Before there were macarons, French meringue cookie sandwiches, there were macaroons.

The soft, gluten-free coconut cookies are a delight year-round, but especially appreciated by Passover observers. Made of shredded coconut, sweetened condensed milk and egg whites—without the flour or leavening that are verboten during this holiday—they happily replace other baked sweets.

Dan Cohen of Danny’s Macaroons and author of The Macaroon Bible, is a great macaroon baker. Starting with his grandmother’s plain and chocolate dipped recipes, he’s brought macaroons into the new flavor age. You can order them online at (the cookies are made with kosher ingredients, but are not certified kosher for Passover). We’re big fans.
 
RECIPES IN THE BOOK
Amarena Cherry, topped with an semi-candied cherry
Baileys McRoons Macaroons
Bourbon Macaroons
Black Chocolate Stout Macaroons
Chocolate Almond Macaroons
Chocolate Banana Nut Macaroons
Chocolate Caramel Macaroons
Chocolate Dipped Macaroons
Chocolate Malted Macaroons
Guava Macaroons
Jamstand Surprise Macaroons (with spicy raspberry jalapeño jam)
Maple Pecan Pie Macaroons
Peanut Butter & Jelly Macaroons
Plain Coconut Macaroons
Red Velvet Macaroons
Rice Pudding Macaroons
Spiced Pumpkin Macaroons
Stoopid Macaroons (coconut macaroons filled with potato chips, pretzels and Butterfinger, then drizzled with dark chocolate)

Can’t decide how to decorate your Easter eggs?

Check out this gorgeous array of 16 ideas collected by BehindTheCookie.com.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This website is not functioning as of March 2022)

We like these gold foil-accented eggs, but we’re creating a craft contest for our Easter guests—before the meal begins—from the Humpty Dumpty idea.

Don’t tell them, but everyone who completes a Humpty Dumpty design gets a prize (a chocolate egg, of course).

Take a look and decide on your favorite. The contest is optional.

Lachryma Christi, “Tears Of Christ,” a
delicious red for Easter. Photo courtesy
Vinmoldova.md.

What’s a holiday feast without memorable wines? THE NIBBLE’s wine editor, Kris Prasad, has come up with special recommendations for your Easter dinner.

Whether your main course is lamb, ham, beef or poultry, these affordable red wines are not only tasty, they’re clever: You’ll have an anecdote to share with your guests as they taste and comment.

Here are three wines with religious significance that should be on your table.

RED WINE FROM ITALY: LACHRYMA CHRISTI, “TEARS OF CHRIST”

With lamb or ham, you need a medium-bodied red wine.

Legend has Lucifer grabbing a piece of heaven as he was being cast out of it; he dropped it near Naples. When God found that a piece of heaven was missing, He shed tears and vines grew where his tears landed—on Mount Vesuvius.

The vines bear both red (Aglianico) and white (Coda di Volpe, Falanghina, Greco and Verdeca) grapes that produce wines called Lachryma Christi, “Tears of Christ.”

If you can’t find the Lachryma Christi from the producer Mastroberardino, substitute another producer.
RED WINE FROM FRANCE: ST. JOSEPH “OFFERUS”

This red wine from the acclaimed Rhone producer Jean Louis Chave has a religious reference to Joseph of Arimathea. St. Joseph, canonized by the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages, was allowed to remove Christ’s body from the cross and bury him; he was supposedly present at the time of the Resurrection.

According to the Gospels, Joseph, a man of wealth, donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus after his crucifixion.

This is the St. Joseph for whom the great northern Rhone wine appellation is named—a west bank appellation that primarily produces red wines from the Syrah grape, along with some white wines made from Marsanne and Roussanne. There’s a faint illustration of him behind the print on the label.

The doubly-aptly-named “Offerus” is a wonderful Easter offering. Pair it with either lamb and beef.

WHITE WINE FROM GREECE: MERCOURI REFOSCO

A Greek wine for Easter? Absolutely! There are important connections.

The very word “Christ” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word “Messiah,” the Anointed One. Paul the Apostle spread the gospel throughout Greece.

Refosco is a grape variety indigenous to the Friuli region of northern Italy. In 1870, Theodore Mercouri imported Refosco cuttings and planted the first vineyard in the western Peloponnesian Mountains of Greece.

This wine has velvety tannins and uncomplicated red cherry fruit flavors, which pair well with lamb.

FOOD TRIVIA: The Peloponnese region of southern Greece is known for its currants—the Mercouris also grow them. The word “currant” derives from the nearby port of Corinth, from where the currants were shipped.

They use a Pink Lady cocktail, but you can use other pink cocktail recipes, including two different pink Martinis.

The first step is to make the special “Easter grass” rim. It combines lime zest with the sugar for a textured “grass.”

Alternatively, you can buy green sanding sugar, which is available in both emerald green and pastel green.
 
