When Life Takes Over | Lemony Coconut & Cranberry Macaroons

Wow! Its been about a minute since my last post. Hard to believe how times flies, but sometimes it just can't be helped - especially when life takes over. And in the time I have been AWOL, this blog marked its first anniversary.
In my last blog post, in what seems to feel like a lifetime ago - I confessed how the lovely change in season seems to be an undoing of my self-discipline.
Never mind though, my time away wasn't all about lazing about, but also working on some things that will be shared to all in due course. Watch this space ☺.
The fun part of every changing season, for any foodie, is the thrill of playing on the creativity with seasonal ingredients. So I have returned with a recipe for a quick and easy treat - Macaroons.
This is my version which I have fine tuned from different variations, so feel free to also make something else out of this, if you will.

Ingredients

• 130g Caster Sugar
• 2 Eggs (Whites only)
• 75g Dried Cranberries (roughly chopped)
• 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
• 225g Desiccated Coconut
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• Zest of 1 Lemon (finely grated)

Method

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
• Line baking tray with baking sheet
• In a large mixing bowl add sugar, egg whites, cranberries, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and salt, and them mix together
• Add in desiccated coconut and mix together until well coated
• Using your finger tips heap a table spoon size of the mixture
• Mould it into a pointed triangular/pyramid mounds
• Arrange the mounds on the lined baking tray - leaving enough space between each 
• Place in preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes until the edges are golden brown
• Remove from oven and transfer on to a cooling rack

Makes 44 macaroons

Tip: Can be stored in air tight container for up to a week

Autumn/Winter Warmer:: Spicy Tomato and Chorizo Soup

With the days getting shorter and the nights getting colder (and I can no longer walk through a certain park on my way to work because it now opens later in the mornings) one of my favourite things about this time of the year is the excellent excuse to indulge in my heart-warming soup recipes as well as make up new ones before Spring gets here.

Most of my soup recipes were concocted from whatever the ingredients of the day happened to be. The Spicy Tomato and Chorizo Soup on offer today can be enjoyed anytime during the day, but especially on those cold rainy days. It will quite literally set fire to your veins ☺. I really hope you enjoy trying this out.

Spicy Tomato & Chorizo Soup