Tuticorin Macaroons

Ingredients:


Egg whites – from 3 eggs
Fine Sugar – 3/4 cups
Cashew – 1/2 cup [Optional]
Salt – a pinch 

Directions:


Step 1.
Preheat the oven to 200 degree Fahrenheit ( 95 degree Celcius). Separate egg whites from 3 eggs. Please follow the rules mentioned strictly to achieve best results. When you separate the eggs and pour into the bowl, the bowl must be clean from grease/water. Egg whites will be easy to separate when they are cold. See to that you do not see even a speck of yolk in the separated whites. Do not use your finger into the whites to take any speck of yolk/shell. Use a grease-free spoon. Wait until the egg whites reach the room temperature. Once they reach room temperature, pour them in a wide and tall, grease-free dry vessel. Use a grease-free whisk and beat them with hand until they become frothy.

Step2.
Once the egg whites become frothy, add a pinch of salt. Now beat the eggs with the electric beater (in low speed) until they become foamy. Continue to beat (about 3 minutes) until they form soft peaks. [Do not even imagine to beat the egg whites with hand. You definitely need an electric beater for this recipe]. 

Step 3.
When the egg whites formed soft peaks, start to add fine sugar (if you have granulated sugar, grind them in your mixer to get very fine granules). Add sugar only 1 tbsp. at a time. Beat them in medium speed.

Step 4.
As you beat and as you keep adding the sugar little by little, you’ll witness the egg whites becoming like a soft batter. Increase the speed of the beater to high as you continue to add sugar. 

Step 5.
The volume of the mixture will keep rising as you beat and as you add the sugar (the ratio of sugar and egg whites is: 1/4 cup sugar for 1 egg white). Sugar must be thoroughly mixed into the egg whites. Just rub a little of the mixture between your thumb and index finger. You should feel like touching thick butter. Your fingers should not feel even a little of sugar granules. If you feel, continue to beat them. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. That is, when you try to lift your whisk, or try to tilt the vessel upside down (the former option is easier ) the mixture should be thick like firm clouds and they should not slide down. Something that is in the consistency of whipped cream. This step took me around 8 minutes.

Step 6. [Optional step]
If you wish to add little vanilla essence (1/2 tsp.), add it and give a good beat. 

Step 7.
Now, pound/crush the cashews (cashews must also be in room temperature. Do not grind them, just pound them.) Add them into the egg whites batter and just give 3 folds. Do not fold them too much. Use a grease-free spoon/ladle to fold.

Step 8.
Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Take a zip lock/piping bag and fill it half way with the meringue-mixture. Use a grease-free spoon/ladle to fill. Tight the bag releasing any air inside. Cut a small hole in one corner and start to pipe the macaroons. You can check the video on piping the macaroons below. If you do not have zip lock or piping bag, you can just use two spoons to form clumps, if you do not worry on the structure of the macaroon. [Important: Kalpna, a regular reader of CJ gave a very important tip. She says: “after making very stiff peaks, you should immediately transfer into plates and bake.. my last plate of cones were droopy”]

Step 9.
Bake the macaroons for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Once they are baked, switch off the oven and let the meringues stay inside until the cookies are completely cooled down (3 hours may be). Once they are cooled down, store them in air-tight tins/bottles. You can keep them for weeks/months in room temperature.

Source:  Cooking.Jingalala.Org