Toasted French Coconut Macaroons

Golden on the outside, chewy and coconutty in the center, these Homemade Coconut Macaroons come together in no time with just a handful of simple ingredients. Dip the bottoms in chocolate for an irresistible bakery-style treat everyone will love! (Makes 24 cookies)

Toasted French Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients:

·       14 oz unsweetened shredded coconut (about 5 to 5.5 cups) I like Sprout’s Brand!

·       ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk (see notes about using the whole can)

·       1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

·       ¼ teaspoon almond extract

·       ½ teaspoon kosher sea salt

·       2-3 egg whites room temperature

·       Optional:    

• 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped bars

• Toasted, crushed slivered almonds

  
  

Directions:

1.    Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.   In a large bowl, stir together the coconut, condensed milk, vanilla, almond, and salt.

3.   In another larger bowl, beat the egg whites (no yolks allowed!) on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Gently fold half of the egg whites into the coconut mixture, followed by the other half after the first half is completely folded in. Do this gently so you keep as much “air” from the beaten eggs as possible.

4.   Using a 1 ½ tablespoon scoop, scoop the cookie batter onto the lined baking sheets, spacing each of them about 1 inch apart.

5.   Bake, 1 sheet at a time, for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops and bottom edges are golden brown. Let cool completely on the pan.

6.   Place the semi-sweet chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until the chocolate is smooth and melted.

7.   Optional:

• Serve plain OR

• Cool and then dip the bottom of the cookies in the melted chocolate and optionally/additionally then into crushed almonds. Allow to cool completely at room temperature until the chocolate is set; or to speed this up, refrigerate!  OR

• You can drizzle the top of the cookies with the chocolate instead of dipping, if desired. (see notes below)

  
  

  

Notes:

·       You can use the whole can of sweetened condensed milk but this will make extra gooey macaroons. They will also spread a bit more, especially at the bottom, so just keep that in mind. They may look slightly different, and less domed but will still taste great!

·       You can skip the chocolate. These cookies are delicious on their own, if you don’t want to dip or drizzle them with melted chocolate.

·       If the batter is too runny to form pointy cone-like peaks, you can 1) chill the batter for 30 minutes first to allow to set. If it is still too runny, 2) dab dough w/a paper towel, and finally, if necessary…3) add 1 teaspoon of corn starch. None of these will hurt the yummy outcome!