Coconut Macaroon Tartlets with Peach Honey Filling and a Chocolate Drizzle
It’s time for a Cook the Books post.
CTB is a foodie book club hosted by four foodie friends (Heather, Rachel,Deb and Simona) who are also ardent readers and take turns making recommendations and hosting. Here is the intriguing teaser they posted at CTB to announce the current novel: The Color of Tea.
From Sicily and The Shape of Water (the last CTB novel), we journey to China for The Color of Tea by Hannah Tunnicliffe, hosted by Deb at Kahakai Kitchen. This descriptive foodie novel follows Grace Miller, an English expat moving with her Australian husband to the tiny island of Macau in China. A stranger in a strange land, Grace, escaping the realities of the shattered dreams of her life, uses her passion for baking to open a café—serving coffee, tea and pretty-colored macarons to the women of Macau. There should be plenty of food and baking inspiration in this lovely book about boldly creating a new life and blossoming in a different place.
What a lovely book—truly lovely.
I loved that Grace found her way in Macau and created her own extended family through her friends and employees.
I loved that Grace found her true being in a foreign land with foreign customs, tastes, and traditions.
I loved that Grace had the courage to strike out on her own and turn a passion and a dream into a reality.
I loved that Grace found Faith.
Even the book cover is lovely.
There was a tremendous amount of beautiful food in the novel, starting with a passionate, lusty tomato tart. I seriously thought about making a tart because that is the first meal Grace makes for Pete, a seriously luscious tart that may have made him fall in love with her. But, tomatoes just aren’t in season yet and I needed perfectly ripe tomatoes for this recipe—“thick with the perfume of their green vines, fat and red” (21).
The obvious choice would have been to make beautiful macarons, but frankly, they scare me. I just know that I could not create those delicate airy confections, especially with the creative flavor concoctions that Grace dreams up.
Really. No way. I could never attempt to make these—“the holy communion of this miracle sugar and egg white and almond coming together” (72). It would be a culinary disaster not for the faint of heart. Grace could pull it off, but not I.
Macarons scare me but not macaroons. I used to think coconut macaroons were the fanciest cookies we ever made growing up. And, I still needed to use up some more of that stored away jam. I was inspired by 5 Second Rule’s C-Cups for Dessert. (Cheryl’s are gluten free so please step right on over and check out the original recipe.) I was also inspired by Chef Sara from our chocolate cooking class to add a bit of chocolate to the mix.
I would make macaroon tartlets, fill them with jam and drizzle them with chocolate. Not macarons, but maybe Grace would have allowed them in the shop.
1-1/4 c. sweetened, flaked coconut
2-1/4 c. unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 c. all-purpose flour (Cheryl’s original recipe calls for coconut flour).
6 farm fresh egg whites
1 t. fine sea salt
Finely grated zest of 1 small lemon
1/3 c. granulated sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray.
In a large nonstick saucepan, combine all ingredients and mix well. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.
Seriously, stir constantly.
Use a small cookie scoop to evenly divide the mixture among the muffin cups. Coat the back of the scoop with nonstick spray, then make an indentation in each cup, packing the mounds down and creating indentations for the filling.
Bake for 15-17 minutes, until the tops of the cups are toasty brown. Let cool in pan. Slide a sharp knife around each cup to loosen, then scoop out carefully. Fill as desired.
Fill as desired? My desire was to use peach honey and a semi-sweet chocolate drizzle!
Any filling would work. I see these in my future filled with fresh strawberry jam, apple pie filling, lemon curd or even an unadorned dark sweet cherry. (I had to fill some with simply chocolate—a bit of a messy job, but they were delicious, too.)
Thank you Cheryl at 5 Second Rule for a keeper of a recipe.
Thank you CTB Crew for another fabulous foodie read.
Thank you Ms. Tunnicliffe for a treasure of a novel and for the inspiration to make macaroon tartlets.
Macaroons have always been one of my favorites. And they’re so much less intimidating than macarons! These look amazing…and perfectly lusty in their own right! 🙂
Glad I’m not the only one intimidated by macarons…but they are on my bucket list. 🙂 This is a great twist on macaroons and so much more luxurious–I think Grace would approve!
