Happy Passover: Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons
The bane of my childhood candy experience was a Mounds Bar. I just didn’t get it. I would bite into the promising chocolate nugget, which would immediately give way to a chewy, shredded, nutty interior, that, in my opinion, had no rightful place in a chocolate bar. It was clearly the texture that I did not like. I was mystified by my friends who bought super-sized packages of Almond Joys to scarf down when we were at the movies. Every halloween when my brothers and I would pile our loot in the middle of the kitchen table, gloating and eyeing trade-ups, my chocolate covered coconut bars were the first to offer up with no regrets. Sadly, my brothers were not so keen on coconut either, so the negotiating could get ugly.
As a parent, it baffled me that my children loved coconut. But as chief cookie baker, I stepped up to the plate and used coconut more and more freely in bars, cakes, and cookies. And, you know what? I, too, developed a fondness for this tropical “nut”, appreciating its flaky fresh and nutty interruption in a sea of sugar. I guess you could say I grew up.
I eat coconut now – unforced – and prefer it paired with dark chocolate. Sometimes I make macaroons, a jumble of coconut bound together with egg white and condensed milk. Yes, the milk is icky-sweet, but it seems to yield the best juicy-soft interior, which is what prevents dryness and distinguishes a great macaroon. I’ve followed a recipe from Ina Garten from time to time, but switch out some of the sweetened coconut with unsweetened, which I find reduces excessive cloyness. Oh, and I always dunk them in dark chocolate, of course – which has a magnificent grounding effect on, well, everything.
Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons
Makes about 24
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
8 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
6 ounces unsweetened shredded coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg whites, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 ounces dark (70%) chocolate, melted
Heat the oven to 350°F (180° C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the milk, coconut, and vanilla in a large bowl and stir to blend.
Beat the egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer until soft peaks form and then fold into the coconut.
Drop heaping tablespoon-sized mounds of coconut on the baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove and cool completely on a rack. Dip one half of each macaroon in the melted chocolate and transfer to a board or platter lined with parchment. Refrigerate until set.
I agree coconut treats can be too sweet. Although I have fond memories of Almond Joy Bars, they are too sweet for me now. Your recipe for Macaroons hits all the right notes, especially with the bath in dark chocolate!
I adore macaroons – yours look terrific!
Cannot wait to make these delicious treats! Simple, but elegant!
These look outstanding! Love macaroons! These look just perfect
A heavenly cookie!
Cheers,
Rosa
Coconut macaroons are one of my favourite cookies, here mostly eaten at Christmas. What a great idea for passover! Nicole.
Those look great. One of my favorites.
I must confess that I still grab an occasional Mounds bar when I’m on the road. It’s my one guilty pleasure.
Oh my….Mounds and Almond Joy were among my favorites as a kid, though I am quite sure that I would toss either overboard for just one of your delicious macaroons!
I recently made some “Bounty” like bars, similar only without egg whites and baking. Yes, the best ones were those dipped in some 90% Lint chocolate. As I didn’t have sweetened coconut I used unsweetened coconut and the sweet condensed milk. The result was very good, but I still think they were a bit too sweet…so I’ll try to mix sweet condensed milk with unsweetened condensed milk…see if I can make it…healthier. Maybe the macaroons could be sweeter as they are smaller than the Bounty like bars.
Anyway the pictures look yummy! I’ll try your recipe, but only with unsweetened coconut.