 
RECIPE: COLORED SUGAR RIM

Ingredients

1. PLACE the sugar in a plastic sandwich bag or quart bag with a drop of food coloring. Shake well to infuse the color. Add more color (green or yellow) as required to reach the desired hue. (Color the sugar lighter shade of green than the lime zest.)

2. ALLOW the sugar mixture to air dry. Spread it on a paper towel or a plate. When ready to make the sugar rim…

3. GRATE the lime zest and mix it 50:50 or as desired with the green sugar. Place on a plate.

4. DIP the rim of a Martini glass or sherbet champagne glass 1/4-inch deep in a shallow bowl of water. Remove, shake to eliminate drips and place in the sugar mix, twisting the glass to coat the rim.
 
 
RECIPE: PINK LADY COCKTAIL
EASTER VERSION

The Pink Lady is a classic gin-based cocktail that may have been named after a 1911 musical of the same name. The pale pink color comes from grenadine; the foamy top is created by an egg white.

A favorite of society ladies of the 1930s, the drink was widely known during Prohibition (1920-1933) but fell out of favor in the 1960s. One theory is that the [typically male] journalists who wrote about cocktails and the [typically male] bartenders who mixed them had little interest in pink, “girly” drinks.

The original recipe had only three ingredients—gin, grenadine and egg white—shaken and strained into a glass. Over time, some versions added lemon juice, applejack (apple brandy) and even cream (which could be substituted for the egg white or used in addition to it). Here’s more Pink Lady history.

We’re opting for the version with apple brandy, for more flavor. If you don’t have apple brandy, you can substitute apple schnapps (apple liqueur), which Appletini lovers will have on hand.

If you don’t want to use any apple brandy, make the cocktail with two ounces of gin. If you don’t want to use an egg white, use heavy cream (but don’t use lemon juice—it will curdle the cream).

The classic recipe uses a maraschino cherry for garnish, but for our Easter cocktail, the cherry gets replaced by a pink Peep.
 
Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the first six ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously until everything is mixed well (the shaker should be frosted over). Strain into a rimmed Martini glass.

3. SERVE with a shot glass or ramekin of miniature jelly beans.
  

Gluten-free almond flour. Photo courtesy
Bob’s Red Mill.

Nut flours have long been a gluten-free salvation as well as a Passover alternative, and these organic flours will also be welcomed by those looking for lower-carb or Paleo Diet alternatives.

ALMOND MEAL/ALMOND FLOUR

Almond meal is ground from whole, blanched sweet almonds. The nuts are also very low in carbohydrates and very nutritious. Bob’s suggests that you harness the nutrition by replacing 25% of the flour in your conventional baking recipes with almond meal. It will add wonderful texture and flavor while reducing the total carbohydrates. Here’s more information.

COCONUT FLOUR

Coconut flour is another delicious, healthful alternative to wheat and other grain flours. Ground from dried, defatted coconut meat, the unsweetened flour is high in fiber and low in digestible carbohydrates.

Check out Bob’s organic nut flours, including hazelnut flour, at BobsRedMill.com. All are produced in a gluten-free facility. (Note that they are not certified kosher for Passover.)

RECIPE: GLUTEN-FREE ALMOND PANCAKES

Ingredients For 10 Pancakes

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT a skillet to medium heat (350°F). In a small bowl, combine almond meal, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.

2. WHISK together the mashed bananas and eggs in a separate large bowl, until thoroughly combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix well.

3. LADLE 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake onto the preheated skillet. Cook for about 4 minutes and then flip, cooking an additional 4-5 minutes until no longer wet in the center. Serve immediately with maple syrup and sliced bananas.

RECIPE: GLUTEN-FREE ALMOND CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Ingredients For 25-30 Cookies

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the almond meal, baking soda and salt and set aside.

2. MIX the coconut oil and maple syrup in a mixer or by hand until creamy but not fully incorporated, about 5 minutes. Add the whole egg, egg whites and extracts and mix for 2 additional minutes. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix briefly.

3. ADD the chocolate chips and toasted almonds and mix until well combined. Place large rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Flatten slightly, to approximately 1-inch thickness. Bake until set and golden, about 15 minutes.
 
*To toast the almonds, spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Toast in a 375°F oven for 7-10 minutes, stirring at least twice during baking for even browning.

 
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ALMOND FLOUR & ALMOND MEAL

Ground almonds—also known as almond meal or almond flour, are commonly used in baked goods and in breading of proteins, in place of, or in addition to, bread crumbs. Sometimes “almond meal” is called for, sometimes “almond flour.” What’s the difference?

Both consist of finely ground almonds, and there is no official difference between them. The terms are used interchangeably.

However, be aware of these differences, depending on the manufacturer:

 
For most recipes you can use either. However, some recipes, such as French macarons, require the finest almond flour to get the smoothest finish on the cookies. For breading, almond meal provides a bit more texture.