Tuesday 26 March 2013

Thoothukudi Macaroons | South Indian Macaroons | Crispy Indian Meringues | Cashew Nut Macaroons





Have you tasted the south Indian macaroons, most commonly called the Thoothukudi macaroons? If not you are definitely missing something really sweet and special. These are cone shaped, light, airy, crunchy and nutty and what not.., every bite makes you sink into a nutty world full of flavors, the crisp texture turns spongy after a bite and just melts away in a jiffy. Being a native of Tuticorin (Thoothukudi), it is a shame if I do not post about my land's proud dessert. This is my 300th post and I wanted to share the best I can. These Macaroons in our land is a special costly edible gift or sweet that can be smelled in any streets of Tuticorin, you can get one kilogram of these light crunchy macaroons for Rs.600 and  costs even more during festive days. This is one among the edible gifts that we share during occasional family visits or during any celebration. The ingredient that make these macaroons really special are the cashews added, they really make the macaroons smell and taste so good. Also they say there is something in the air in Tuticorin that helps make the best baked goodies. Yes its true almost everyone who have tasted the bakery products of Tuticorin will agree with me in the prior statement. There are too many fans for these macaroons and many have been on hunt for the recipe, so I thought would share it here. It is made in a firewood oven in our hometown and that is the secret behind its perfection, but still I have replicated the same using an electric oven. These crunchy delights is said to have entered our hometown during the influence of European colonization. Around the world the macaroons are circular and flat but here in Tuticorin, it has a unique cone shape, is crisp both in the inside and out, with nutty flavor. The method is a bit tricky but when you learn all the tricks, it will yield you the perfect macaroons.  




After 2 failure attempts I got the perfectly baked macaroons and I have shared the perfect recipe here. The first time I baked them the oven temperature was not correct and so I got  macaroons that were crispy outside but with a gooey inside, the second time I guessed the temperature correctly but I over baked them and got slightly brownish macaroons, but 3rd attempt was the best with perfect crispiness inside and out also I got the perfect whitish color, mistakes do teach us lessons. But these settings purely depends on the oven and the size of your macaroons. I have got the ratio and tips from a baker from our hometown, special thanks to my little sister Afra who got me the tips and tricks from him. For best results please check out my tips section at the bottom. You do not need much just some egg whites, sugar and some cashews will do the magic, not even oil or butter is needed. Now lets check out how I made these nutty sweet. 





 

INGREDIENTS

Serves 20 small macaroons 
Total Preparation Time - 1 hour 30 minutes
  1. Egg whites - From 2 eggs (at room temperature)
  2. Cashew nuts - 100 grams 
  3. Granulated sugar - 120 grams 





PREPARATION METHOD

  • Powder sugar and set aside. Grind cashews into a coarse powder and set aside. Do not add water.

  • Using an electric beater, beat egg whites well until it turns frothy and creams up well. 
  • Now add sugar little by little as you beat. Do not stop beating and do not add all the sugar at once. 
  • Beat well until it turns creamy and thick (you should not feel any sugar, it should be creamy and not gritty). To get this consistency it may take 20 to 30 minutes. 
  • The beaten egg white mixture should form stiff peaks and should not drop. 

  • Now stop beating and add the coarse cashew powder and just fold in using a spatula or spoon. Do not beat after this. 

  • Preheat the oven to 150°C for 10 minutes. 
  • Line a baking tray with parchment paper. 
  • To make the macaroon shapes, use a piping bag (icing bag). Fill a piping bag (fitted with a round icing tip) with the egg white mixture and squeeze / pipe out macaroon shapes as I have shown in the video at the bottom of the page. I used a small round icing tip, but a bigger one is preferred to make medium sized macaroons. I made small bite sized macaroons with this nozzle that were one and half inches in height. 

  • Now slide the tray into the preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes at 100°C. Time to bake may vary depending on the size of the macaroons. But always make sure to bake the macaroons in the least temperature possible and for a longer time. If your oven is too hot it might burn the macaroons and you may also get cracked macaroons. (if it is more than 2 inch height bake for another extra 10 minutes or else the macaroons will be crispy outside but wont be baked inside)

  • Once done, do not remove immediately from oven, leave the oven door open for 20 minutes or so and then remove the tray. Set aside until it cools down then transfer to airtight containers. Stays well and crisp for a week if stored in airtight containers. If left open will turn spongy. 
  • If you do not wish to make the shapes, then pipe them into flat circles like in the below pic and bake them, either way they taste so crisp and delicious. 






TIP 1: You can shape the macaroons without a piping bag too but using a piping bag will give you a perfect look. 

TIP 2: Never beat after adding cashews if so it will liquefy again and you wont get the shapes.

TIP 3: Make sure to bake the macaroons in lowest temperature for a longer time, this will help you get crispier inside and outside. Also see that only the bottom of the heating rod is heated up if you have the option to heat up the rods. Without a parchment paper the bottom will burn immediately also, butter or oil is not needed here. The bottom should be like  the following pic it must not brown too much. 



