Preserved Lemon Coconut Macaroons

These Preserved Lemon Coconut Macaroons are a result of an overabundance of preserved lemons in my pantry. I have made unusual macaroons for Passover before. However, these are my new favorite.

When preparing for a party or barbecue, I don’t know why but I always end up with extra lemons. Before they go bad, I usually cut them into pieces and put them down the garbage disposal for freshness. Before doing this, I zest them and freeze the zest for future use. One day I had a LOT of lemons. I got the idea to preserve them. Then I could not stop. I racked up jar after jar. Giving them away to friends was one solution. The other was to get creative in the kitchen with them. Preserved Lemon Coconut Macaroons are my first recipe experiment.

Sweet, salty, and tangy soft and scrumptious cookies. This Preserved Lemon Coconut Macaroon recipe is easy and comes together quickly. No mixer is required.  I also made a lemon glaze to drizzle on top of them. However, this is optional. Honestly, this was an extra precaution. I was nervous about adding the salty lemons to the mix and I wanted to make sure the cookies were sweet enough. They are so you can forgo the glaze.

Tips for making Preserved Lemon Coconut Macaroons

• Control the tartness of the cookies by adding more or less preserved lemon to the batter.
• The glaze is optional but remember it will make the cookies sweeter.
• Use unsweetened coconut flakes to cut the sugar content way down. Alternatively, use half-unsweetened and half-sweet coconut flakes.

The recipe I use for the preserved lemons is as follows: Cut the lemons into quarters. However,  don’t cut all the way through. The lemon should still be in one piece on the bottom. Sprinkle kosher salt in a jar. Place a cut lemon in the jar, sprinkle it with salt, and squish it down releasing the juice. Repeat until the jar is tightly packed. Add a teaspoon of black peppercorns and a bay leaf of two. Tightly screw the top on and leave it in the pantry for a few weeks. Then you are ready to use them in this Preserved Lemon Coconut Macaroon recipe.

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Preserved Lemon Covonut Macaroons

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine German, Jewish

Keyword coconut, Macaroons, passover, preserved lemons

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 2 dozen

Author Lora Wiley-Lennartz

Ingredients

• 1/2 large preserved lemon
• 14 oz sweetened shredded coconut
• 2 T preserved lemon juice
• 1/4 cup finely chopped preserved lemons
• 2 eggs
• 1 C white granulated sugar
• 2 T melted unsalted butter
• 1/2 C powdered sugar
• 2 T lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Puree the preserved lemon in a food processor or blender. Make sure you remove the seeds first.

3. Place the shredded coconut in a bowl.

4. Add preserved lemon juice from the jar.

5. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs together with a fork.

6. Add the eggs, melted butter, and sugar to the bowl and mix to combine.

7. Mix in preserved lemon

8. Use a teaspoon to drop round spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets.

9. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes.

10. Remove from oven. Let the macaroons cool completely then transfer to wire racks positioned over the baking sheets. If there is some spread around the cookies, use a sharp knife to trim it. Let cool completely.

11. Whisk together the lemon juice and powdered sugar.

12. Dip one side of each macaroon into the glaze. gently shake off the excess and place the dipped macaron on the rack. Or Drizzle the glaze over the tops of the macaroons.

13. When the glaze has hardened, plate and serve.

More Macaroons:

Blood Orange Pomegranate Macaroons

Red Velvet Macaroons