Sep 272011
My husband has a bit of a sweet tooth, especially when it comes to baked goods. It’s not uncommon to hear, “You know what would really hit the spot?” followed by either peanut butter cookies, brownies or red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. That’s basically his way of saying “Any chance you might walk into the kitchen and then magically make something appear?”
I totally do not mind these requests since I love to bake, especially for him. Every once in awhile, though, he asks for something a little bit different – like macaroons. The first time he asked for them I had to go searching for a recipe; I wasn’t a huge coconut fan when I was younger so I hadn’t made them before. I found one on Brown Eyed Baker that is fairly easy to make (if you don’t read her blog, you should; yummy!) and it has become my go-to macaroon recipe.
I was in a bit of a rush when I made these, so they’re not overly beautiful – but they certainly are tasty (they taste kind of like a grilled Almond Joy bar). Generally I take my time and make them a little smaller which increases the prettiness factor.
Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 lg. egg white
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
10 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- Preheat oven to 325; line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In large bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, egg white, vanilla and salt. Stir in the coconut until well-combined.
- Drop dough by small tablespoonfuls onto the parchment-lined baking sheets. Space the macaroons about 2″ apart. With wet fingers, shape the dough into haystacks. Continue to wet fingers as necessary if they start to get sticky or hard to shape.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 15-20 minutes, or until they turn a light golden brown.
- Cool on cookie sheet for about 2 minutes, until starting to set. Use a metal spatula to move the macaroons to a wire cooling rack. Cool for an additional 30 minutes, until they reach room temperature.
- Melt 8 ounces of the chopped semi-sweet chocolate (I did mine in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between, but you can also melt it in a heat-proof bowl set over a bowl of barely-simmering water). Once melted and smooth, add in the remaining 2 ounces of chopped chocolate, and stir until smooth.
- Holding the tips of the macaroons, dip the bottoms and 1/2″ up the sides of the macaroons. Scrape off excess chocolate, and set back on the parchment-lined baking sheets to set.
Makes 24-36, depending on how big you make them.
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About Liza
Liza is a mom (5-year-old daughter, 20-year-old stepson, and 24-year-old stepdaughter) and wife living in Louisville. She loves spending time with her family, visiting the local zoo and parks, as well as planning travel adventures. Cooking and baking, DIY projects and crafts, and coffee - lots and lots of coffee - round out some of her other hobbies.
Yum! These look great.