The sugar train continues this week with black sesame coconut macaroons.
I can’t even believe that I’m peeking over the fence at Easter. I mean, it was just Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day! I never understand why the calendar does what it does sometimes.
However, here we are, looking for homemade goodies to fill Easter baskets, or to mark Passover. And these black sesame macaroons are IT.
First off, I love a macaroon. Mounds of sweetened coconut bound together with sweetened condensed milk (sugar!), baked to perfection and then sometimes dipped in chocolate (MORE SUGAR!). What’s not to love?
This iteration was inspired by one that I saw, but did not eat at Kasama when I was in Chicago around Christmas last year.
Why did I only see, but not eat said macaroon? Becuase, super rationer that I am did not want to ruin the breakfast that I waited two hours in line for, so I packed it up, took it back to D’s house and then when I left her house a few days later, I simply forgot to take it with me.
Foiled!
Still, I did have a bite, and was intrigued by the flavor. I’ve always been a fan of white sesame (ie tahini) in my desserts (see tahini brownies, for one), but black sesame seeds tend to take a little bit of a back seat. Today, we change that.
But first, what is the difference between a macaroon and a macaron?
There’s a big one, actually.. A macaroon (two OOs) is what we’re making here today – mounds of coconut piled high and baked up. A macaron (one O) is a finicky, meringue-based French confection expertly baked and filled with many a variety of fillings. Frankly, the pain-in-the-butt kind of thing you are unlikely to find on these e-pages. Just stating facts here.
What ingredients do I need to make black sesame coconut macaroons?
Only a few!
- egg whites
- sweetened shredded coconut
- sweetened condensed milk
- black sesame seeds, toasted
- vanilla & salt, for seasonings
- white chocolate, optional, for dipping
I used Ina’s recipe for coconut macaroons as a a based and added in my own ground, black sesame seeds. I didn’t go so far as to make a paste out of it (like in the way of a tahini) because frankly, I didn’t have the right size food processor to do it. I ground them as fine as I could with my blender, and I let the creaminess of the condensed milk bring it together. It worked.
I opted to dip these babes in melted white chocolate because I thought the flavors would complement the black sesame really well and I was right! While I would call that step optional…I really wouldn’t make it so. Don’t want to dip? A white chocolate drizzle would do.
It’ll do just fine.
Black Sesame Coconut Macaroons
Ingredients
- 1 cup black sesame seeds
- 14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 egg whites, large
- 1 ½ cups white chocolate chips
- black sesame seeds to garnish
Instructions
- In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the sesame seeds until fragrant and they taste toasted (you may not be able to smell them). Remove from the skillet. Set aside about 10 minutes to cool slightly.
- Once cool, to a blender or a small food processor, grind up the sesame seeds as fine as you can get them, as close to a paste as you can. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- Combine the condensed milk, vanilla, ground sesame seeds, coconut and salt in a medium bowl and mix well.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until medium-firm peaks. Fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture and make sure everything is blended well. Do not overmix as to deflate the egg whites.
- Using an ice cream scoop (about 1/4 cup), scoop the mixture onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, evenly spaced - about 12 macaroons. Sprinkle each with extra sesame seeds.
- Bake 30-40 minutes until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
- Once the macaroons have cooled, melt the white chocolate in a shallow bowl and dip the bottom of each macaroon into the chocolate. If desired, then dip the white chocolate into more toasted sesame seeds.
- Store in an airtight container.
