German Coconut Macaroons

By Dana Hirsch

Try this homemade holiday gift! (photo by Dana Hirsch)

German Coconut Macaroons (not to be confused with French macarons) are the perfect quick and easy homemade treat for this holiday season. Don’t have the funds for an extravagant holiday gift this year? Consider making these for less than $10 a batch!

What’s really magical about this recipe is that it can easily be made vegan, gluten free, even sugar free by using erythritol as a sugar alternative! Either way, this beautiful and moist cookie is sure to please everyone on your list.

Supplies Needed:

• Oven

• Electric hand or stand mixer or whisk+arm workout

• Large bowl

• Baking sheet

It only takes three ingredients. (photo by Dana Hirsch)

Ingredients for 50-60 German Coconut Macaroons:

• 4 egg whites or for the vegan version: 8 tablespoons of aquafaba (the water from a can of chickpeas)

• 1 ½ cups of granulated sugar

• 16 oz or 2 cups of shredded coconut (I prefer unsweetened but you can use sweetened as well)

• Chocolate for drizzling (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300ºF.

2. Add egg whites or aquafaba to the bowl and beat until stiff. The best way to tell if your egg whites are stiff enough is to turn the bowl upside down–if nothing moves or drips, you’re good to go!

3. Gradually add sugar to the bowl and keep beating the mixture. Beat until the sugar no longer crunches in the bowl.

4. With a rubber spatula or spoon, gently fold in the shredded coconut.

5. Use a tablespoon to scoop the dough on a lined baking sheet. The cookies will not run while baking so it’s okay to put them close together without letting them touch.

6. Bake for 20 minutes and remove when the tops begin to turn golden brown.

7. Let cool and enjoy! If you’re feeling fancy, you can drizzle the cookies with chocolate once they are cool to the touch.

You can drizzle or dip them in chocolate to make it fancy. (photo by Dana Hirsch)

Food insecurity is a common problem among college students. According to the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness, 44% of college students cut the size of their meals or skipped meals because there wasn’t enough money for food, 15% lost weight because there wasn’t enough money for food, and 20% did not eat for a whole day because there wasn’t enough money for food.

If you’re struggling with food insecurity, visit the Food Pantry website, follow their Instagram, or email Food Pantry Supervisor Dilenny Diaz at dilenny.diaz@purchase.edu for more information on how

you can access services you need.