Pecan Macaroons

Sometimes we just have to try something new. Change out one ingredient for something similar and see what happens. Who knows when we’ll hit upon the next big thing?

So, this is really nothing more than a variation on our Almond Macaroon recipe. A simple swap out of almonds for pecans. But, there are a few things you might want to watch out for, as we’ll see in a bit.

We make almond macaroons when we want a treat for occasions where we know that people might want something that’s gluten free. We don’t buy into the gluten-free flour mixes; we figure that there are enough things that are just gluten free to begin with that we don’t bother modifying perfectly good ingredients just to make them gluten-free. Instead, we look for treats that are gluten-free to begin with.

Ingredient discussion:

Not really an ingredient, but, if you want uniform cookies, we suggest making a template. Simply draw 1 1/2 inch circles on a piece of parchment and place it under an additional piece of parchment when you shape the cookies. Slide your template out before baking. Also, while you can make these cookies by spooning out tablespoons of batter, we’ve found that piping is the easiest method.

Procedure in detail:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment. Over the years, we’ve tried both silicone baking mats and parchment. Parchment is best for these cookies.

Grind pecans. Place both the sugar and pecans in the bowl of a food processor and process until the nuts are finely ground. We like to include the sugar while we grind the nuts, as we think it helps to keep the nuts from turning into a nut butter. We have no evidence of that, but we think it’s true.

Add egg whites. With the processor running, add the vanilla extract, followed by the egg whites, and process until the batter rides up on the blade. You aren’t trying to process until the egg whites get foamy or anything like that, just long enough to get everything mixed.

Transfer to a piping bag. When we first made macaroons, we used a tablespoon to scoop out batter and shape cookies on the parchment-lined sheets, but it was messy and sticky. Since then, we transfer the batter to a piping bag, either fitted with a 3/8 inch tip, or, since we use disposable bags, with the tip cut to form a 3/8 inch hole.

Pipe cookies. If you’ve made a template to ensure similar size cookies, slide it under the piece of parchment and start piping cookies. Make them about 1 1/2 inches across and leave 1 inch space between each cookie. These don’t spread much, but they do need to have hot air circulating around the sides.

Bake. Slide into the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, making sure to rotate the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, or until the edges are turning golden brown. Watch them closely near the end of the baking time, as they can burn quite easily — nuts are like that.

Cool. If you try removing the cookies from the parchment immediately, you’ll find that the center has stuck and you’ll leave cookie behind. Instead, take a break and let the cookies cool completely; they’ll pop right off the parchment. Place the macaroons in an airtight container.

We liked the idea of these cookies, and we still do, but, to be honest, they don’t have a lot of pecan flavor. While you might think that these would taste quite different from almond macaroons, they really don’t. Instead, they just taste like macaroons. Not that that’s bad; they’re a good cookie, but we’re not sure it’s worth the extra expense to use pecans instead of almonds. They’re really easy, though, so we’ll say four stars on the worth-it-o-meter.