Due to it's high price point, saffron is an ingredient most people reserve for special occasions, and you rarely see it in anything sweet. Milk Street’s recipe for Coconut Saffron Macaroons makes use of the typically savory spice, differentiating itself from the pack. Plus, what better special occasion is there than Passover?
The macaroons were nicely sweet with a good punch of spice from the slightly earthy, floral, honey-like flavor of saffron,, zesty ginger and warm cardamom. I worked with a larger cookie scoop, so my macaroons were more on the gigantic side, but they still baked evenly and browned up well. They toe the line between crispy (especially the more cooked bottoms) and satisfyingly chewy texture from the coconut. A revelation in macaroon ingenuity. My family will certainly be seeing these for Passovers to come.
Splurge for Good Saffron
Many people shy away from the richly flavored spice due to cost. However, when making something with saffron, it’s worth getting the real deal. So much of what is sold as saffron in the United States is actually cut with other filler products and dyes, rendering the threads flavorless. You can recognize a top-quality saffron by its distinctively earthy scent—it’s what will impart such interesting flavor into recipes like a classic macaroon.
At Milk Street, we have a little trick to determine if it’s real. Drop a few strands into cold water and watch to see how fast they release their color. If the water changes color quickly or the strands lose their hue, then artificial dyes were likely used. If it colors the water slowly and the strands stay a deep red, then it’s true saffron. It can take around 10 to 15 minutes for the cup of water to turn completely yellow. (If the water turns bright red, that’s another sign that dyes have been used.)
Bloom the Spices
As cooking school director Rosie Gill has previously explained, “spices have fat-soluble compounds, and in order to release them they need to be in the presence of fat.” It’s why one of the first steps in this recipe is to melt butter, then add cardamom and ginger and cook until the mixture begins to sizzle. Though it's a quick step that may seem rather insignificant, allowing these warm spices to become fragrant will extract as much flavor as possible.
Stick to Unsweetened Coconut
While many recipes, like our Coconut Layer Cake, call for sweetened coconut, this recipe doesn’t need the extra sweetness. It calls for white sugar and a touch of honey, which pairs beautifully with saffron. Including sweetened coconut will completely overpower the macaroons, and will obscure the flavor of the saffron altogether.
Almond Flour, Not Just for Passover
Not only does using almond flour in this recipe make it Passover-friendly, it does wonders for the texture of these macaroons. Instead of AP flour, the almond flour lends a chewier texture and keeps the cookies moist—a far cry from the dry store-bought macaroons of my childhood.
Shredded vs. Flakes
My absolute favorite bit of the macaroon is the craggy, crispy, golden brown top. While shredded coconut, as the recipe calls for, will yield good cragginess (scooping each portion with a spoon also helps here), I opted for slightly larger coconut flakes for some extra crags. (And also because the store only had flakes!) Stick with shredded coconut for the most consistent results, but know that coconut flakes will stand up well too.
Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest.
And if you're looking for more Milk Street, check out our livestream cooking classes with our favorite chefs, home cooks and friends for global recipes, cooking methods and more.
