Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons

So I know it's been a while.  I've had a crazy month.  I moved from the suburbs to Brooklyn, had to deal with all the fun of moving into a fourth floor walk up, had to change jobs, so why not get back in the grove of things with a gluten free recipe so easy anyone can bake these?  Coconut macaroons are a great little indulgence.  Sweet with a hint a salt to balance them out, and if you dip them in dark chocolate the bitter notes are a perfect complement for the sweetness of the coconut.  This recipe takes about five minutes to complete and couldn't be easier.  The result will be delectable macaroons, crispy outsides with a smooth, soft, center.

Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten
Makes about 2 dozen macaroons
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Ingredients

- 1 14 oz bag of sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
- 2 egg whites room temperature, whipped
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 325˚F.  Line baking sheets with silpat mat or parchment.  Do not use aluminum foil unless you grease the foil first, otherwise they will stick (trust me!  I had one batch get reshredded when I tried to tear them off the foil).

In a large bowl, combine the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla.  Mix well until combined.  This process will be very sticky and messy.  I used a spatula but it may be easier to just use you hands, especially if you have gloves.  Sprinkle in the salt and mix very well to make sure it's evenly distributed.

Meanwhile, with a electric beater or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites.  Do so until the egg whites peak.

Gently fold in the egg whites into the coconut mixture until fully incorporated.

Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, form rounded balls about 1 1/2"-1 3/4" in diameter.  This will allow the outside to be crispy and the insides to be nice and soft.

I found that if I scooped them all on a tray right next to each other, then froze them a little they were easier to deal with.  Plus you get the mess of scooping completely out of the way.  This just increases baking time by about five minutes but will make the macaroons much easier to handle.

Bake around 25-30 minutes total until the outsides are golden brown.  Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before attempting to dip in chocolate.

You can use whatever kind of chocolate you'd like.  I had a lot of macaroons to make (this photo is of a double recipe) so I went with Hershey's.  I made some milk chocolate, some dark chocolate, and some plain because I was making for a lot of people and I didn't know their preferences.  Personally, I think either dark chocolate or plain is the best way to eat them.

Dip the macaroons once they completely cooled.  Place them on parchment after dipping.  I also just scrape the bottom gentle with a spoon to prevent too much wasted chocolate pooling.

Halfway through cooling, move the macaroon to a new spot on the parchment.  This will prevent a pool of chocolate from forming around the edges, making, cleaner looking macaroons. 

Now, there's nothing wrong with skipping this process and leaving them with a saucer shaped chocolate bottom.  That just makes them extra chocolatey...but if you want them to look a little prettier this steps give you a clean looking product.

 Allow the chocolate to harden completely before packaging or stacking them.

And most importantly, enjoy!