Sweet coconut and chocolate- what’s not to like?
Hey there, coconut week! Yes, this week I’m sharing recipes for desserts that are me-centric. Some of the recipes can be made to work for my flake-averse husband but not these cookies. No, their whole reason for being is flaked coconut. If you’re really craving some coconut in your dessert, this may be the best recipe to satisfy that hunger.
From the wayback time machine
To learn more about this recipe, originally published in December 2016, keep reading.
I really like sweetened, flaked coconut. There’s something about its sweetness and texture that really works for my palate. As for my husband- not at all. So, if it’s just the two of us at home (which is now most of the time), I don’t do much baking with it. Otherwise I’d need to eat the entire batch, and that’s not going to happen. However, there are ways to bake with coconut as a main ingredient: wait for the kids to come home from college or bring the baked good to the office.
In an ideal baking situation, not only would I use flaked coconut, it also would be the star ingredient. That’s where these cookies come into play. The whole focus of the cookie is the coconut- both in texture and flavor. The other ingredients add to the sweetness and add a nice amount of tenderness to the cookie.
Let’s take these macaroons up a level.
Of course, why bake just a plain old macaroon when you can add other elements? For this batch I decided to give each a base of chocolate. Half were semi-sweet, and half were milk chocolate. Choose the chocolate that’s perfect for you, although I’d skip white chocolate. That seems far too sweet of a combination. With the appropriate base of chocolate, these cookies become reminiscent of Mounds and Almond Joy candy bars.
These cookies make a nice addition to your regular cookie platter. As they aren’t flour-based cookies, they’ll be a good change from the assortment of sugar, gingerbread, and chocolate chip cookies you’ll find.
Chocolate Bottom Macaroons
Ingredients
- 14 ounce bag sweetened flaked coconut
- 7/8 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips, semi sweet or milk
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350.
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Combine coconut, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and coconut extract in a large bowl, stirring well
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Using a stand mixer, whisk egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form.
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Fold egg whites into coconut mixture.
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Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Using two spoons, scoop heaping tablespoons onto tray.
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Bake for 20 minutes or until edges and bottom are golden.
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Transfer entire parchment sheet and cookies to a cooling rack.
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When cooled, melt chocolate chips in 30 second increments in small bowl in microwave, stirring between each segment.
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Coat bottom of each cookie with chocolate. (I used a spoon to spread it.)
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Return coated cookie to parchment paper.
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After all cookies are coated, place in refrigerator to speed cooling of chocolate.
Notes
