Coconut Macaroons

I usually make these around Christmas time but I made them for my Valentines day cookie boxes this past year. They were a big hit! They have a moist chewy inside and a crunchy outside. I will always recommend drizzling dark chocolate over these.

There aren't many ingredients required to make these which is always a bonus.

You don't need to drizzle them with dark chocolate but I do recommend it.

I also highly suggest using the almond extract, it just adds so much flavor to it. Please don't skip.

In a large bowl add the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla. Set aside for a moment.

In the bowl of your stand mixer whip the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form. (I'll add a reference picture a little further down the page)

Using a large spatula fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture. If the batter is runny, add a little more coconut. I usually chill for 30-60 min. You want a slightly moist mixture, should be able to form the macaroons and hold their shape before baking. Scoop and form into mounds on a parchment paper lined baking tray. I've tried the silicone mats and they just stick to it making removal quite messy.

As well while one tray bakes I keep the next tray already prepped in the fridge until ready to go in.

For reference, the egg whites should be whipped to stiff peaks. If they are not it can attribute to pooling around the cookies when they are in the oven.

The cookies need to be baked in a 325°F preheated oven for 20-25 min. Keep an eye on them as you don't want them to go too brown/crispy. Let them cool on the pan prior to transferring to wire rack. I like to drizzle chocolate over them as well. So if you think you'd be a fan of that then take some dark chocolate, melt it in the microwave in small intervals stirring in-between. Then add it to a small zip lock bag and snip the end. Drizzle over the cookies and let set. Or don't and have warm chocolate covered coconut macaroons. Yum.

Coconut Macaroons Recipe:

Ingredients:

4 cups sweetened flaked coconut (2 bags, 1 bag is about 200g/7 oz)

¾ cup sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp almond extract

¼ tsp salt

2 large eggs, whites only

Instructions:

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl mix the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract. Set aside.

3. In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form.

4. Using a large spatula fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture. If batter is too runny add more coconut. Chill for 30-60 minutes. You want the batter to be slightly moist and be able to hold its shape prior to going in oven.

5. When consistency of batter seems right, preheat oven to 325°F. Set rack in the center of the oven.

6. Scoop mixture and form into mounds onto the prepared baking sheets. Spacing them apart. Bake for about 20-25 min. Keep an eye on them as you don’t want them to get too brown/crispy. Keep the next tray prepped in the fridge ready to go into oven once the first batch is done.

7. Let them cool on the pan for a few minutes prior to transferring to a cooling rack.

* OPTIONAL: Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for about 30 seconds then 10 second increments until fully melted. Stirring well in-between. Place the chocolate into a zip lock bag and cut a small tip off the corner. Drizzle the chocolate over the macaroons. Let set.