Why it works: Coconut and vanilla match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,294 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓
Cocoanut Macaroons
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mixture
Beat the egg whites until stiff.
Gradually add the sugar while continuing to beat until the mixture holds its shape.
Sift the remaining sugar and cornstarch over the top and fold in lightly.
Add the shredded coconut.
Place the mixture in the top of a double boiler and cook over gently boiling water until a crust forms at the bottom and sides of the pan, folding over once or twice during cooking.
Remove from heat and add the vanilla.
Bake
Drop spoonfuls onto a buttered baking sheet.
Bake in a slow oven at 250°F to 300°F (120°C to 150°C) for 20 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Coconut + vanillatop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,294 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + coconuttop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,742 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Egg + vanillatop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together27,347 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites
- Whipped into a stiff foam that gives the macaroons their light, airy structure.
- Fruit sugar
- Stabilises the whipped whites and adds sweetness, helping the mixture hold its shape.
- Cornstarch
- Absorbs moisture and helps the macaroons keep a tender, set texture.
- Shredded coconut
- Provides the main body, chew and coconut flavour of the macaroons.
The step that matters
Cooking the mixture over the double boiler. The mixture must form a dry crust on the bottom and sides while the centre stays soft. Folding it during cooking keeps the crust even and prevents scorching, and the gentle heat avoids collapsing the whipped egg whites.
Swap the coconut
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, vanilla):
- Figfits better
- Blueberryfits better
- Peachfits about as well
- Coconutthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, vanilla. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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