Coconut Delights with Marzipan and Cranberries

That name is a total goof, but I really have no idea what else to call them. We had 8 egg whites in the fridge that were leftover from some things we only need yolks for and Elaine instructed me to make Angel Food Cake. But I don't like Angel Food Cake and anyway the recipe called for 12 egg whites and what is the point of making something to use up your egg whites if you are just generating extra yolks? So then I thought I'd make meringues...but I had too many egg whites for a standard recipe and I don't really like meringues that much either so there was no point in making a double batch, let alone one batch. Then I settled on macaroons. But didn't really look up a recipe. So these did NOT turn out like macaroons at all. But they were delicious, so here is what I did.

I had:

1/2 a package of marzipan

1 15 oz package of sweetened coconut flakes

1 can (no idea how big) of Goya coconut creme

1/2 cup (or so) dried cranberries

8 egg whites

1 pinch salt

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

3/4 cup flour

I diced up the marzipan and mixed it with the coconut flakes, coconut creme and cranberries. Then I whipped up the egg whites in the kitchen aid mixer with a pinch of salt, a 1/4 tsp cream of tartar and 3/4 cup sugar until they formed stiff peaks, similar to when you're making meringues. My thought at this stage was that I would just mix the egg whites with the marzipan/coconut/coconut creme/cranberry mixture and make....cookies? This was a pretty silly idea as the batter was clearly going to be so liquidy from the coconut creme. The egg whites fell completely as soon as I mixed them into the rest of the ingredients and there was no chance of anything close to a cookie. We mixed in about 2/3 cup flour and it was still not able to hold any kind of shape. So, we went back to where it started and poured the batter into the Angel Food Cake pan and baked it at 350 degrees for probably 45 minutes.

It started to get really brown on the outside before the middle was done so we took it out and although we were able to slice it no problem and although it tasted GREAT, is was super gooey, too gooey on the inside. Sort of like coconut candy. Elaine had the brilliant idea of slicing the cake up and baking the slices again, similar to the method used for making biscotti. Good job, Elaine! She baked the slices at 425 degrees for another 30 minutes (she wants me to mention that she baked them on a silicone baking mat and she is not sure what would have happened if she didn't). They came out perfectly golden brown all over, crunchy on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside. These are really sweet, but the cranberries give a nice burst of much needed tartness. Overall, a success.