Sunday Sweets (Coconut Macaroons)



Coconut Macaroons

This Sunday I have an easy, fun recipe to share. I love coconut! Something about it seems very summery to me. I have seen several recipes for macaroons on Pinterest, on the web, and even on the shredded coconut bags! These macaroons are sweet, chewy, and really addicting.  The edges are the best part. They get brown and a little bit crisp. So, so good! I made this recipe for a small 4th of July get together. This recipe makes around 40 nice sized macaroons.

 

In a large mixing bowl, I start out with 4 bags of shredded, sweetened coconut. I used the great value brand, which has about 7 ounces of coconut per bag. In total, I have about 28 oz of coconut.

 

 



 

Next, I add 1 and 3/4 cups of sweetened condensed milk. 

 

Then, around 2 teaspoons of vanilla.

Mix the three together and set aside.

In another small bowl, add 4 egg whites and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Beat eggs using a mixer until you get stiff peaks.

The egg whites should look like this:

Next, fold the egg white mixture into the large bowl of coconut.

After lining baking sheets with parchment paper, I use two tablespoons to shape the mounds. I kept my macaroons around an inch apart. They don't spread too much in the oven. I baked them for 20-25 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Just make sure the tops and bottoms are a nice, golden brown before removing from the oven. After cooling for around five minutes, I drizzled white chocolate over them. I think it added a little extra yumminess. Since these were for a 4th of July party, I wanted to dye my chocolate red and blue. Unfortunately, the chocolate seized up when I added food coloring (water based food dye makes chocolate seize up, per Google search). I ended up with blue, play-dough like white chocolate. Needless to say, I stuck with just white colored white chocolate. I have also seen these dipped in semi-sweet or dark chocolate. I think either would be pretty darn good!



Coconut Macaroons

Here is the recipe I used:

28 ounces shredded coconut (sweetened)
1 and 3/4 cups sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon salt
White chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. In a large bowl, combine shredded coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract.
3. In another bowl, beat egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form.
4. Gently fold egg whites into coconut mixture.
5. Using tablespoons, make mounds of coconut on baking sheet. Keep them about an inch apart.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Pull them out when they are golden brown on top and bottom.
7. If desired, dip or drizzle chocolate on macaroons.

Cheers to a happy 4th of July!