Totoro Coconut Macaroons

It's up to you.

12 detailed steps, from preparation to service.

1. Preheat and organize the plate

   Preheat the oven to 175 °C in conventional oven setting (no fan) and places the oven rack at mid-height. Cover a large flat baking sheet. Prepare a bowl, a scale, a spatula, two small spoons and a small bowl of water to moisten your fingers; the water is only used for shaping and should not be poured into the dough.

2. Separating and Weighing Whites

   Take 3 eggs. Break them one by one over a small bowl and separate the white from the yolk by passing the yolk between the two half-shells; pour each clean white into a second bowl. No piece of yolk should remain in the whites. Weigh 90 g of whites for this recipe and keeps the yolks in the refrigerator for another preparation. Pour these whites into the bowl. Keep all the chocolates and elements of the decor apart: they are not mixed with coconut, and the chocolate will be placed only on the cooled coconut clusters.

3. Mix sugar and vanilla with whites

   Weigh the 120 g of sugar and pour it on the 90 g of whites. Add the vanilla teaspoon and stir for 30 to 45 seconds with a fork or spatula. You have to mix the ingredients, not turn the whites into snow: you have to keep a thick liquid, a little sparkling at the edge but without large air volume.

4. Add the coconut and wait

   Pour the 200 g of grated coconut in two and mix with the spatula scraping the bottom. Check that all the coconut is moistened and that there is no liquid white left at the bottom of the bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes so that the coconut absorbs the mixture; the preparation should be held when pressed between the fingers.

5. Divide into twenty regular portions

   With two small spoons, place 20 heaps on the baking paper, about 20 g each. Spread what remains in the bowl between these piles to avoid clusters of very different sizes. Leave at least 3 cm between them. If it lacks space on the baking tray, use a second baking tray and cook the two batches successively.

6. Form ovals four centimeters low

   Quickly dip your fingers in the bowl of water and shake them: they must be wet, not dripping. Press each pile to chase large spaces and give it an oval shape of about 4 cm, with a flat base and a domed top. Keep the irregularities of the coconut visible and does not look for a smooth surface of fondant.

7. Prepare the silhouette before cooking

   Count the 40 thick flaked almonds and choose the most whole. Push two almonds into the top of each of the 20 ovals, spacing them a little to form the ears. They should only exceed about 8 mm; gently pinch the dough around their base to hold them, without raising the clusters.

8. Cook without drying the sides

   Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Begins to control at 12 minutes: the bottom and the highest reliefs should be golden, while the sides remain clear. Do not extend until you get a uniform brown color, which would give too dry clusters. Remove the plate with oven gloves and place it on a heat-resistant surface.

9. Cooling in two steps

   Wait 10 minutes on the plate before touching the clusters. Then slide a spatula under their base and place them on a wire rack, without catching them by the ears or the top. Let them cool for at least 30-40 minutes; they should be cold in the center before chocolate. This wait also allows the base to firm up without breaking.

10. Prepare the dark chocolate of the face

    Chop 35 g of dark chocolate with a knife and put it in a small, perfectly dry bowl. Place the bowl on a saucepan containing 2 cm of barely simmering water, without the bottom of the bowl touching the water. Stir gently with the spatula and remove the bowl as soon as the pieces are almost melted; continue to stir off the heat. Wipe the bottom of the bowl before moving it: no drop of water should enter the chocolate. Pour the chocolate into a small baking paper cone or piping bag, fold the top and cut an opening of 1 to 2 mm. Test on a piece of paper: the chocolate should flow with gentle pressure, without running on its own. Hold the tip a few millimetres above the surface and guide it with your hand, without dragging the decoration. Lay the cold clusters with their ears up and choose for each the widest face. Keep the drawings on this face so that the characters remain simple and recognizable, without moving the ears after cooking.

11. Place two eyes and three rafters

    On each clusters, place two black dots spaced in the upper third, just under the ears. Downstairs, trace three large and simple rafters, like small inverted Vs, to evoke the belly. Press lightly and regularly so that the chocolate adheres to the coconut reliefs. Do not add fine whiskers or limbs: the texture of the clusters should remain clearly visible.

12. Allow to freeze on a stable basis

    Place the twenty clusters on their flat, well-spaced base, and let the chocolate take 30 minutes in a cool room. Check a test line on the paper rather than touching the eyes. Get any remaining chocolate pellets for another preparation. To store or serve, take the characters by the sides and never by the almond ears.