This recipe goes out to my brand new “brother-in-law-in-law” (anybody know the term for a sister-in-law’s spouse?). My sister-in-law got married last month, and her husband LOVES guava! For her bridal shower, she made cupcakes filled with super luscious guava jam, and I’ve been dreaming about them ever since. So when I saw guava mentioned in SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON, I knew I had to try my hand at making my own guava jam.
But what to pair with it? That was easy: coconut. In the book, coconuts are mentioned no less than 36 times! Such a prominent ingredient simply HAD to be in my dessert, so I decided to make coconut macaroons and turn them into little guava thumbprint cookies. I used this macaroon recipe from The Slow Roasted Italian as my jumping off point, then started riffing from there.
These cookies turned out SO good. They’re sweet, a bit tart, and caramelized at the edges where the coconut get nice and toasty. Plus, the cookies are egg free, so they’re perfect if you have an egg allergy!
DEFINITELY making these again soon. Maybe for the next family gathering!
A
Coconut Macaroons with Guava Jam
“. . . Master Knips, having slyly possessed himself of some of our new-found apples, was discovered munching away and enjoying them amazingly—which instantly gave the boys a strong wish to eat some also. . . I felt sure there could be no danger; and on tasting them, I concluded it was the fruit of the guava, a West Indian plant, which we were delighted to have.”
— Swiss Family Robinson
INGREDIENTS:
- For the Jam
- 2 lbs very ripe guavas, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp salt
- For the Macaroons
- 1 14-oz bag sweetened shredded coconut
- 7 oz (half a can) sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Makes 24 cookies and 1 cup jam
INSTRUCTIONS:
- FOR THE JAM. In a medium saucepan, coarsely mash the guava with a potato masher or the bottom of a heavy glass. Add all remaining jam ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring regularly and thoroughly mashing halfway through. Pass through a wire mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Straining may take a while (there will be a lot of seeds), so you may have to do it in 2 batches. It should take about 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a sealable container such as a lidded glass jar. Seal and chill until ready to use.
- FOR THE MACAROONS. Preheat oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together all the macaroon ingredients until combined. With wet hands, gather approximately 1 heaping tablespoon of mix and shape it into a ball, taking care not to squeeze any harder than is necessary to help the ball keeps its shape. Place it on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining mix until you have 24 balls, spacing them evenly apart on the baking sheets and re-wetting hands if necessary. Bake for 13 minutes, flipping and rotating the pans halfway through.
- Press the center of the balls down with a wet spoon and fill each indentation with approximately 1 tsp guava jam. Bake for 3-5 more minutes or until golden brown on top.
- Allow to cool on a the pans for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. To store, place in sealed containers in a single layer on a sheet of wax paper and chill.
- Serve as the perfect bite to finish a refreshing, tropical meal.
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