So you’ve probably already broken your New Year’s diet resolution. Well, mine lasted about 5 hours. Damn, those boulangeries that are open at 5am on New Year’s day. Anyway, why not celebrate it with some of these macarons and a nice cup of cocoa with lashings of cream. Not at all calorific!P.S. It’s ‘Galette des Rois’ (also known as Pithivier or Three Kings cake) season here again. So if you fancy making one yourself. See my attempt.

Coconut chocolate macarons

4 egg whites
125g desicated coconut
125g icing sugar

For the chocolate ganache filling :
100g dark chocolate, broken
100ml double cream
25g desicated coconut

Cocoa powder for dusting

Preheat oven to 160°c. Whisk egg whites to peaks, add sugar when whites are firm. Fold in desicated coconut. Then stir mixture until glossy and shiny. Pipe 2cm diameter macarons onto baking paper. Tap tray a few times, hard on work surface so the mixture spreads slightly. Leave to rest for 30.minutes or until the mixture does not stick to your finger when you touch it.

Bake for 30 minutes. Making sure they don’t brown too much.

To make the ganache. Heat cream until boiling. Pour 2/3 over chocolate. Leave for 2 minutes before stirring. Add rest of cream and then the coconut. Leave to cool for a bit before putting into a piping bag.

Take macarons out of oven. Peel off the paper delicately. They’re very fragile. Leave to cool. Dust with cocoa powder. Make a ‘sandwich’ by filling one half with ganache and topping with another half. Macarons will keep for several days in an airtight container.