Moundsmacaroons Recipes

MOUNDS RICH, MOIST AND CHEWY MACAROON COOKIES

Steps:

• In large bowl, cream butter, cream cheese and sugar til well blended.
• Add egg yolk, o.j., and almond extract.
• In small bowl, whisk/mix flour, baking powder and salt.
• Gradually add to butter mixture, mixing well after each addition.
• Stir in well, 3 cups coconut.
• Cover and chill 1 hour or til firm enough to handle and roll into balls.
• Heat oven to 350.
• Shape dough into 1 inch balls, roll into last cup of coconut. You can lightly press it on a little.
• Place onto ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 12-15 minutes (MINE TOOK 15! *the original recipe said 10-12 and that wasn't EVEN long enough, they sank after I took them out and had to re-bake them!)or until lightly browned. I suggest at LEAST 13 minutes, but again, mine took 15.
• Leave them on the cookie sheet 1 minute, then carefully and gently remove to wire racks to cool.
• *You can gently press a maraschino cherry half in the center of each cookie on top, if desired, before baking.
• Makes 3-3 1/2 dozen.

MOUNDS MACAROONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, cream cheese and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla, almond extract and orange peel. Add flour mixture and mix just until combined. Stir in 2 1/2 cups coconut. Add Mounds pieces and stir until combined.
• Spread 1 1/4 cups coconut on plate. Using 2 tablespoons dough for each cookie, roll dough into 1 1/2 inch rounds. Roll each round in coconut. Arrange rounds 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake until cookies are puffed and coconut is lightly golden, about 35 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to racks; cool completely.
• Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Dip fork into melted chocolate and drizzle lines of chocolate across tops of cookies. Refrigerate cookies until chocolate sets, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate in airtight containers. Serve cold or at room temperature. Cookies can be prepared 3 days ahead.

FRENCH MACARONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F using the convection setting. Line 3 baking sheets with silicone mats. Measure the confectioners' sugar and almond flour by spooning them into measuring cups and leveling with a knife. Transfer to a bowl; whisk to combine.
• Sift the sugar-almond flour mixture, a little at a time, through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing with a rubber spatula to pass through as much as possible. It will take a while, and up to 2 tablespoons of coarse almond flour may be left; just toss it.
• Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt with a mixer on medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to medium high; gradually add the superfine sugar and beat until stiff and shiny, about 5 more minutes.
• Transfer the beaten egg whites to the bowl with the almond flour mixture. Draw a rubber spatula halfway through the mixture and fold until incorporated, giving the bowl a quarter turn with each fold.
• Add the food coloring and extract (see below). Continue folding and turning, scraping down the bowl, until the batter is smooth and falls off the spatula in a thin flat ribbon, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Holding the bag vertically and close to the baking sheet, pipe 1 1/4-inch circles (24 per sheet). Firmly tap the baking sheets twice against the counter to release any air bubbles.
• Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the tops are no longer sticky to the touch, 15 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the humidity. Slip another baking sheet under the first batch (a double baking sheet protects the cookies from the heat).
• Bake the first batch until the cookies are shiny and rise 1/8 inch to form a "foot," about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Repeat, using a double sheet for each batch. Peel the cookies off the mats and sandwich with a thin layer of filling (see below).
• Almond-Raspberry:
• Tint the batter with 2 drops neon pink gel food coloring; flavor with almond extract. Fill with seedless raspberry jam (you'll need about 3/4 cup).
• Mint-White Chocolate:
• Tint the batter with 2 drops mint green gel food coloring; flavor with mint extract. For the filling, microwave 3 ounces chopped white chocolate, 2 tablespoons heavy cream and 1 tablespoon butter in 30-second intervals, stirring, until smooth. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon mint extract and 1 drop mint green gel food coloring.
• Blueberry Cheesecake:
• Tint the batter with 3 drops royal blue gel food coloring; flavor with vanilla extract. For the filling, mix 4 ounces softened cream cheese and 3 tablespoons blueberry jam.
• Lavender-Honey:
• Tint the batter with 2 drops violet gel food coloring; flavor with almond or vanilla extract. For the filling, mix 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese, 2 tablespoons honey and 1 teaspoon ground dried lavender.
• Pineapple:
• Tint the batter with 2 drops lemon yellow gel food coloring; flavor with vanilla extract. For the filling, press 3/4 cup pineapple jam through a sieve, discarding any large pieces.

MOUNDS MACAROONS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 275.
• 2. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• 3. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl.
• 4. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, cream cheese and butter in large bowl until fluffy.
• 5. Beat in egg, vanilla, almond extract and orange peel.
• 6. Add flour mixture and mix just until combined.
• 7. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of coconut.
• 8. Add dark chocolate and coconut and stir until combined.
• 9. Spread 1 1/4 cups coconut on plate.
• 10. Using 2 tablespoons dough for each cookie, roll dough into 1 1/2-inch rounds.
• 11. Roll each round in coconut.
• 12. Arrange rounds 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
• 13. Bake until cookies are puffed and coconut is light golden for about 35 minutes.
• 14. Cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes.
• 15. Transfer to racks and cool completely.
• 16. Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth.
• 17. Remove from heat.
• 18. Dip fork into melted chocolate and drizzle lines of chocolate across tops of cookies.
• 19. Refrigerate cookies until chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.
• 20. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Refrigerate in airtight containers.)
• 21. Serve cold or at room temperature.

MACARONS

Steps:

• Place egg whites into a metal mixing bowl and refrigerate overnight. The next day, bring egg whites to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 280 degrees F (138 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a bowl. Beat the egg whites with salt in metal bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute; increase speed to high and gradually beat in superfine sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until the egg whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks, 3 to 5 more minutes.
• Gently fold almond flour mixture into whipped egg whites until thoroughly incorporated; spoon meringue into a pastry big fitted with a 3/8-inch tip.
• Pipe 1-inch disks of meringue onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between cookies. The batter will spread. Lift the baking sheets a few inches above the work surface and hit them lightly on the work surface several times to remove any air bubbles from the cookies. Let the cookies stand at room temperature until the shiny surfaces become dull and a thin skin forms, about 15 minutes.
• Place the baking sheets in the preheated oven and bake with the oven door open slightly until the macarons' surfaces are completely dry, about 15 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on a baking sheet before peeling parchment paper from the cookies.
• Spread half the cookies with any desired filling, top with remaining cookies to make sandwiches, and refrigerate at least 2 hours to overnight to let the cookies soften.