TIP 4: Store in airtight containers to increase the shelf life of macaroons and maintain its crispness. 



Super crisp and nutty Thoothukudi macaroons are now ready serve them or gift pack them for your friends and relatives!! It is definitely a treat to be shared.!!

To check out how I made the macaroon shapes watch this video..!!!

Hope it helps :)



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68 comments:

  1. you arean amazing baker.very tempting cookies.

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  2. little cuties... drooling here sis!

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  3. Love every click Divya! !! Congrats on ur 300th post.

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  4. wow,one hell of a recipe.it still remains my family fav.if u could share the entire whisking process will be very helpful.some add,tartar,u havent used any,want to perfect this one....will be very happy then.........looking for some more bakery type goodies....

    u r post always different........

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Meena.. Its my favourite too.. Try it out you don't need anything extra like tartar or oil or butter, just these 3 ingredients will do the magic... :) Thanks dear..

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  5. Awesome divya,i have tasted that.Beautiful clicks.

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  6. Congrats on your 300th post Divya..cute macaroons dear..

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  7. Congratulations on the 300th post! Wish you more hundreds!!
    These macaroons are phenomenal. I have tasted them couple of times.. would love to try it out!!

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  8. Congrats on 300th post dear...Macaroons look great..Never tasted them..Awesome clicks..

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  9. Congrats on 300'th post sis :) superb macroons looks awesome and video is superb too :) :) :) Divs this is my favorite I love them so much :) you have made it perfect dear. Lovely pink background too

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  10. Congrats on 300th post. Divya always u rocks. Awesome macarons.

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  11. Hearty Congrats on 300th Post da! Wish u many many more hundreds/thousands in future. Thoothukudi macaroons looks superb, well made dear, thanks for sharing the video tip too :)will try it sometime, Great presentation n pics da...Kalakitta :)

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  12. Cograts....Makes me drool..tempting

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  13. My hearty congratulations to you little divya:) you always rock with diff recipes thanks for presenting us ur traditional sweet...love all the pictures n good explaination I wish you all the very best for the coming posts too:)

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  14. Congrats on your 300th post, Divya! Love these macaroons a lot.. Its my favorite since childhood.. You have made it wonderfully dear.. Still not out of pink mania??Love the pink back ground.. ;)

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  15. congrats on your 300th post...like your cute little macaroon..so pretty in pink...nice presentation and lovely video..

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  16. Congrats dear...Macaroons looks superb...so perfect...love to try this...thanx for sharing....

    Todays Recipe : Palak Paneer / Spinach Paneer

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  17. Congrats dear on ur 300th post...love the video....pics.....everything as always..:)

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  18. Congrats sis on ur 300th post, wonderful pictures and beautiful traditional macaroons,prefect for the celebration dear, loved ur video and its been ages i tasted this famous macaroons.Makes me nostalgic.

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  19. I don't know this..but looks delicious
    Maha

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  20. wow awesome and beautiful looking.....i didn't know we had this in india...
    liked the addition of cashews.....congratulations on ur 300th post....
    South Indian Cooking - Mar 20th to May 20th

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  21. Congrats on your 300th Post.. Macaroons is always my favourite.. Very Lovely pictures.. Well explained dear..

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  22. Thoothukudi Macaroons! Wow the name is so catchy dear...;)

    I fell in love with your photos...the background colors and the macaroons, simply WOW!!!

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  23. been to tuti umpteen no of times and will never forget to buy this Macroons.. :).. well made and congrats on ur 300th post

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  24. Lovely macaroons!! I am your new follower. Do visit/follow my blog at- http://www.rita-bose-cooking.com/.

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  25. I love it soo much,since we are from that side I have tasted it lot,perfectly done.congrats on ur 300th post

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  26. Congrats.Looks yummy..and nice clicks as usual..

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  27. Loved the name "Thoothukudi Macaroons"
    Meringues looks very cute..

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  28. AWESOME.... they look soooo perfect and so yummy!!!
    Sowmya
    Ongoing Event - HITS - Diabetic Friendly
    Ongoing Event + Giveaway - Italian Dishes

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  29. Big congo for ur successful 300th post.... This macroons are really tempting me to have many... My lil is sooo crazy to taste this ever....

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  30. Congrats for your 300th post.. Have heard of the macaroons but never tasted it.. Now I can try on my own... Thanks for sharing dear...
    Event: Dish name starts with R till April 15th and a giveaway

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  31. congrats for reaching 300 i hv yet to reach half mark of ur posts
    man i m super slow it seems.. these look good
    so its just eggs cashew and sugar thats all

    look really good here
    i hv never tasted this so dont know about it

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  32. These macaroons are my favorite divya , congrats on reaching 300 posts milestone..............

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  33. Hey Divy Congrats da for ur 300th post... wish to see more than 1000s of recipe from you... Lovely macarons looks exactly.. MM Tuty ponna ache... kalaku dear... But its egg so am bit feel to not try out n taste it:(...u got oven ah... Sollave illa.... enjoy dear...

