Coconut Biscuits – The 1990s Italian Cookbook Redemption Arc
Welcome to the fourth instalment of my series where I test out recipes from an obscure 1990s Italian Cookbook. This time, I tested another recipe from the ‘Cakes, Biscuits, & Breads’ section: Coconut Biscuits (Biscotti al Cocco):
I was quite wary of this recipe, considering my last biscuit attempt from this cookbook was a bit of a disaster. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find that the method was simple and the final result was really lovely.
Despite this…
- The recipe had very unclear oven temperature directions, calling for a ‘slow oven’ and then a ‘very slow oven’. I have provided more specific temperatures in my revised recipe down below.
- Sugar is only to be added to the egg yolks but I added a third to the whites to make it a bit easier to incorporate into the rest of the ingredients.
- A spoon was recommended to place the mixture onto the tray but since it was quite crumbly, I ended up shaping them by hand.
FINAL RECIPE RATING: 8/10
Overall, these coconut biscuits were pleasant; subtly sweet and light, thanks to the whipped egg whites. You should definitely give this recipe a go, considering how simple and quick it is:
Coconut Biscuits (Biscotti al Cocco)
Ingredients
- 125 g desiccated coconut
- 50 g caster sugar
- 2 eggs divided into one white and two yolks
- icing sugar, to dust optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170℃ gas/150℃ fan and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- In a medium bowl, use an electric whisk to beat the egg yolks with two thirds of the sugar until creamy – this might take 5 -10 minutes. Gently fold in the coconut.
- In another clean bowl, beat one of the egg whites until frothy. Gradually add the remaining sugar and continue to beat until soft peaks form.
- Gently fold the egg whites into the coconut mix until combined.
- Working a teaspoon at a time, shape the mixture into circular mounds and place onto the prepared tray.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes before reducing the temperature to 120c fan/150c gas. Leave in the oven for a further 30 minutes or until the biscuits are a lovely golden brown.
- Leave to cool on the tray before dusting with some icing sugar. Serve with an espresso or a cup of tea and enjoy!
Notes
- These biscuits are better eaten the same week as they were made but do last quite a while in an airtight container or bag.
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Watch the baking process here:
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