Recipe: Mont Blanc White chocolate and Coconut macaroons @ Not Quite Nigella

Mont Blanc coconut macaroons

August 14, 2008 by Not Quite Nigella

No, I’m sorry if I got you excited but these are different from French macarons.

I admit I’m ahead of time. I usually make these for Christmas presents but don’t think I would recommend that you make a Gateau Breton requiring 6 egg yolks and leave you stranded with 6 egg whites do you? Of course not Dear Reader. This is one of the standby recipes I use if I have a surplus of egg whites. However this only uses 3 of them, and if you are determinted to use all 6 egg whites, you’d do better making a pavlova (as long as they’re totally egg yolk free) but in this case I was using my sister’s kitchen and she doesn’t have a beater or mixer.

UK food haul: icing tubes, sugar decorations, crystallised violets, silver balls (cachous), sugar flowers, jelly diamonds and Maldon Salt.

You can use milk or dark chocolate, I used white as I like the snow topped mountain look. And cachous are optional but obviously desirable, especially around Christmas time when things need a sparkle. I have to confess I went wild while in London at Tesco for their silver cachous. Priced at $6AUD at your local supermarket for 60grams, they were an incredible 9p-yes that’s right, a whole 20c for a 30g box of them. Which confirms what I’ve suspected for so long, that we’re completely rorted in Australia price wise. Which is of course why I bought 16 boxes of them

Mont Blanc Coconut Macaroons

3 cups/250g shredded or dessicated coconut
1 1/3 cup white sugar
2-3 egg whites
125grams white chocolate
silver cachous

1. Preheat oven to 180C degrees Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well to incorporate

2. Shape a cone in the palm of one hand with other hand and place on baking sheet with parchment

3. Bake in oven for 10 minutes (watch carefully as they can burn fairly easily). They will be fairly delicate until they are cold so handle carefully

4. When cool, melt white chocolate and using a teaspoon pour a little over each ‘peak’ so that it drips down the sides. Any extra in the bowl can either be strewn over the macaroons or eaten. Add a silver cachou to the top of each and wait until chocolate sets.

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1. M | August 14, 2008 at 11:15 pm | #

Call me crazy but I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR BLOG after a slog! I made the potato bread and it was divine!

Thanks for the lovely posts!
2. grace | August 15, 2008 at 1:43 am | #

you didn’t disappoint me at all–i prefer macaroons to macarons, and yours are perfectly gorgeous.
3. Kel | August 15, 2008 at 9:07 pm | #

Oh, I’m in awe of your Tesco haul! How much were the violet petals? Those icing tubes are great, does each colour come with different piping nozzles?
4. Not Quite Nigella | August 16, 2008 at 12:23 am | #

Hi M-Thanks so much! I’m so glad you like the potato bread too! Thanks for the lovely comment!

Hi grace-Ahhh ok good I was worried that people might expect a chestnut and cream macaron. Thanks!

Hi Kel-It was so exciting to be there and buy all of those things. The Violet petals were from Waitrose and were only about £3 (too good to pass up as they’re $25 here) and the icing tubes were a huge 59p-89p each (can you believe it?). Each tube comes with 4 piping nozzles!
5. Maria | August 18, 2008 at 6:56 pm | #

Hi Lorraine..

I was excited to see the boxes of Maldon.. How much were they?

Glad you got the violet petals too.
6. Maria | August 18, 2008 at 8:54 pm | #

How could I forget the lovely macarooms.. they are pretty indeed.
7. Maria | August 18, 2008 at 8:55 pm | #

Can I not spell macarooNs? lol
8. Not Quite Nigella | August 19, 2008 at 12:21 am | #

Hi Maria-The boxes of Maldon were only £1.95 ($4ishAUD)! So of course I had to buy a couple of boxes I don’t know what I’m going to use the crystallised violets for but I feel better for having them in my coffers

Hehe don’t worry! I know what you meant
9. Maria | August 21, 2008 at 9:14 pm | #

Hi Lorraine,

I used to buy my Maldon at gourmet/foodie stores after my local supermarket stopped stocking it. Coles used to charge around $10 a box and that’s what I was paying at the gourmet foodie place too.. or up to $12 even. My local Safeway (Woolworths) started re-stocking Maldon..but again it’s gone..and I was so pleased to find it at another Coles tonight for $7.99 a box -I bought one of course! I’ve been using generic iodised table salt for about 3 weeks now! :-/ (gasp)!
10. Not Quite Nigella | August 21, 2008 at 9:46 pm | #

Hi Maria-Ahhh cool, so you found a more reasonably priced supply of Maldon! I wish I had bought more actually
11. Angela | September 9, 2008 at 11:41 pm | #

They’re so pretty! I didn’t realise that there was such a huge price difference between the UK and Australia for some things. I had assumed that almost everywhere was cheaper than Britain!
12. Not Quite Nigella | September 10, 2008 at 9:09 pm | #

Hi Angela-It’s funny, I was shocked at how cheap some things were in London because like you, I assumed everywhere else was cheaper than Britain. Perhaps things are Australia are just too expensive!