In the Kitchen: Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons

This is the first macaroon recipe I have ever tried. I'm pretty sure it will also be the last because these macaroons turned out absolutely delicious. Many who tried them would agree (someone even said they tasted like they came from a bakery).

The thought of preparing macaroons, for some odd reason, always seemed a bit intimidating, and I really don't know why. It was actually one of the easiest things I have ever baked! I found this macaroon recipe from Jen at Migonis Home. While she has a great post, I thought I would show everyone the steps that I took to prepare these treats.

To start, here is the recipe:

Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons

2/3 cup flour

5 1/2 cups flaked coconut

1/4 tsp salt

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a non-stick baking sheet or line a baking sheet with parchment paper (oven friendly). 

In a large bowl, combine coconut flakes, flour and salt. 

Then add in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined either by hand or using a sturdy spoon or spatula. 

Form into 2" balls and place on the baking sheet. 

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the coconut begins to turn a golden brown.

Once cooled, melt the chocolate chips and get creative. You can dip the macaroons anyway you choose. 

I chose to dip the bottoms of the macaroons. 

So pretty

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A few things to note: I used slightly less coconut since I only used the contents of one package of flaked coconut (5 1/3 cups); I used vanilla paste instead of extract which is slightly thicker which is why you see black flecks in the macaroons; because my baking sheets are non-stick (Circulon = AMAZING) I did not line them; I used Ghiradelli milk chocolate chips and melted them in a glass loaf pan in the oven since I haven't installed my microwave; to allow the chocolate to solidify, I placed them on a cooling rack lined with parchment paper and placed them in the freezer for about 15 minutes, then left them out on the counter to completely solidify.

In total, this recipe made a total of 18 macaroons. The total initial prep time was between 5 and 10 minutes and it took about 20 minutes to dip the macaroons in chocolate. I placed them in a bowl as opposed to laying them out on a platter just to be different. Jen packaged them very nicely and presented them as a gift. These, my friends, are indeed gift worthy. 

Not one morsel of macaroon remains thanks to the help of some friends and family!

-Kristin