Guys, it's Friday and pouring down rain and I can't think of a better excuse to make/eat cookies so here is a real easy recipe for you. These macaroons come by way of cookie-god Alice Medrich and are easy peasy to put together. You might even have all of the ingredients on hand.

They are crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside and just sweet enough for an afternoon treat. Bake them as they are or add some flavorings, I am partial to a bit of lime zest and rum. You could also throw in some chopped dehydrated fruit for color and flavor. Raspberries are especially nice.

Have a great weekend!

Easy Coconut Macaroons

barely adapted from Alice Medrich, cookie god

Makes about 22 cookies

4 large egg whites

3 1/2 cups (270g) unsweetened dried flaked coconut

3/4 cup (150g) sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lime zest (optional)

1 tablespoon rum (optional)

Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

Combine all of the ingredients in a large heatproof mixing bowl. Set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir the mixture constantly until it is very hot to the touch and the egg whites have thickened slightly and turned from translucent to opaque, 5 to 7 minutes. Set the batter aside for 30 minutes to let the coconut absorb more of the goop.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.

Spoon the batter into 2 tablespoon sized mounds, they won't spread much. Bake for about 5 minutes, just until the coconut tips begin to color, rotating the pans from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking.

Lower the temperature to 325ºF and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cookies golden with deep brown edges. If the coconut tips are browning too fast, lower the heat slightly. Set the pans or just the liners on racks to cool. Let cool completely before gently peeling the parchment away from each cookie.

The cookies are best on the day they are baked, they will soften slightly over time.

chocolate olive oil cake | simple fare | apt 2b baking co

When I was first transitioning out of restaurant work into the food media world I volunteered for Karen Mordechai at Sunday Suppers a handful of times. Honestly, it was mostly my nosiness lead me to contact Karen. I had followed her work online and was so inspired by the dreamy light-filled space that she had created in a formerly industrial space in Brooklyn that I just had to see it in person- and I was too broke to buy a ticket to one of her dinners...I met so many wonderful people through Karen and Sunday Suppers and the experience really informed how I have decided to make my own career in food.

I admire what Karen has built so much (she even has a line of beautiful pantry essentials called ILA), and wasn't surprised at all when I took a look at her new work - Simple Fare. It is part art catalogue - part simple recipe inspiration to carry you through the Spring and Summer and so Karen. I can't wait to see the Fall/Winter edition in the coming months.

Congrats, Karen! It's lovely and this Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cake is delicious too!

Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Adapted from Simple Fare: A Guide to Everyday Cooking and Eating Spring/Summer by Karen Mordechai

Karen offers some suggestions of different ways to top the cake, and there is a recipe for delicious cardamom infused cream below. I went with whipped yogurt sweetened with a bit of honey, chopped pistachios, and the rose and cacao nib sprinkles from Lily's Kale and Caramel Cookbook. Choose your own adventure!

Cake

3/4 cup (180ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan

1/2 cup (50g) good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup (120ml) boiling water

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups (165g) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup (195g) superfine sugar

3 large eggs

Cyprus flake salt

Cardamom Cream

1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Serving

1 teaspoon dried rose petals

1/2 cup (65g) chopped unsalted pistachios

Cyprus flake salt

Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Grease a 9-inch (23cm) springform baking pan with a little olive oil and line the base with parchment paper cut to fit.

Sift the cocoa into a medium bowl and whisk in the boiling water until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla, then set aside to cool slightly. In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the sugar, olive oil, and eggs until you have a light, fluffy cream, about 3 minutes.

Turn the speed on the mixer down and pour in the cocoa and vanilla mixture. Slowly add the flour mixture until it is evenly incorporated, stopping the mixer and scraping down the bowl as necessary.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sides are set and the top of the cake still looks slightly moist. A cake tester inserted into the center should come out clean or with just a few crumbs on it. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

While the cake is baking, in a chilled metal or glass bowl using a hand mixer, beat the cream on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes. Add the cardamom and beat until stiff peaks form, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Run a knife around the edge of the cake and release the sides of the pan. Transfer the cake to a serving plate or cake stand. Sprinkle with more flaky salt. Serve each slice with a dollop of the cardamom cream and a sprinkling of rose petals, pistachios, and flaky salt.