Use the Whole Damned Bag: Lessons from Making Coconut Macaroons

I browse through my cupboards inventorying items to figure out what to take to a summer gathering. A wadded up bag of sweetened coconut flakes inspires me to make coconut macaroons, but that bag has a scant cup left. With the idea stuck in my head, I hunt through cooking class supplies where I find an unopened bag. Now, I have more than enough sweetened coconut to make coconut macaroons.

And there in lies the problem, I never have the RIGHT amount of sweetened coconut flakes for one batch of coconut macaroons.

I flick through online recipes. Not a single one uses the entire 14 ounces of sweetened coconut flakes that come in the bag. I can’t believe I am about to link to a Kraft Foods site, but yes, I am referring to that blue Baker’s bag that is the most widely available sweetened coconut flakes out there. And they are “Angle Flakes” too. Whatever that means.

I can’t help but think the bag says “Contains 5-1/3 Cups” because some smarty pants at Kraft knows nearly all the coconut macaroons recipes out there call for 3 cups. I should also mention that there is not precise way to measure 3 cups of sweetened coconut flakes anyway, so why not just use the whole freaking bag?

Why?

My mom was a diligent recipe follower. Unlike me, she would carefully measure out all the ingredients. If the recipe called for 2 cups of diced tomatoes, she knew a 14.5 ounce can was too small, so she would measure two cups out of a 28 ounce can. The remaining cup and and half would go into the refrigerator, covered in tin foil. If another recipe didn’t call for it, it would live there until it got fuzzy. Of course, if the next recipe didn’t call for exactly a cup and an half, the whole cycle would start again. When she lived with me, I would gather up all the smidges and bits and ends of ingredients that she dutifully stored away and whip up some crazy concoction just to regain real estate in my fridge.

I couldn’t blame Mom for this habit, she learned well from Grandma. Grandma had a fine assortment of tiny food storage containers for this conundrum. Her fridge would be chock full of these jewel boxes. One containing a tablespoon of shredded cheese, another with a spoonful of tuna and another with a handful of canned corn. There was this weird game of “Snack Discovery” in looking through Grandma’s fridge. I would pull out a vessel, pop the lid, try to surmise what was inside by sight and smell and as a last resort, I’d taste. With enough hunting, a snack embracing the flavors of all things canned could be made.

Then, there is the tomato paste in 6 ounce cans.

“What the hell do you do with the left over tomato paste?” one of my students asked. He’s right. Who the hell needs 6 ounce of tomato paste all at once?

I stared at him stupidly. There’s no good answer.

Making it up as I went, I said, “I suggest freezing it in one tablespoon portions so you can just grab one when you need it.” Who the hell has the means of freezing a one tablespoon portion?

I added, “I just spend the extra money on the stuff in a tube so I can squeeze out the right amount when I need it.” Solved!

Except I still have more tomato paste than I need and sometimes, when that tube runs out, I have none at all. That usually happens when I really need it.

So, back to my coconut macaroons.

Here is a coconut macaroons recipe using a full bag of sweetened coconut flakes.

They are simple to make. They are addictive. You’ll thank me for the extras.  You are welcome.

Maybe in the future, I will tell you what to do with those leftover egg yolks.

The Whole Damned Bag Coconut Macaroons

Instructions

Happy Cooking and Playing Snack Discovery!