In the Kitchen: Toasted Coconut Macaroons

For the little holiday party at my house, I made it a point to bake everything myself. Whether that was a good idea or not, I'm still not completely sure. It required nearly an entire half day dedicated to baking these different cupcakes, cookies, and my favorite the coconut macaroons! Seeing that at the end of the night everything was gone, I suppose it was all very much enjoyed. or I could blame the fact that there were mainly guys at this little get together, but I like to give myself credit for the former a bit more. I think more than anything though, they enjoyed dipping the macaroons into the dark chocolate fondue I had set up.

Toasted Coconut Macaroons:

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recipe adapted from Alton Brown

Ingredients

yields about 35 to 40 cookies

• 4 large egg whites
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 12 ounces sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
• 2  (3 ounce) milk chocolate or dark chocolate, or whatever chocolate you prefer (optional)

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place coconut on a baking sheet, spread out evenly and place in the oven.  Return to the oven every five minutes to stir the browning coconut.  Once evenly browned, after about 15 minutes, remove the the oven and allow to cool.

Whip egg whites and salt until they become white and begin to stiffen, preferably with a mixer with whisk attachment. Add sugar in 3 parts. Continue to whip until the egg whites are very stiff. Fold in toasted coconut.

On parchment lined cookie sheets, drop a teaspoon of the mixture leaving 1 to 2 inches around each cookie. Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The outside should be golden brown but the insides should still be moist.

*Optional Ready Done Chocolate Dipping- Place chocolate chunks in a heatproof bowl.  Place bowl over a pan of simmering water so that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the simmering water.  Allow to melt.  Stir until loose and creamy.  Partially dip the macaroons in the chocolate then allow to cool and harden on a parchment lined sheet.  You can place the pan of chocolate dipped cookies in the refrigerator to speed up the hardening process. 

Enjoy! ♥