Christmas cheer and macaroons

Put some holiday records on, because today did not start well and I may have lost the holiday spirit. Nobody died, and it's nothing a little Dean Martin and spiked coffee won't fix, but unwinding from a panicked morning takes me a while.

Thank Goodness I took a shower before I went to bed last night, because today, instead of waking up at 6 a.m. to hit the gym, I woke up at 8:40. With five minutes to rise, dress, and run out the door for work. In five minutes, indeed, I did leave, looking more-or-less composed and feeling proud of my accomplishment.

Then, as I stepped on my front porch, I discovered a glinting, gleaming world of ice and frost before me. And my darling car, parked in front of the empty garage, was coated in ice. Once I sat in my car and turned on its defroster, I remembered that we'd lost the last ice scraper. There wasn't one in the car anywhere. Also, my driver door refuses to shut again when it's icy and cold. You just have to lock the door and hope for the best until the entire vehicle is warmed.

My husband rescued me from my icy windshield with a plastic spatula. What a hero! Then, slipping and sliding, I skated to work and medicated myself with coffee.

Perhaps, with enough coffee, I will soon forget the Christmas gifts that need finishing and all of the travels my husband and I need to make today on the devilish roads. Family members this year are receiving home-made, practical gifts from us: scarves, books, chocolate, puppy chow, and macaroons in vintage tins. Oh, you don't think macaroons are practical?


Macaroons are practical, especially if you have little time and family members who watch their blood sugar but still love sweets.

For these macaroons, which take about 40 minutes (total!) to make, I combined the best aspects of a few recipes I love. For their dainty shape and for the recipe size, I used a simple recipe from Martha Stewart's website. Then, on a riff from Clotilde at Chocolate and Zucchini, I used mostly unsweetened coconut of a fine grind. And finally, I made my own tweak to intensify the sweetness in a healthier way by using mostly honey to sweeten the macaroons, a la Jennie's macaroons. If I wasn't so committed to making macaroons this year, I'd just buy a ton of Jennie's macaroons and eat them before I had a chance to give them away. They are that good.

But, making your own macaroons makes your whole home smell like honey and coconut. Who could skip out on that?

Coconut Macaroons
which save the day

• 3 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup honey plus 2 Tb.
  
• 2 Tb. sugar (for dusting)
  
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 14 oz. sweetened or unsweetened coconut flakes, fine grind

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the whites, honey, and sea salt until the mixture is frothy and good. Stir in the coconut and mix with a fork until everything is moistened. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes while you find your measuring spoons again (I always misplace mine.)

Sprinkle a tiny pinch of sugar in your tablespoon, coating the inside of the spoon lightly, before you load the spoon tight with the coconut mixture. (The sugar will cook and harden a little more than the honey will, trapping more moisture inside the macaroon.) Pack that spoon tight before turning the macaroon out onto the baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the batch. You should have about 30 macaroons. Bake until macaroons are a light golden brown, about 25 - 30 minutes. Let the macaroons cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

The macaroons will store nicely for a few days in an air-tight container. A tasty Christmas gift!

If you, like me, are still scrambling to complete a few more gifts, consider these other last-minute recipes:

• Kate's favorite puppy chow recipe. I like to use dark chocolate pieces instead of milk.
  

• Martha's rosemary butter cookies. For your more savory friends.

• Double duty chocolate cookies. Double the recipe so you don't eat all the cookies.

• Hokey pokey. I like to use Lyle's Golden Syrup. Who has the time to make peanut brittle?

• Quick cranberry sauce. I like to add chopped peach slices and candied ginger to mine.
  

Merry Christmas and safe travels!