Recipes
Chocolate Coconut Rochers
After receiving many requests
from the customers of my pastry shop, I decided to make these flourless coconut
cookies for Passover. Rocher means “boulder” in French, which describes the
shape of these cookies. To add to the chocolate factor, and give them extra
crunch, you can dip their tips in tempered chocolate.
Makes about 25
5 large egg whites
¾ cup (150 grams) sugar
Pinch of salt
4 ½ cups (350 grams) dried
unsweetened shredded coconut
2 ½ tablespoons (15 grams)
Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/3
cup plus 2 tablespoons (80 grams) semisweet mini chocolate chips
Place a rack in the center of the
oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper,
and place a small bowl of water next to it.
Combine the egg whites, sugar,
and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Fill a medium pot one-third full
with water and bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to
low and, making sure that the bowl containing the egg whites doesn’t touch the
water, place it over the pot. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved and the
mixture is hot to the touch, about 5 minutes. Be careful to not overheat the
mixture, or the egg whites will cook.
Place the bowl in an electric
mixer and fit the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until the whites thicken
into a meringue and the bottom of the
bowl is cool to the touch.
In a medium bowl, mix together
the coconut, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips. With a silicone spatula, gently
fold them into the meringue until just combined.
With a small ice-cream scoop or
your fingers, scoop out the mixture in mounds about the diameter of a quarter,
and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. Dip your fingers in the water,
and pinch the top of the mounds to make pyramid-like shapes.
Bake for 10 minutes, until the
outside of the cookie becomes crunchy (the center should still be moist). Remove
them to a wire cooling rack to cool. The rochers can be stored in an airtight
container in a dry, cool environment for 3 to 4 days.