Oh boy, what a time! You’d think that quitting my job would suddenly give me an extra nine hours in the day. Well, you’d be wrong! In between the preparations for moving and decorating the apartment before we move out I’ve hardly had time for anything – I barely have the energy to make anything in the kitchen right now, let alone photograph and blog about it. I’m exhausted – and then I go to sleep, wake up, I’m still exhausted and I have to do another thousand things. Bleurgh – I hate moving, but it’s getting close now so it will soon be all over!
I must apologise for not being able to stop by others’ blogs as often as I would like! I try to drop in when I can but my time is seriously stretched thin these days, so please do forgive me if I can’t visit as often as I have in the past. Once I’m settled down in Sweden I should be able to resume once again where I left off, but in the meantime – don’t forget about me please!
Today’s recipe is going to be short and sweet, and I’m going to share something with you that’s perfect to have with coffee. While this particular recipe is Swedish, they’re not dissimilar to coconut macaroons, although these use the whole egg, instead of just the whites, which I dare say does make them a little easier and faster to make.
They should ideally be really small – literally “bite-sized”, so the recipe below should yield about 25-30 cakes. I’ve dipped them in chocolate because, hey, who doesn’t like chocolate, although they can equally be served plain. They’re not too sweet either which makes a nice change from the usual sugar-laden cakes and cookies one is often wont to eat. Another bonus as well is that these are gluten free. That doesn’t really matter much to me but I know that there’s a whole bunch of people out there avoiding gluten for various reasons so this is a lovely little bite to serve on a cake platter for those with such dietary restrictions.
Have a good day folks – I’ll be back in a few days with something new, although I’m not sticking to my regular posting schedule right now due to time constraints!
Ingredients
Method
- Start off by preheating the oven to 175 degrees Celsius, then mix together the eggs and sugar in a large bowl.
- Melt the butter in a pan or using the microwave and then transfer to another large bowl along with the coconut. Mix well and allow to stand for a few minutes to ensure the fat is well absorbed by the coconut.
- Pour the sugar and egg mixture into the coconut and mix well to combine into a loose dough.
- Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper and drop heaped teaspoons of the mixture onto the paper. Form them into rough cone shapes with your fingers and once you've made them all, bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes until starting to turn golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and lift the cakes away from the paper before they cool to prevent sticking (you can place them back down on the same paper).
Notes
I know a little something about what you’re going through Charles ;-). Preparing to move to another country while settling the home you are currently in is non-stop work, stress and exhaustion. I was sleeping an average of 4 hours a night with 3.5 weeks to get it all done. A recipe for madness. On a positive note, this chapter will soon pass and your new life in Sweden will begin. Yay!! Good luck with all the final preparations and happy trails. I will be thinking of you and your beautiful family!
Hi Kelly, yes – I really can’t wait for it all to be over now. The home has started “coming apart” – furniture is being given away, bits are being sold etc and so now I’m feeling more like a tourist or “temporary visitor” than a resident here 🙁
Love quick and easy recipes and this sure fits the bill!
Good luck moving! Hoping everything goes smoothly and yall are settled in soon!
Thank you Shashi – as soon as everything is a bit more calm I will finally come by to check out your blog too, promise!
Haha I know what you mean about waking up in the morning and still tired. I feel like I never recovered from exhaustion. Ahhh!
So these coconut treats are perfect. I think I eat sweets partially to get energize in the middle of the day.. Otherwise I look like zombie! 😉
Good luck with your packing, Charles! Don’t worry about visiting. People understand your situation very well. 🙂
Thank you Nami – so much to do right now… I double-booked two appointments today and completely forgot what was going on… hard to keep track of all the things, lol!
One of my favorite combinations…coconut and chocolate! I want to dive into the screen and grab one of these. How exciting to be moving to Sweden. It sounds like it will be an adventure, and if I remember correctly your wife is from there, so you’ll have family to show you all the perfect markets and sights. I am still trying to move all of our stuff from 1/3 of our house back into the 2/3 impacted by the reconstruction, so I feel your pain a little bit. Good luck with the move and you won’t be forgotten…we’ll all be awaiting a post move report. 🙂
Hi Betsy, yes – it will be very exciting, but very sad at the same time. We’ll definitely be able to be shown the sights, although they don’t really have “market culture” in the north of Sweden. Sadly everything is from the supermarket. There’s no bakeries, no butchers, no fruit markets 🙁
oh, I’m so glad to know someone else gets overwhelmed in moving! With 3 moves in one year, you might think I got the hang of it, but it’s still crazy! I really love this recipe. Tiny bites of sweets, so perfect for a dessert treat that doesn’t leave you feeling guilty!! Good luck on your move!
3 moves in 1 year – bleurgh… I feel for you! That must have been horrible… I hope you’re in a place where you can settle down now though?
I’m not a big fan of macaroons but every once in a while I get a craving. I only buy sweetened shredded coconut though so I always have to fiddle with recipes I find. I like that this one uses the whole egg because having to figure out what to do with the yolks can sometimes be a challenge.
As to the chocolate dipping, I fell into the trap of wanting to dress up the baking I did recently too … Eva’s Almond Biscotti and FINALLY, florentines. Both desserts were first timers for me and though I liked the biscotti, the florentines were addictive.
Ah, I usually just chuck the extra yolk in with the rest of the eggs when I’m making scrambled eggs, but I agree it’s nice to not have random pots with single whites or yolks sitting around.
