Coconut macaroons, dipped in chocolate and plain
Coconut macaroons are really easy to make if you start with Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk. This recipe is just sweet enough, not overly sweet like the macaroons that taste like candy; I’m adding them to my holiday cookie rotation. Based on this Ina Garten recipe with a bit more salt and the option to dip in chocolate at the end. Makes about 20 macaroons.
Ingredients:
14 oz sweetened shredded coconut
14 oz can Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
1 t vanilla extract
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
½ t kosher salt
4 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate (optional).
Coconut macaroons as they come out of the oven
Method: preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pour milk into a mixing bowl and mix in vanilla and coconut. Mix salt with egg whites and beat to semi-stiff peaks using balloon whisk or mixer. Cover a half sheet pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper (recommended for a smoother bottom surface) or a silicone pad and, using a tablespoon, make golf ball size dollops at least ½ inch apart. Bake until the macaroons are lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Thoroughly cool in the pan (they’ll stick if you try to remove them warm).
Variation: melt some good quality dark chocolate in a double boiler and dip the bottoms of the macaroons using tongs; return to parchment-lined pan and cool until chocolate hardens.
