Almond Joy Macaron

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Almond Joy Macaron have a hint of coconut, a hint of almond, and delicious chocolate ganache filling. Made with coconut chips, almond paste, and semi-sweet chocolate, they’re a delicious cookie for spring.

This is going to be an interesting post. You see, I associate coconut with Easter. I have no idea why other than my parents would buy candies that had coconut in them. You know, those egg-shaped candies filled with coconut, peanut butter, and fruit flavored nougat. At least I think that’s what it was. I didn’t like the fruit things. I only wanted the peanut butter and coconut ones.

Anyway, coconut seems to be associated with Easter for more than just the candies. That’s why I say this is going to be an interesting post. Did you know there is a whole coconut theology? It’s true! A Methodist minister in Tonga tried to create a whole theology around the coconut.

What is the coconut theology?

Missionaries brought Christianity to the Pacific islands. However, they also brought them the symbols of the western world with them. They didn’t use symbolic elements from the Pacific islands. Jesus has a white face and blue eyes in all the images of him. No one in the Pacific islands look like this. So, how could they relate to Christianity if this icon is not relatable to them?

This minister says that if Jesus came from the Pacific islands he would use the coconut, taro, and kava instead of the plough, sheep, and bread. And that Jesus would say he was the coconut of life and not the bread of life.

But why the coconut? Because the lifecycle of a coconut is sort of like the life cycle of Jesus. The coconut falls from way up in the tree. Symbolizing the descent of Jesus from God. Then the coconut lands and continues to roll until it gets to the lowest point on the ground. This is symbolic of Jesus’s humility.

When left untouched, the coconut will eventually die. But from that “death” a seed begins to grow from the inside. Because the coconut itself is one giant seed. When left alone in the right conditions, a spongy mass inside the coconut, called the haustorium, begins to grow inside the where the coconut water is.

It depletes the water and the kernel (the meat we eat) which feeds the root and shoot that then becomes a new coconut palm. So, from the death of the coconut new life resurrects. Symbolizing the resurrection of Jesus.

What are some health benefits of the coconut?

Coconut water has detoxifying properties according to scientists. So, it only makes sense that it can symbolize cleansing and rebirth. Especially the way the coconut appears to die for 6 months to a year and then finally a sprout is visible.

Historically, the coconut has been used to counteract some poison. They also used it to protect against some diseases, ease inflammation, and kill bacteria. I’m not sure how true some of these claims are. But I do know that coconut meat contains large amounts of medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) which can help boost endurance, help with oral health, but the jury is still out on the weight loss claims.

There are many claims of the health benefits of coconut meat, oil, and water. I’m not sure that most of them are proven effective. For example, it’s supposed to help control diabetes. The claim being that coconut helps with the insulin secretion in the body. And that it helps the hormones that level out blood sugar levels.

Coconut is believed to boost immunity. It contains antiviral, antifungal, and anti-parasitic properties. Coconut oil releases Lauric Acid and Monolaurin which are known antimicrobial agents. Coconut oil has metabolites that not only have antimicrobial activity, but they also prevent resistance organisms to appear. What are resistance organisms? They are bacteria that resist treatment. Sort of like how some people become resistant to antibiotics when prescribed frequently.

I think that’s enough about facts surrounding coconut. When I searched and saw the coconut theology and just had to talk about that. I didn’t even touch on the whole coconut religion thing from Vietnam. Apparently, there’s a whole religious Coconut Kingdom where some guy only ate coconuts for 3 years. Crazy, I know.

What do Almond Joy Macaron taste like?

So, we had a debate about this one. The other person in the house didn’t taste the coconut. It’s not a strong coconut flavor. I give you that. But I can taste it. Along with the almond flavor. I just think he’s so deadest on hating coconut that he doesn’t really know what it tastes like.

They smelled amazing baking! The coconut and almond aromas filled the kitchen! I couldn’t wait to taste a shell by itself. I always do that when I bake a batch with flavors in the shell. It’s only right that I perform a taste test on them to be sure they taste how I hope. And these did fit the bill!

Then the semi-sweet chocolate ganache in the center. That really brings home the Almond Joy Macaron flavor that I am looking for. It’s kind of like an inside out Almond Joy because the chocolate is on the inside and not the outside.

This is not the first time I used coconut chips in a macaron. I made German Chocolate Cake macaron that use the same coconut chips. No, they’re not baking coconut. They’re not shaved coconut. Coconut chips are longer pieces of coconut that are roasted in the oven. They have a similar texture and crunch to potato chips. But they’re delicious coconut! And totally addictive. Just warning you!

Springtime Sweets

• Almond Joy Macaron from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting from The Spiffy Cookie
• Easy Cream Cheese Frosting from Art of Natural Living
• Easy Springtime Fudge from A Good Life
• Meyer Lemon Cashew Fudge/Lemon Kaju Kathli from Magical Ingredients
• Nan-e Berenji (Persian Rice Cookies) from That Recipe
• Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons from Jen Around the World
• Tropical Cupcakes with Passion Fruit Frosting from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

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