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  34. We grew up eating this almost once a week. Never know that we can make it at home.Pretty looking macaroons. congrats on ur 300th post

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  35. wow.. heartiest cnogratulations on your 300th post, divya... u r progressing in leaps and bounds, so happy for you... these macaroons are new for me, looks absolutely amazing... maybe once i am confident about my baking and piping skills, this is definitely a must try... the pictures looks absolutely beautiful... :)

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  36. Congrats on your 300th post Divya.. delicious macaroons

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  37. Congratulation on Your 300 Post Dear... nice one... and clicks are just superb...again.

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  38. This is lovely..........my son just loves this - he calls it snow balls and i wonder from where he picked that name. I have eaten a crunchy cashew in egg whites from Komals,Mangalore. Amazing post & congratulations on ur 300 th post, keep going :)

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  39. Lovely pics.congrats for your 300th post.wish you best of luck to cross many more numbers!!!

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  40. Hearty congratulations on your 300th post!! Loved all your recipes, it is always creative at the same time authentic.
    Can I ever forget Tuticorin Macaroon(although in TN, it is called as Muckroon instead of Macaroon) :-)It is a white angel os sorts!!
    But i love the baby pink color in your Macaroon, it is just heavenly!!
    Very less ingredients, but tastes great. Also love the fact that you mentioned 2 failures in the post, sweet :-)

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  41. Ooooo, they look sooo cute!!! And they're so easy to do. I love the video :)
    Maybe I should go make some for Ellie, like now!

    Hugs and kisses, my dear thangai :)

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  42. Looks so cute and sure would have melt in mouth

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  43. COngrats on your 300th post DIvya and macatoons are the perfect gift/treat for this milestone.Keep going dear!

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  44. Amazing n simply step wise pics.. i have bookmarked as i am one huge huge fan of this..

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  45. congrats on your milestone divya :) like your pinky presentation too.. amazing macaroons..

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  46. absolutely have no words.. lovely clicks.. am drooling here.. congrats on ur 300th post.. thats a great baking for celebration.. :)

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  47. wow... i luv it divya.. thanks for making, am gonna try tooo :)

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  48. superb dear. Great pics too. Also appologies for not being so active on SNC these days. Hope u understand.

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  49. Congrats for 300th post dear...its my fav one dear...lovely clicks...

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  50. Can imagine these melting in my mouth! My husband's always raving about "Thoothukudi Macaroons" and I haven't tasted them. Must surprise him with these...
    http://thegoddessofspice.blogspot.com/

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  51. Wow.. Thank u for sharing this recipe.. Couldn't get the shape.. But conquered the taste :)

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    1. Thanks a lot Viswini for trying the recipe and letting me know your feedback too :) Glad you liked it!!

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  52. Wow.. Excellent Divy!!! You have uploaded video too!!! Nice da!!! Happy to see tons & tons of improvements in your site!!!

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  53. oh ho i really love this macroons as is my family members .I really wanted to make them and take it home .Thanks for sharing recipe .Clicks are awesome

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  54. Excellent recipe and thank you for the pictures. I tried it with lightly (VERY LIGHTLY!!) roasted cashews. Gives the recipe a nice flavor.

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    1. Hi. Thank you for trying :) I haven't tried roasting Cashews will try sometime, I feel that cashews gives a nice flavor as it gets roasted directly in the oven :) but still will try your method too..

      Thanks!!

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  55. after adding sugar i went on beating for about 30 mins but still i did not get the desired consistency ie I did not get the desired peak. where did i go wrong

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    1. Hi,

      There are 5 basic reasons;
      1 - The eggs should be at room temperature (if using refrigerated eggs you will not get stiff peaks)
      2 - If the yellow yolk mixes up with egg whites you will NEVER get stiff peaks. Even a drop can ruin the procedure. So next time take care to separate egg whites with caution.
      3 - You MUST add sugar gradually not all together.
      4 - Your eggs must have been very old ones.
      5 - Using a hand whisk (you will never get stiff peaks this way)

      These are the basic and common reasons. Do let me know if you need further clarifications..

      -Divya

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  56. Can you plz tell me is it possible to bake with cooker

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    1. Santhiya, Very sorry I haven't tried this in a cooker yet. And I don't think you will get it right as you need a very low heat setting to bake these. Thanks :)

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  57. Hi Divya, I'm wondering how did I miss this... omg.. look at the pictures. . Awesome. I love macaroons and now I should try at home. Lovely blog.

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  58. Hi Divya, I'm wondering how did I miss this... omg.. look at the pictures. . Awesome. I love macaroons and now I should try at home. Lovely blog.

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  59. Hi my base got burnt. What may be reason? I lined tray with alum foil greased with butter. Is that wrong method ,?? Ur macaroons are making me jealous.

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    1. Hi Merlin, yes greasing has caused the trouble here. It will definitely burn the macroon bottoms. Try next time without greasing and use a parchment or butter paper, I'm sure you will get the perfect ones :) Thanks!!

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  60. Hi. My base got burnt. Wat may be the reason?? I lined with alum foil greased with butter. Ur macaroons makes me jealous mam

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