Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg received a gift when he stopped by to welcome the New Hampshire delegation to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Melanie Levesque, one of New Hampshire’s delegates, presented him with a "Kamala macaroon" baked by members of the Francestown Democratic Committee, who had developed the recipe.

Levesque, a former state senator,  is running in the Sept. 10 Democratic primary for Executive Council District 5. In her luggage, she had packed her signature yellow jackets and four dozen Kamala macaroons in a tin. She had first tasted the cookie when speaking at a Francestown Democratic Committee event in early August, and was intrigued by the unusual combination of flavors. 

In July, the committee had been inspired to create a cookie recipe that honored the heritage of Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now the Democratic nominee for president. They had experimented with  ingredients from both India and Jamaica and lots of coconut, as a nod to the meme "We didn't fall out of a coconut tree."

The final recipe uses cardamom and cinnamon from India. Sugar, vanilla, chocolate and coffee from the Blue Hills are an important part of the  Jamaican export economy.

The recipe for four dozen cookies is a follows:

Ingredients

-- 5 tablespoons instant coffee.

-- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.

-- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom.

-- 1 1/3 cups sweetened condensed milk (about one can).

-- 2 teaspoons vanilla.

-- 14 ounces sweetened flaked coconut.

-- 2 egg whites.

-- 1 teaspoon sugar.

-- 5 oounces dark chocolate melting wafers, dark chocolate chips or broken-up chocolate bars.

The basic ingredients listed above are generally gluten-free. If this is a dietary concern, please be careful when shopping for the chocolate and other ingredients.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Start with five tablespoons of instant coffee and grind it into a fine powder using a coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle. Into a large mixing bowl, add the ground coffee, cinnamon and cardamom and mix well.

Add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla and mix for even distribution. Add the shredded coconut and mix well.

In a small mixing bowl, place the egg whites and sugar, and mix with an egg beater or wire whisk until stiff peaks form. Add the egg white mixture to the coconut mixture and mix to combine.

Line the baking trays with parchment paper. Scoop the macaroon mixture in portions a bit smaller than a golf ball,  leaving at least a half-inch between the macaroons. 

Bake the macaroons for 40 minutes at 250 degrees F. To ensure consistent results, put one baking tray in the oven at a time, with the rack set in the middle of the oven.

After removing the baking tray from the oven, place it on a cooling rack. Allow the macaroons to cool for five minutes, then use a spatula to gently transfer them to a plate or rack where they can cool for an additional 10 minutes, while melting the chocolate.

Fill a medium saucepan with an inch or so of water and bring it to a gentle simmer. Place a metal bowl or small saucepan over/into the hot water, allowing the water to heat the upper bowl from below.

Place the dark chocolate into the upper bowl and stir for a few minutes until it melts.  Dip the bottom side of the cooled macaroons in the melted dark chocolate, one at a time, and place them back onto the baking parchment.

Placing the macaroons in the refrigerator for 15 minutes will help the chocolate harden.