Green-Haired Coconut Macaroons

It's up to you.

11 detailed steps, from preparation to service.

1. Preparing the oven and baking tray

   Set the oven to 175 °C, conventional oven setting (no fan), and place an oven rack in the middle. Cover a baking sheet, keeping it flat. Weigh 200 g of grated coconut and 120 g of sugar in two separate containers; keeps chocolates and other decors aside for after cooking.

2. Breaking eggs and weighing whites

   Break the eggs one by one over a small bowl, then separate the white from the yolk. Pour a total of 90 g of whites into a large clean bowl; keep the yolks and any remaining whites for further preparation. Remove any piece of shell before adding the sugar.

3. Untie the whites with sugar

   Add the 120 g of sugar and the vanilla teaspoon to the whites. Whisked manually for about 1 minute, just to make the mixture fluid and distribute the sugar. It may foam slightly, but you must not ride the whites in snow: the clusters need a dense paste that keeps its shape.

4. Moisturize the coconut

   Pour the 200 g of grated coconut into the bowl and mix with the spatula. Scrape the edges and bottom to moisten all the fibers, then let stand for 5 minutes. Press a small amount between the fingers: it must form a cluster that stands, without free liquid at the bottom of the bowl.

5. Share in 20 portions

   Divide the dough into 20 heaps of similar size, about 20 g each, on the baking paper. Moisten your fingers very lightly with water, then shake them so as not to soak the mixture. Cut each portion between the fingers before placing it: a well-assembled dough loses less fiber when cooked.

6. Form short and compact cones

   With slightly damp fingers, tighten each pile to form a small cone of about 4 cm, with a wide base and rounded top. Place the 20 cones on the plate by spacing them 3 cm, then gather the coconut fibers that exceed too much. Does not completely smooth the sides: their rough texture should remain visible.

7. Cook to the first golden tips

   Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, starting to monitor at 12 minutes. The tips and bottom edge should be golden, with still light sides. Remove the plate from this stage and leave the clusters on for 10 minutes so that they firm up.

8. Let cool on rack

   Take off the clusters with a thin spatula and transfer them to a wire rack. Wait another 25 to 30 minutes, until their bottom is cold. A lukewarm clusters would make the white chocolate flow and the pistachios would not remain grouped at the top.

9. Prepare the white hanger and pistachios

   Chop the 60 g of white chocolate with the knife and put them in a perfectly dry bowl. Pour 2 cm of water into a small saucepan, heat to a gentle simmer and then lower the heat. Set the bowl over the pan without touching the water and stir with a spatula. Remove while a few small pieces remain and stir off the heat until melted. Wipe the bottom of the bowl and do not pour any water into the chocolate. Pour 35 g of chopped unsalted pistachios into a small, hollow plate. Wait until the white chocolate is lukewarm and slightly thick, so that it covers the tip without dripping on the sides.

10. Forming the green clumps

    Hold a clusters by its base and dip only its top in white chocolate, about 1 cm. Immediately place this tip in the pistachios and turn it slightly to hang the pieces. Put the clusters back on the paper; spread the pistachios over the 20 peaks, then use the last fragments to fill the still white areas.

11. Trace the black marks

    Chop the 20 g of dark chocolate with the knife and put them in a perfectly dry bowl. Pour 2 cm of water into a small saucepan, heat to a gentle simmer and then lower the heat. Set the bowl over the pan without touching the water and stir with a spatula. Remove while a few small pieces remain and stir off the heat until melted. Wipe the bottom of the bowl and do not pour any water into the chocolate. With the tip of a small spoon, draw a fairly wide oblique line on the flank of each clusters, without covering the green tuft. Place any chocolate left over in small pallets on paper and let all the decorations freeze for 20 minutes before storing the clusters in a box, in a layer to preserve the peaks.