Mexican Spiced Macaroons Recipes

SPICY BAKED MACARONI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.
• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and the onion is golden, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, spinach, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
• In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup Romano. Spread the softened butter in a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish and sprinkle half of the bread crumb mixture inside the dish to coat.
• In a large bowl combine the vegetable mixture with the cooked macaroni, cubed mozzarella, the remaining Parmesan and Romano cheeses, and the nutmeg. Spoon into the prepared baking dish, top with the remaining bread crumb mixture, and dot the top with the remaining butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes.

COCADAS RECIPE (COCONUT MACAROONS WITH DULCE DE LECHE AND CHOCOLATE)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, cornstarch, egg whites, and vanilla. Stir in the coconut until well combined.
• If the dulce de leche is cold, microwave it for a few seconds until it is softened and can be stirred easily.
• Mix the dulce de leche into the coconut mixture. The mixture will be sticky, but you should be able to mold it into rounds. Cover the mixture and chill for about 30 minutes.
• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 F. With a tablespoon or a small ice cream scoop, make golf ball size mounds, about 1-ounce each. With damp hands, squeeze each mound together lightly until it sticks together, then shape into a ball. Place them on a single baking sheet lined with parchment, wax paper, or a silicone baking mat.
• Bake the cocadas until they are just starting to turn golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the tray half way through cooking time. Let cool completely.
• Place the chocolate and vegetable shortening in a heat proof bowl, and place the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water. Stir until chocolate is melted. Alternatively, microwave in short 10 to 15 second bursts, stirring between each burst, until the chocolate is smooth and melted.
• Dip each cocada into the chocolate to coat the bottom of the cookie, then return it to the baking sheet. Chill until chocolate is set. Store cocodas in an airtight container for up to one week, or freeze them for up to one month.

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE MACAROONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease baking sheets; set aside.
• Place 5 squares chocolate in food processor; process until coarsely chopped. Add 1 3/4 cups almonds and sugar; process using on/off pulsing action until mixture is finely ground. Add cinnamon, vanilla and egg whites; process just until mixture forms moist dough.
• Form dough into 1-inch balls (dough will be sticky). Place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Press 1 almond on top of each cookie.
• Bake 8-10 minutes or just until set. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheets. Remove cookies from baking sheets to wire racks. Cool completely.
• Heat remaining 3 squares chocolate in small saucepan over very low heat until melted. Spoon chocolate into small resealable plastic food storage bag. Cut small corner off bottom of bag with scissors. Drizzle chocolate over cookies.
• For long-term storage, allow cookies to stand until chocolate drizzle has hardened. Store in airtight containers.

MACARONS

Steps:

• Place egg whites into a metal mixing bowl and refrigerate overnight. The next day, bring egg whites to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 280 degrees F (138 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a bowl. Beat the egg whites with salt in metal bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute; increase speed to high and gradually beat in superfine sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until the egg whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks, 3 to 5 more minutes.
• Gently fold almond flour mixture into whipped egg whites until thoroughly incorporated; spoon meringue into a pastry big fitted with a 3/8-inch tip.
• Pipe 1-inch disks of meringue onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between cookies. The batter will spread. Lift the baking sheets a few inches above the work surface and hit them lightly on the work surface several times to remove any air bubbles from the cookies. Let the cookies stand at room temperature until the shiny surfaces become dull and a thin skin forms, about 15 minutes.
• Place the baking sheets in the preheated oven and bake with the oven door open slightly until the macarons' surfaces are completely dry, about 15 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on a baking sheet before peeling parchment paper from the cookies.
• Spread half the cookies with any desired filling, top with remaining cookies to make sandwiches, and refrigerate at least 2 hours to overnight to let the cookies soften.