With the Fourth of July holiday almost here and gas prices are through the roof, many families are opting to have a backyard cookout this year. A cookout is a great way for families to get together, overeat, and enjoy each other's company.
So I wanted to create a refreshing dessert that looked like summer. Pineapple was the first thing that crossed my mind. I don't know about you, but pineapple and coconut perfectly match me.
Ingredients
Pineapple Curd
- Pineapple juice Dole 100%
- Lemon juice
- Cornstarch
- Egg yolks
- Eggs
- Butter unsalted
Macaroons
- Sweetened coconut shredded
- All-purpose flour
- Condensed milk
- Vanilla Extract
- Kosher Salt
- Dole crushed pineapple 100% fruit juice
- Macadamia nuts chopped
Macadamia Nuts - I have tried the roasted and salted macadamia nuts, which do not work well in this cookie. I recommend the plain no salt variety.
Condensed Milk - Since we are not adding any sugar to the macaroon be sure to use the condensed milk and not the evaporated milk.
Crushed Pineapple - Whatever crushed pineapple you use make sure it is in fruit juice and not heavy syrup. I myself prefer the small Dole 8oz cans but of course, you can use your favorite.
Making Coconut Pineapple Macaroons
These cookies are a three-part process. The first step is to make the pineapple curd. I almost always make my curds the day before I need to use them and let them sit in my refrigerator overnight. The second step is to make the macaroons and finally put the macaroons and pineapple curd together.
How to Make Pineapple Curd
Please visit the full post recipe for Easy Pineapple Curd. First, mix half of the pineapple juice with the cornstarch to add later. Next, put the eggs and egg yolks into a bowl and whisk them, so they are mixed. You will temper these eggs later.
Add the other half of the pineapple juice, lemon juice, and sugar to a 2qt saucepan. Heat over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
Whisk in the pineapple-cornstarch mixture until it thickens. This usually takes 2 to 3 minutes.
Once it has thickened, take the pan off the heat. Now it is time to temper your eggs. Whisk a spoon full of the hot pineapple sugar mixture into the bowl of eggs. It took 5 or 6 spoonfuls to bring the eggs to a warm temperature.
Once the eggs are tempered, add them to the pan, whisking as you add them. The whisking helps keep the eggs from cooking instead of blending. Next, return the pan to the stove and keep whisking until it has thickened and looks smooth.
If you see pieces of egg or lumps, you can strain the curd before adding it to a glass jar.
Add a plastic wrap to the top and press the whole way around. You want the wrap touching all the curd at the top of the jar. This stops a film from forming.
Cool the jar of curd on the counter for half an hour before putting an air-tight lid on the glass jar. Then move the curd to the fridge.
Making the Coconut Macaroons
Macaroons are easy to make, just mix, scoop, mold, and bake. Besides I could not think of a better cookie to go with the pineapple curd that I mix with crushed pineapples. Preheat your oven to 350°.
Open the can of the crushed pineapple and strain the liquid reserving 2 tablespoons for mixing the macaroons.
Add the coconut, flour, condensed milk, vanilla extract, pineapple juice, and salt into a mixer bowl.
Mix on medium speed to blend it all together.
Using a large scooper add 9 macaroon mounds to a parchment-lined baking sheet pan.
I used a ½ Tablespoon spoon to create the well that you will fill later. Drop a few of the chopped macadamia nuts in the bottom of each well pressing lightly.
Bake at 350° for 11-12 minutes. Move them to a cooling rack after they come out of the oven. If you are serving these the next day you can put them in a container and leave them on the counter or you can refrigerate them until you are ready to serve.
I wait until I am ready to serve before adding the pineapple-crushed pineapple curd mixture.
Creating the Summer Macaroon
Take the strained canned crushed pineapple and mix it with half the jar of the pineapple curd.
Spoon some of the new pineapple mixture into each of the macaroon wells. I bring any extra out with a spoon in case someone wants to put more on their macaroon.
These macaroons are a refreshing delight to end any backyard cookout.
