Coconut Macaroons Dipped in Chocolate

These are yummy. Admission: I love the idea of coconut. But whenever I order it at a restaurant I tend to go….oops, forgot it’s not my favorite. These, however, are amazing. They have that great toasted coconut flavor and texture – and the awesomeness from chocolate. Long story short – they make me happy. And they make N happy – which is why I made them in the first place!

I just got back from a trip to Ohio — and I feel great. I was there for an entire week for a work trip – but was able to get a few days in the beginning and end to hang out with my family – which was great. I missed Mr. N – so am happy to be back — but it was definitely a much needed trip for me. Like I said in my last post — Seattle is interesting – but doesn’t feel like home. Baby steps! I also feel slightly invigorated to cook more fun recipes and share them – I’ve been in a little bit of a slump — I feel almost back to normal now!

p.s. I love, love, love all the comments on my last blog. How hilarious is my dad btw? Thanks all – very nice!

Onto other fun things: this macaroon recipe. Super simple. I wanted to find a recipe that had the most reviews on it — the base for these cookies was found here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/coconut-macaroons-iii/. It has over 700 positive reviews. Uh, winner! So I read the reviews and made a few modifications….so excited for you guys to try these too!

First things first, here’s what you’ll need: sweetened coconut flakes (14 oz. bag), 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk, white flour, pure vanilla extract, pure almond extract, salt, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. That’s it.

And here’s what you’ll need to do. First, pour out the sweetened condensed milk into a medium size bowl. Add 1 t. pure vanilla extract and 1 t. pure almond extract to the bowl. Mix mix mix. Note: the only reason I did this step first was that I read in the comment section that if you add the extract later on, it wouldn’t be evenly distributed.

Add 1/4 t. kosher salt. Mix again.

Then add the entire bag of sweetened coconut flakes. And the 2/3 cup flour. And mix. This time use a spatula or wooden spoon — whisk will be way too hard. I can tell you that from experience. Duh Amelia.

Ok – almost done. Cover in saran wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours – up to 24.

After 2 hours of patiently distracting yourself — preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Cover a cookie pan with parchment paper. Reviews said — you have to have parchment paper. Otherwise these will stick. Other people used the silicone matts – so either will work. p and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. Why you ask? Because this will allow the mixture to harden slightly – and when you scoop onto the tray and bake – the cookies will be the perfect consistency. Yay.

Use an ice cream scoop to make large cookies – drop them onto the parchment paper….oh boy – these already look good – right?

Bake for 13-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Like any recipe – make sure you watch and make sure these don’t brown too quickly. Ovens vary—so that’s my warning. My oven is a little jerk at times — this batch browned too quickly at the bottom – so I had to open the oven door and move the tray around to keep them ok. Jerk oven.

Ok – fair warning – your house will smell amazing when these are baking. Like – incredible. Good luck keeping people away from picking at them. Or in my case…good luck trying to not burn your mouth by eating the bits off the side of these little babies.  A burnt tongue is worth it. Ah….I have a problem.

Once the cookies have browned slightly and cooked through
– remove and allow to cool — at least a half hour. Resist the urge to eat them right away. As good as they are now — imagine how good they are with chocolate!

After cookies have cooled melt your chocolate chips — I used about 2 cups. I just used the Ina Garten’s way of melting chocolate – put into a microwaveable bowl and microwave at 30 second intervals until melted.

Take the cooled coconut macaroons – and dip the bottom into the melted chocolate. Yes! We’re almost done….repeat with the remaining macaroons – and place onto parchment paper until the chocolate has set — probably another 20-30 minutes. 

Now — if you want to add a little “pizazz” — put the remaining chocolate into a pastry bag or plastic baggie. If using a plastic baggie – snip a tiny corner off the side. And squeeze the chocolate into stripes on the macaroons — so pretty and so fun to do. Note: you can also just use a fork to do this — either way works. And also note: i went a little crazy with the chocolate drizzle…..ha….

And it’s time to eat these lovely cookies. Naaman was a happy man — which makes me happy. Make these asap! Enjoy!

Coconut Macaroons Dipped in Chocolate
Makes 14 cookies
Click here to print recipe.

Ingredients: 
14 oz. sweetened shredded coconut
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1 t. pure almond extract
1/4 t. salt
2/3 c. flour
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. In a bowl, mix together the sweetened condensed milk with a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract and a teaspoon of pure almond extract. Whisk until incorporated – add the 1/4 t. salt and mix to incorporate.

2. Mix in coconut and flour – Stir to incorporate completely.

3. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours (up to 24).

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use an ice cream scoop to drop dough onto cookie sheets covered in parchment paper or silicone mats.

5. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until coconut has toasted. Allow to cool to room temperature.

6. Melt the chocolate chips – then dip the bottom of each macaroon — drizzle chocolate over the tops. Place on parchment paper and allow chocolate to set.

Enjoy!