Midnight Kitchen

The time for holiday baking is late at night: when the baker is tired but the house is quiet.

Last night I made ambrosia macaroons from a recipe I’d never made before.  In truth, I had never made a macaroon, and I was fascinated to learn that they contain no flour.  They contain butter, sugar, salt, coconut, and eggs; in this case, grated orange peel.  It’s a good Southern recipe, which finishes with the macaroons being drizzled in bittersweet chocolate.

I was pleased with the way the cookies turned out.  Coconut can be cloying, but because of the sharp orange flavor and the bitterness of the chocolate, the flavor is very complex and not too sweet.  I think these will be a hit with our far-flung relatives, when they come upon them in the annual cookie tins.