Peach honey and chocolate drizzle in a coconutty base–what a wonderful combination. I can’t imagine Grace not wanting them in her cafe! 😉 I share your macaron concerns but I too love making macaroons–and the idea of using them as a tart shell is excellent. Glad you enjoyed the book! 😉
I’m scared to try macarons too. Luckily, I find them too sweet for our tastes so I have a good excuse for not making any. But I do love macaroons. I’m thinking that I’d fill my cups with caramel, then drizzle them with chocolate. 🙂
I love that you made “macaroons”! I wish I had thought of that – so clever 🙂 they sound so yummy too. My boyfriend would die if I made them…I will have to get around to it for him 🙂
Yummy! I would have to agree about the macaroons vs macrons. I love how you made the macaroons into tarts–so many possibilities. I blogged about macaroons today too! Great minds cook alike!
This is the first time I’ve heard of “The Color of Tea”. Your description has me wanting to read it so THANKS! What a different little treat. I love it! I can definitely see these little cups filled with homemade jam. Looks like a great representation of the book because they are inspiring. I’d love to make these!
Comments & Replies
38 responses to “Coconut Macaroon Tartlets with Peach Honey Filling and a Chocolate Drizzle”
Macaroons have always been one of my favorites. And they’re so much less intimidating than macarons! These look amazing…and perfectly lusty in their own right! 🙂
Lust macaroons! 🙂 Thanks, Heather.
They look difficult to prepare(for me) but totally delicious! I like all your photos, step by step.
These are super easy! I also think you could take a traditional macaroon recipe and it might work.
These look totally delicious, esp. for us coconut fans!
Love me some coconut, too!
Giiiiirl, you be bad. I mean…look at these. Please, take them away. I am on a diet!!
Ok, don’t look. Show some self control. 🙂
Macaroons are easy – macarons not so much! Great looking tart – love all the flavors in it (I’m a sucker for coconut). Fun post – thanks so much.
My thoughts exactly. If I know in advance it will be a flop, I do not attempt. Lol
These look so pretty and tasty. I believe they would be perfect for a potluck at work or church!
That’s what I was thinking too.
Thanks for the pictorial, these turned out deliciously! 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thanks, Uru. They were tasty.
My husband would LOVE these, macaroons are his favorite and these are a step up from the norm for sure!
I hope you try them, Chris.
Glad I’m not the only one intimidated by macarons…but they are on my bucket list. 🙂 This is a great twist on macaroons and so much more luxurious–I think Grace would approve!
I don’t even think they are on my bucket list. I am that scared of them.
I am totally intimidated by macarons, too. Funny! I opted to make a cremeux scented with chamomile. Your macaroons look delicious.
And I loved your chamomile twist!
Peach honey and chocolate drizzle in a coconutty base–what a wonderful combination. I can’t imagine Grace not wanting them in her cafe! 😉 I share your macaron concerns but I too love making macaroons–and the idea of using them as a tart shell is excellent. Glad you enjoyed the book! 😉
Thanks do picking this one and hosting, Deb!
I’m scared to try macarons too. Luckily, I find them too sweet for our tastes so I have a good excuse for not making any. But I do love macaroons. I’m thinking that I’d fill my cups with caramel, then drizzle them with chocolate. 🙂
Oh my, YES! Caramel does sound perfect!
Those Macaroons sound and look seriously delicious, not so awfully sweet as macarons. Just sensational!
Thanks, Claudia! I took them to work and they went pretty quick!
I love that you made “macaroons”! I wish I had thought of that – so clever 🙂 they sound so yummy too. My boyfriend would die if I made them…I will have to get around to it for him 🙂
Hope he likes them.
Yummy! I would have to agree about the macaroons vs macrons. I love how you made the macaroons into tarts–so many possibilities. I blogged about macaroons today too! Great minds cook alike!
Yes indeedy! Great minds cook alike! I will check out your post!
It sounds like Claudia is with me on macarons. I have never tasted macaroons, but I like coconut. Your tartlets look really nice.
Seriously, you must try them!
[…] Coconut Macaroon Tartlets with Peach Honey Filling and a Chocolate Drizzle […]
This is the first time I’ve heard of “The Color of Tea”. Your description has me wanting to read it so THANKS! What a different little treat. I love it! I can definitely see these little cups filled with homemade jam. Looks like a great representation of the book because they are inspiring. I’d love to make these!
Thanks, M.J. I hope you read it.
Wow, these look fantastic! And the chocolate drizzle just makes it all come together. So glad you enjoyed our book this time.
Thanks, Rachel. There have been very few (if any) that I truly disliked and when I did, I tried to sugar-coat my response. 🙂
[…] Almond and Chocolate Macaroons See the original recipe here on Eliot’s Eats […]