Coconut Macaroons

By sianshan

from: Big Chewy Cookies by Elinor Klivans

NOTES
- if using small red cookie scoop, bake for 13 mins
- if using tablespoon as measure, bake for 11 mins (makes 25)

Ingredients

• 2 2/3 cups shredded sweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/8 t salt
• 1 1/2 t almond extract
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 1 lg egg white
• pinch of cream of tartar
• 1 T sugar
• Chocolate Coating
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 T canola or corn oil

Preparation

Step 1

Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and butter the paper.

In a lg bowl, use a fork to stir the coconut, condensed milk, salt, almond and vanilla extracts together. Set aside.

In an impeccably clean med bowl, use a whisk or a hand-held mixer on low speed to beat the egg white with the cream of tartar until they are foamy and the cream of tartar dissolves. Whisking vigourously or beating on med-high speed, beat until soft peaks form. Whisk or beat in the sugar. Use a rubber spatula to fold half of the whipped egg white into the coconut mixture, then fold in the remaining egg white.

Using an ice cream scoop or measuring cup with a 1/4 cup capacity, scoop mounds of coconut batter onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing the macaroons 2 inches apart.

Bake until the bottoms of the cookies and the tips of the coconut shreds are light brown, about 17 mins. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 mins, then slide a metal spatula under the macaroons to loosen them from the parchment and transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

CHOCOLATE COATING
Put the chocolate and oil in a microwave safe container. Heat at 20 second intervals (don't scorch the chocolate). Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth.

Dip the bottom of each macaroon in the chocolate and place them, bottoms up or on their sides, on a cookie sheet. Let them sit at room temp until coating is firm, about 1 hr. To speed the firming of the chocolate, refrigerate the macaroons on the cookie sheet for about 15 mins.

Can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days.