Lately, we’ve been filling our days with our favorite things. Well, most of them, at least. We miss football! To compensate, we’ve indulged in extra helpings of family, friends, and food. Thank goodness for The Cookie Bible Santa Claus left for me under the tree last Christmas!
The Greatest Kid On The Planet has a sweet tooth like his mom, and anything I make with coconut is always a winner. There are dozens of recipes for coconut macaroons, but this one has become one of my favorites. Mainly because it consists of a handful of simple ingredients that I always have in my kitchen, and it takes very little time. And the results are decadent, little bites of coconut heaven!
Here is what you’ll need:
14 ounces of flaked coconut
4 egg whites
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
First, mix the coconut, sugar, flour, and salt together in a large bowl. Then add in the egg whites and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until the ingredients are well blended, about two minutes. I like using the electric mixer because it breaks down the coconut slightly but not too much, giving you a nice coconut “batter” that still has plenty of texture.
Lightly grease and flour your cookie sheet, or you can line it with parchment paper, which is what I prefer. Then drop your macaroons onto your cookie sheet with a spoon. I like to use a measuring spoon that equals one tablespoon. It makes them the perfect size. A cookie scoop works great, too! This should yield you two to three dozen macaroons. It sounds like a lot, but they get eaten fast!
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and bake the macaroons for twenty minutes. We like them golden brown around the edges and soft on the inside so twenty minutes in the oven is just about perfect. But ovens vary so watch them and don’t let them brown too much. Coconut goes from brown to burnt very quickly.
Don’t forget the chocolate!
Let your macaroons cool on a rack for approximately thirty minutes. Then you’re ready to top them off!
My two favorite chocolates for melting are Scharffen Berger and Ghirardelli. They both melt evenly with a lovely, smooth texture. And I never melt chocolate in the microwave. It’s easier, but I think it’s worth it to melt it slowly on a burner.
For dipping your coconut macaroons, you’ll want to melt six to eight ounces of chocolate. The Greatest Kid sometimes likes to dip them, then dip them again, so I err on the side of extra chocolate. In our home, you can never have too much chocolate.
These coconut macaroons are dangerously delicious and easy to make. They don’t last long in our home. The semi-sweet chocolate is perfect with the sweetness of the coconut. Once you start eating them, it’s near impossible to stop.
Give them a try. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Have a great weekend!
M.C. Greene
(The Cookie Bible was written and published by Publications International, Ltd., Copyright © 2012)