Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons

Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons

Are those not the most beautiful things you've ever seen? Perfectly browned on the top yet chewy and decadent in the middle. The addition of a little melted semi-sweet chocolate made these absolutely over the top delicious. I was inspired to make these by ones I had from the famous Tate's Bakeshop in Southampton, NY last weekend. Although hers didn't have the chocolate, they were extremely tasty and a nice change from the crunchy chocolate chip cookies everyone loves. Being excellent friends with the owner of Tate's Bakeshop, I knew Ina Garten would have a great recipe for macaroons and sure enough I was right. Just writing this post is making me wish I didn't bring these into work last week.

Ingredients

14 oz. bag of sweetened shredded coconut

14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pinch salt
2 egg whites

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Just six ingredients and a quick pop in the oven and you have these bite sized gems. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Combine the coconut, condensed milk, vanilla extract and salt in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form then gently fold into the rest of the mixture. Once everything is well combined, I used a one inch melon baller to form my macaroons but you could use any spoon or even an ice cream scoop. If you use an ice cream scoop be aware that they will take longer in the oven to bake. Scoop out even balls of the coconut mixture and place them evenly on a baking sheet. If your raw macaroons are between one and two inches in diameter then twelve minutes in the oven should do the trick. Don't forget to spray the baking sheet with cooking spray! I made that mistake with one of my baking sheets and ended up having a small problem on my hands when it came time to put them on the cooling rack. Good thing this recipe makes so many macaroons!

If after twelve minutes your macaroons aren't beautifully golden brown on the top then leave them in the oven until they are. No exceptions. Take them out of the oven and allow them to cool for a half hour. In a small microwave safe bowl, microwave the chocolate chips on high for minute increments stirring in between. Once the chocolate is fully melted and smooth and the macaroons have cooled, dip the bottom of each one into the chocolate and place on a foil-lined plate for easy removal once the chocolate has hardened. At this point you can leave the macaroons out at room temperature for about an hour until the chocolate is fully hardened, or, if you're as impatient as I am you can place them in the freezer for about five minutes for instant gratification. Enjoy!