Kokosmakronen (German Coconut Macaroons)

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 150°C top and bottom heat (130°C fan) and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Arrange the wafer paper discs on top, spaced about 2 cm apart, so each has its own base once you add the mixture.
2. 2Put the egg whites and salt in a clean, grease-free bowl and beat with a mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form: the meringue should stand up straight when you lift the beaters and not slide when you tilt the bowl. Any trace of fat or yolk on the bowl stops the whites from whipping properly, so wipe the bowl with a little vinegar or lemon juice first if you are unsure it is clean.
3. 3With the mixer still running, add the sugar and vanilla sugar in a thin stream, then keep beating for 4 to 5 minutes more. The meringue should turn thick, glossy and hold sharp peaks; rub a little between two fingers, and if it still feels gritty, beat for another minute so the sugar fully dissolves.
4. 4Fold the desiccated coconut into the meringue with a spatula in wide strokes, not with the mixer. Stop as soon as no dry coconut is visible: overworking it here knocks the air back out of the meringue, and the macaroons need that air to hold a tall dome rather than spreading flat.
5. 5Set the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water, and stir constantly for 3 to 5 minutes. The mixture should thicken visibly and turn slightly translucent and glossy; it is warm rather than hot to the touch, well under 60°C. This step is what separates a whipped meringue from a proper Kokosmakrone: gently cooking the mass firms it up so the mounds keep their shape and dry out from the inside as they bake, instead of weeping liquid and flattening in the oven.
6. 6Using two teaspoons or a piping bag with a plain tip, mound the warm mixture onto the wafer discs, about 15 g each (a heaped teaspoon) — the mixture weighs roughly 450 g, enough for all 30 — building each one up into a rounded peak rather than spreading it flat.
7. 7Bake one tray at a time in the middle of the oven for 18 to 20 minutes. The macaroons are done when the tips and the top edge turn light golden brown; the centre and base should stay pale ivory, and the inside will still feel soft when you press it gently. If they are colouring too fast, loosely tent the tray with foil for the last few minutes.
8. 8Let the macaroons cool completely on the tray before lifting them off: warm, they are fragile and the base can crack. Once cool they firm up into a chewy, slightly sticky centre with a crisp shell at the tips, and keep in an airtight tin.