You could probably just replace the coconut with sweetened coconut directly, no fiddling required. The current ones aren’t too sweet at all, so even with sweetened coconut it wouldn’t be too bad I think.
I save the extra yolks or whites for scrambled eggs as well … other than that time I saved a great whack of whites for the macaron attempt which failed miserably … one day though, I shall TRIUMPH over the tricky macaron!!!
By the way, I just used my metal cannoli forms for another creative dessert idea. You don’t really NEED them but they are useful. Hopefully I’ll have the post up by the time you get around to checking out this comment. 🙂
I’m not forgetting about you, Charles. In the past three years we’ve had to move five times and it’s been horrendous. It’s a chapter in our lives I hope I will never have to repeat. As punishing as it’s been, I didn’t have to move countries, just around Sydney. I can imagine you have so much more to consider so I completely understand how overwhelmed you must be feeling. This recipe should give you the energy to keep going – I can imagine you must have had more than your share of these! xx
Hi Charlie – yeah, on the one hand I really don’t envy you having to move so many times, but on the other it’s super tough… having to sort out everything like taxes and cancelling every single thing… internet, phones, transferring car insurance etc etc… urgh 🙁
Charles, I can’t believe you have the time to blog about anything! How busy you must be. Well, thank you for sharing these delicious looking little treats. I love coconut and chocolate so I know these are delicious! Take care of yourself and your family and there is NO WAY to forget about you! 🙂
Thanks MJ – I will return properly once everything has settled down, hopefully with a few good stories to tell :()
These look gorgeous! I love these kind of little swedish treats. Are they swedish? Either way they look great.
Hi Sarah – yes, this particular recipe is Swedish. They’re similar to regular macaroons, but they’re commonly known in Sweden as this.
Moving is never easy. Moving to another country is downright difficult. I’m amazed you can even stand up.
Love these coconut cookies and I will have to make them. I like the chocolate dip.
Thanks Maureen – I promise to swing by as soon as I have more time again 🙁
Not at all Charles…in fact brave of you to keep the blog running. I get so exhausted by moves that I even stop FB, lol! I have been going on sweet binge lately, and these awesome looking little bites are not helping 🙂
Thank you Minnie – Facebook… there’s a thought… I used to be checking that out every day! Nowadays though, haven’t got time to waste on this!
Charles, I might be the only person on earth who doesn’t like chocolate; but when I make macaroons, I leave half plain for me and dip half in chocolate for my husband. At first I thought these were macaroons (and I’m happy with my own recipe), but then I saw that these take the whole egg. Yippee! I’m definitely going to be making these!
Ah, no, I know at least two other crazy people who don’t like chocolate. Good idea with the dipping only half the batch though – nice that you can both enjoy them to their fullest then!
Charles, hope the move is progressing relatively painlessly. I just made these for the second time. No more regular egg-white-only coconut macaroons for me! AND these have a touch of butter, and what isn’t better with butter?!
How could we forget you Charles – with recpes like these?! We fully understand, you take your time, we’re here for you.
Thanks Chica!
Ugh, don’t talk to me about moving either. Seems like I’ve been moving all my life, from England to Texas to Colorado back to Texas and then back to Colorado. Not to mention how many times I’ve moved houses and flats…it’s not funny. I very much understand your predicament and I won’t forget about you, in fact you’ll be on my mind as I sympathise. Wish we could help you but being across a couple of seas doesn’t really offer much.
If you have a plate of these, the moving will be much easier and happier, ok, maybe you’ll need a few plates. I love macaroons so I love how these are even quicker to make. Great for that sudden sweet attack. Good luck my friend. Sending you good vibes.
Nazneen
Thank you Nazneen – if you really want to help, you can come over and take away some of my furniture! I have a TV and a table which is still looking for a home, and I really don’t want to throw it away! 😀
Preparing to move is huge!!
No wonder you have no time…
These looks gorgeous!
I would love some right now with my morning coffee. Well done!
Thanks GG 🙂
I love that dip in chocolate – it pushes these over the top! Good luck with your packing and move, I hope it all goes smoothly for you!
Thanks Laura!
No worries, Charles, we’ll be here! Those little cakes look perfect for the holidays. I live that they are gluten free too. Definitely going on my list for Christmas baking.
Lovely little nibbly things! Too cute and too small….resulting in me eating far too many I am sure. Loving the Swedish recipes Charles – I look forward to many many more in the coming months. Good luck with it all. Don’t worry….I know how mad moving can be and then you factor in a new country! Must be crazy for you xx
I can totally relate to not having a moment to sit at the computer (outside of work). I thought both kids being in school all day would give me more time. Little did I know how much work would creep in. I hope that you’re getting settled in now. Moving is such hard work. They say that it’s one of life’s major stressors. I can’t wait to hear all about your new home though. I’m very excited for you. And don’t worry about not having time to comment often. I get that too. I know you’re there. Know that I’m here. We won’t forget you – couldn’t forget you. 🙂
Charles, I just made these Swedish classics again! I love them (the ones without chocolate for me, the ones with it for my husband and guests). They are always a hit! Butter and no wasted egg yolks make them much better than coconut macaroons.
Hi Jean, thank you so much – really! I’m so glad they have such enduring appeal! I think a lot of bloggers post and post, but unless you’re a very “big name”, not that many people end up making your dishes. There’s so much delicious food on the internet to see, and even if it looks amazing, I can’t make it all… there’s just not enough meals in a lifetime, so to have someone make something not once, but twice is a really nice thing to hear for me – thank you!