Piña Colada Macarons

July 10: National Piña Colada Day

“If you like piña coladas…and are not much into health foods,” then you’ll love piña colada macarons! We flavored basic macaron shells with desiccated coconut and coconut extract and then tempered its sweetness with pineapple cream cheese for a perfect piña colada cocktail cookie. “Escape” and indulge in this great summertime snack. These macarons are a terrific tropical treat for a non-alcoholic National Piña Colada Day!

Recipe

(Adapted from I Love Macarons by Hisako Ogita)

For the macarons (Italian meringue method)

• 1 cup almond flour/meal
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ cup desiccated coconut
• 3 egg whites (fresh, unpasteurized and aged overnight at room temperature)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• ½ teaspoon coconut extract

For the filling

• Pineapple cream cheese spread (we used Kraft Philadelphia brand)

Directions

In a food processor, grind together the almond flour/meal, powdered sugar and desiccated coconut. Sift to remove any lumps. Make a simple syrup to stabilize the egg whites by boiling the sugar and water together until it reaches a temperature of 245 degrees F on a candy thermometer (or until it reaches a soft ball stage).

Whip the egg whites until peaks form. Pour the simple syrup into the beaten egg whites and whip again until stiff and glossy. Stir in the almond flour/meal-sugar-coconut mix until the consistency “flows like magma.”

Fill a pastry bag with a large round tip. Pipe one-inch discs on a parchment paper on top of an insulated baking sheet. Let the discs air dry to develop a thin skin for at least 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for about 15 minutes. Watch the “feet” develop, but be careful not to brown or burn the macarons.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Peel off the macarons from the parchment paper. Sort by size and match pairs.  Spread the pineapple cream cheese on one of the macarons and sandwich with another. Refrigerate to set the filling. Serve chilled like the cocktail itself.

Notes

• See the lyrics of and listen to “Escape (The Piña Colada Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes on YouTube.
• We bought the desiccated coconut from the About Australia online store.