Today’s macaroons are easy and fun little treats using just a few store-cupboard ingredients. Whenever I use a can of beans (which, frankly, is most days), I try to include the aquafaba, or bean water, in whatever it is I’m making. Inevitably, though, I sometimes end up with a bit left over, which means I have to get creative to find a way to use it up. Sometimes, I’ll include the liquid in a soup or stew, or use it to make mayonnaise, caesar salad dressing or a whisky sour. When my sweet tooth kicks in, or when I want to bake with my daughter, however, I often use it to make a simple sweet snack such as today’s macaroons. Using aquafaba in baking saves money, too. Good eggs are expensive, so I’d rather save them for when they’re essential to a recipe.
Vegan coconut macaroons
Here, aquafaba binds desiccated coconut into perfectly delicious sweet little cookies, and saves both time and money by avoiding the potentially wasteful process of making them with egg whites. The coconut oil and chocolate are optional, but the oil does add a boost of nutrition and helps the macaroons brown nicely in the oven. The lemon zest and chocolate also take these cookies up a notch.
100ml aquafaba, from a can of chickpeas or beans
80g unrefined sugar
200g desiccated coconut
20g coconut oil (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch sea salt
½ tsp lemon zest (optional)
90g dark chocolate (optional)
In a clean bowl, whisk the aquafaba to soft peaks. Whisk in half the sugar until it dissolves, then repeat with the remaining sugar. Fold in the desiccated coconut, coconut oil (warm it first in a bowl set over hot water, until it turns liquid), vanilla extract, a pinch of sea salt and the lemon zest, if using.
Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5 and line an oven tray with unbleached baking paper. Divide the macaroon mixture into 16 balls, pressing each one together firmly, then put on the tray and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, finely chop the dark chocolate, if using, put it in a bowl set over a pan of warm water and stir until it melts. Dip the base of each macaroon in the chocolate, then arrange them chocolate side up on a sheet of greaseproof paper and leave to cool and set. Once the macaroons are ready, drizzle the tops with any excess melted chocolate to use it all up, leave to set, then tuck in.
