup it to form a small low pyramid 3.5 cm side at the base and about 3 cm high. Press all four sides with the plate of a small spatula, without looking for sharp edges or a smooth surface. The top is short, the base is wide and stable, and the coconut fibers remain apparent.

7. Space and cook the pyramids

   Place the 20 clusters on the plate with 3 cm between them and check that their bases rest entirely on the paper. Bake 12 to 15 minutes at 175 °C. The tips and bottom edge should be golden, but the large sides remain fairly clear. As soon as this coloration is reached, remove the plate with oven gloves and leave the clusters on for 10 minutes.

8. Let the basics become firm

   After 10 minutes on plate, transfer the clusters with a spatula to a wire rack. Wait another 20 to 30 minutes, until the base is cold and stands without crumbling. Prepare a new sheet of baking paper for coating; it should be placed on a flat surface. Do not soak a still lukewarm clusters, as it would soften the chocolate.

9. Preparing the chocolate bath

   Chop 80 g of dark chocolate and put them in a small, perfectly dry bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan containing a little hot water, keeping the bowl clear of the water. Melt over a very low heat, stirring. Remove the bowl when the chocolate has almost melted and stir off the heat until smooth. Wipe the bottom of the bowl; no drop of water should fall into the chocolate. Pour the melted chocolate into a small cup narrow enough to keep a few millimeters deep. Stir and let cool for 1 minute, then keep next to a small spoon to recover the chocolate when the level drops.

10. Dip only the bases

    Hold a cold pyramid by its sides with delicacy and plunge only its base on 5 mm in the chocolate. Lift it up, let it drain for 2 seconds, then place it on the paper without sliding it. Repeat for the 20 clusters; at the end, apply the chocolate with the spoon under the last bases if the bath becomes too shallow. The coconut veneers remain fully visible.

11. Allow to be taken and served

    Let it take 20 to 30 minutes in a cool room. Check that the bases are peeling off the paper without leaving any soft chocolate before moving the clusters. Present them all on their base, pointed upwards, without stacking. The rest of the chocolate can freeze in small pallets to serve next to; keeps the clusters in a closed box, away from a source of heat.