Creamy Coconut Pineapple Macaroons
Barbara HallIngredients
Pineapple Curd
- 1 cup (236 g) Pineapple juice Dole in 100% fruit juice
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Lemon juice
- 6 Tablespoons (6 Tablespoons) Cornstarch
- 4 (4 ) Egg Yolks
- 2 (2 ) Eggs
- 4 Tablespoons (4 Tablespoons) Butter unsalted cubed
Coconut Macaroons
- 14 ounces (396.89 g) Sweetened coconut shredded
- ⅔ cup (83.33 g) All-purpose flour
- 14 ounces (396.89 g) Condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) Dole crushed pineapple In 100% fruit juice
- ⅓ cup (44.67 g) Macadamia nuts chopped
Instructions
Pineapple Curd
- Add all the eggs to a bowl and whisk. Set the bowl aside for later. Take half of the pineapple juice and whisk in the cornstarch to get the lumps out. Set this bowl aside also.
- In a 2qt saucepan, add the other ½ cup pineapple juice, sugar, and lemon juice, stirring over medium heat. After the sugar has dissolved, start whisking in the pineapple-cornstarch mixture. Bring to a low boil until the mixture has thickened., about 2 to 3 minutes. Take the pan off the heat.
- Whisk a spoonful of the hot pineapple sugar cornstarch mixture into the bowl of eggs. Whisk as you are adding each spoonful. It took 5 or 6 spoonfuls to bring the eggs to a warm state. Then, whisk the tempered eggs into the saucepan. After all the eggs are incorporated, return the saucepan to the stove.
- Over medium-low to medium heat whisk for another couple of minutes until you have a smooth, bright yellow, and thick curd in your saucepan. Take the pan off the heat and add the cubed butter, stirring until melted.
- Pour the curd into a glass jar and put plastic wrap on top of the curd. Make sure it touches all of the curd at the top of the jar. Cool on the counter for half an hour, remove the plastic wrap, add an air-tight lid and move to the fridge. If you do not have a lid for your jar, you can leave the plastic wrap on.
Coconut Macaroons
- You will need 2 tablespoons of juice from the Dole's crushed pineapple can. Strain the crushed pineapple and press down to get as much liquid out of the pineapple as you can. I lay the pineapple on a paper towel to help extract the juice. Save the strained pineapple for mixing with the pineapple curd just before serving.
- Add the coconut, condensed milk, vanilla extract, pineapple juice, flour, and salt into your mixer bowl. Blend on a medium speed until all the ingredients are mixed together.
- Turn your oven on to 350°. Line your cookie baking pans with parchment paper. This recipe makes about 18 cookies if using a large cookie scooper. My cookie scooper is 1-¾ inches across. So I scooped 9 mounds to a pan and used a ½ tablespoon spoon to make the well for the pineapple curd. (See image above) Drop a few of the chopped macadamia nuts in the bottom of the well and lightly press on them so they stick.
- Bake at 350° for 11-12 minutes. You want a few toasted ends but not burnt, and the bottoms should be a light to medium brown. Move to a rack for cooling. I put parchment paper down on my rack since sometimes the coconut sticks to the rack. After they cool you can put them on a plate and refrigerate them until you are ready to add the curd.
Serving the Macaroons
- The jar of pineapple curd will fill 36 cookies. So if you did not double the recipe take half of the pineapple curd and add it to a bowl. Now add the strained crushed pineapple and mix them together. Fill each well with the crushed pineapple curd and serve.
Leonora Brebner
I made these cookies on a warm Summer night and so glad I did, they were so easy to make with detailed and helpful instructions! I shared them with friends who all showed their appreciation on not only how lovely they looked but how DELICIOUS they tasted! An indulgent treat for warmer days and one I will be making again and again! Can't wait to try some more delicious recipes!
Barbara
Oh, Leonora, I am so happy you and your friends enjoyed these cookies. Please let me know what other cookies you find and make. I love hearing from people that my new format for recipes is helpful.