Paul and I have always wanted to visit PEI, but have never had the chance (maybe this summer?) The East Coast of Canada is definitely a place that we want to spend more time exploring.
I connected with Barbara through Food Bloggers of Canada – I love how she features a lot of local PEI foods on her blog and shows off the island’s best. Plus, the cookie recipe that she’s sharing with us combines some of my favourite ingredients!
guest post by Barbara from My Island Bistro Kitchen
I am Barbara, the culinary blogger behind My Island Bistro Kitchen food blog. I live in lovely Prince Edward Island on Canada’s east coast where the land and sea meet in a marriage of wonderful local food flavours. The focus of my blog is mainly on Island-produced foods and beverages and featuring them in recipes as opposed to simply using the blog solely to share my own favorite recipes although I do some of that as well.
Focusing on Island products inspires me to be more creative in how I cook with local products and motivates me to find different ways to incorporate them into recipes and present them on the table. It also gives off-Island visitors to my blog a glimpse into the many fine foods and food and beverage products produced on PEI. We may be Canada’s smallest province but we produce great food on the Island!
Christmas baking and food preparation is still a popular tradition on PEI. Many households will already have made their fruitcakes by now and some will have the plum puddings made as well. Ask any Islander what foods have to be available at Christmas in order for it to be Christmas for them and there will be no hesitation in naming their favorites. Scotch cookies and chocolate peanut butter balls are fairly standard traditions and each family will, no doubt, have some recipes unique to their family and ones they make annually around the holidays.
Every year at Christmas, I like to try at least one new cookie recipe. However, there is nothing like the old tried and true favorites that have endured for years. Christmas is, after all, a nostalgic time of the year. For example, I have great memories of Scotch cookies being made in my home and decorated with a tiny dob of icing and a speck of cherry on top. This was the only time of the year that Scotch cookies made their appearance. To this day, Scotch cookies remain an annual Christmas food tradition in my household.
When I am planning my Christmas baking, I try to preconceive the various uses to which I am going to put the sweet treats, including cookies. For example, some will be boxed to give as gifts, others will adorn afternoon tea tables, some will make their way to cookie exchanges, and others will go on trays of sweets for the many get-togethers over the holidays – from the office to house parties, including as hostess gifts.
There are several factors I take into consideration when choosing a recipe for Christmas cookies:
1) flavour and taste
2) color
3) texture
4) shape
5) size
6) capability of being made in advance and frozen
7) capability of being packaged without destruction and ease of transport
8) ease of preparation
9) number and cost of ingredients as well as ease of sourcing
Today, I am choosing to share an old family recipe for Coconut Cherry Macaroons. They fit all nine (9) of the criteria I have listed above. They have a wonderful flavour enhanced by almond extract. The red and green cherries add color to any tray or box bearing these macaroons. Just a wee bit crisp on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside, their ragged shape gives texture and they maintain their shape for ease of packaging. They can also be made in advance and frozen. Best of all, they are easy to make and don’t take a lot of ingredients and none out of the ordinary that you would not likely be able to easily find at your supermarket or local bulk food store.
ingredients
- 4 extra-large eggs (at room temperature), separated
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups coconut*
- 1 1/2cups flour
- 3/4 cup red candied cherries, chopped
- 3/4 cup green candied cherries, chopped
directions
- Assemble ingredients.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In large bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and salt on high speed just until frothy. Gradually, and very slowly, add the sugar while continuing to beat on high speed. Whisk the egg whites and sugar until mixture forms stiff peaks.
- Meanwhile, in separate large bowl, with a hand mixer or whisk, beat the four egg yolks along with the almond and vanilla flavorings. Stir in coconut. Add flour and candied cherries. Mix well.
- Fold the stiff egg white mixture into the coconut mixture.
- Drop by teaspoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown and cookies are set. Let cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.
* Any kind of coconut — flaked, shredded, or macaroon — and either sweetened or unsweetened (or a mixture of both), can be used. In the photographs that accompany this recipe, I used macaroon coconut, a shorter variety of coconut.
Social media links:
Website: www.myislandbistrokitchen.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MyIslandBistroKitchen
Twitter: @PEIBistro
Pinterest: Island Bistro Kitchen
Instagram: www.instagram.com/peibistro
Check out the rest of the Cookie Recipe Advent Calendar here!
The content, recipe and all photos used in this blog post belong to Barbara / My Island Bistro Kitchen and were used with her permission. Please do not reprint any of the content in this post without her express permission.
How lovely! These sound like meringue cookies, but better especially when it comes with cherry.
I agree Linda! Everything is better with cherries! 🙂
Amazing! Macaroons are some of my favourites (and so is PEI). Do you think they’d survive without the almond? Buts don’t love my daughter (although she is one). Can’t wait to see the rest of the reveals!
OMG autocorrect! My daughter is a nut, not a but!” (Well, maybe sometimes)
LOL Ann. Since it’s just a flavouring, I’m pretty sure you could omit the almond extract. Maybe you can substitute something else? Would love to know how they turn out if you do give these a try!
This cookie calendar idea is so much fun! I love it, so cute. And these sound incredible!