Our tour around the Viennese Christmas cookie tin ends at the Kokosbusserl, the coconut kiss, better known to us as a coconut macaroon. Originally, macaroons were (and still are in many cases) made using ground almonds, the idea being a Venetian invention that dates back to the eighth century. Indeed, though the name 'macaroon,' or in German 'Makrone,' comes from the French 'macaron,' said French name in fact derives from the Italian words 'maccarone' or 'maccherone,' which indicate a fine or delicate dough. Taking off in the rest of Italy and France in the sixteenth century, macaroons only really became popular in Vienna towards the end of the nineteenth, with a recipe for "Süße Makronen" appearing in Elisabeth Stöckel’s "Universal-Kochbuch" in 1890. It would seem that there was something of an almond boom in the nineteenth-century Viennese kitchen and macaroons became especially popular during Lent and other times of Christian fasting because they contain neither flour nor dairy.
Kokosbusserln (and this name is only used in Vienna) in their simplest form require only four ingredients: egg whites; sugar (either icing sugar or caster sugar); lemon juice; and desiccated coconut. (I'm aware American recipes for coconut macaroons would use Baker's sweetened shredded coconut, which has longer strands and is much softer and wetter, but desiccated is what is available and widely used here. Indeed, American macaroons differ greatly from the Austrians, since they are typically bound together with sweetened condensed milk, something also not widely available here.) To make Kokosbusserln, whip the egg whites until peaks form and then slowly incorporate the sugar until you have a thick, glossy meringue. Thereafter, fold in the coconut and lemon juice. Use two teaspoons to transfer the mixture in glob form to a baking sheet and then it's just 15 minutes at 180 degrees celsius and the Kokosbusserln are ready. Quick and simple, fat- and gluten-free. Merry Christmas!
"Strudel, Sugar and Schlag" will return on January 7.
