Coconut Cream-Filled Macaroons

By
Martha Stewart's Cookies, Clarkson Potter/Publishers - New York, 2008, pg. 80

Coconut macaroons with a creamy coconut filling

Preparation time
2 hours, 30 minutes
Cooking time
10 minutes
Total time
2 hours, 40 minutes
Yield
24 Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients

3 cups coconut (unsweetened finely shredded) 3⁄4 cup sugar (granulated) 2 egg whites (large) 1 teaspoon coconut extract 1⁄8 teaspoon salt (coarse) 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened) 2 tablespoons coconut cream (not coconut milk) 1⁄4 cup vegetable shortening 3⁄4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Stir together coconut, granulated sugar, egg whites, coconut extract, and salt in a large bowl. Refrigerate, covered until cold, at least 1 hour or overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 325°F. Form heaping teaspoons of dough into 48 balls: space 1 1/2 in. apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Gently flatten to about 1 1/2 in. in diameter. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges begin to turn golden, 9 - 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool completely.
  3. Filling: Put butter, and shortening in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add confectioners' sugar, coconut cream and coconut extract; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  4. Assemble cookies: Place a heaping teaspoon of filling on the bottom of one cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Refrigerate until filling is firm, about 30 minutes. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes before serving. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.