The votes are in! Thanks to everyone who took part in my poll, as well as in the giveaway. It was a lot of fun to see which cookie everyone wanted to see me bake and blog about here, and it was a nail biter. No Bake cookies almost pulled off the victory, but the winner, by a hair, was the Macaroon. I was excited about all the cookies since I hadn’t made any of them before, but I was especially excited about the macaroon because I had never even eaten one before. How crazy is that? I must have lived under a rock for many, many years. First the Chinese food, and now this.
I’m sure that I’ll be making up for lost time because these coconut macaroons are ridiculously good and insanely addicting. I tested them both plain and then dipped in the chocolate. (I wouldn’t be a good food blogger if I didn’t do thorough taste-testings, right?) I honestly could go either way, they are truly fabulous. I thought they were fantastic plain, straight from the oven, and of course I love chocolate, so I thought they were great dipped in chocolate as well. You really can’t go wrong here. In fact, I’m thinking of adding these to my holiday baking list.
On top of being so incredibly good, these really couldn’t be easier to make. All you need is one bowl and a spoon, mix everything together, and voila! You’re done! I used a tablespoon to measure these out, but you could also use a small cookie scoop to keep the sizes consistent. Once scooped onto the cookie sheet, dip your fingers in water and shape them into mini pyramids. I thought this might be difficult, but it was very easy. If you find your fingers starting to stick, just dip them in water again.
I understand that some people thought that the Macaroons in the poll were really Macarons (the French sandwich cookie). Since all of the entries in the giveaway were spelled Macaroon, I went with this cookie as the winner. However, disappointing is not my style. Therefore, I will be making Macarons NEXT week. This will be my first time making them and I’m looking forward to the challenge! Oh let the baking gods be with me! Any suggestions for the filling? And if you voted for one of the other four cookies, fear not… I am planning on baking one recipe a week for the four weeks following the Macarons. I’m looking forward to making them all!
Cookies from the Top 10 I have made:
Chocolate Chip Cookies (Thick & Chewy)
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Peanut Butter Blossoms
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Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons
Yield: 3 dozen cookies
For the cookies:
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 large egg white
1½ teaspoons vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
3½ cups sweetened flaked coconutFor the chocolate dipping:
10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, egg white, vanilla and salt until combined. Stir in the coconut until well blended.
3. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Form the cookies into loose haystacks with your fingertips, moistening your hands with water as necessary to prevent sticking.
4. Bake, one sheet at a time, until the cookies are light golden brown, 15 to 2o minutes.
5. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets until slightly set, about 2 minutes; remove to a wire rack with a wide metal spatula.
6. Once the cookies are cooled to room temperature (about 30 minutes), line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Melt 8 ounces of the semi-sweet chocolate in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water, stirring once or twice, until smooth. Remove from the heat; stir in the remaining 2 ounces chocolate until smooth.
8. Holding a macaroon by its pointed top, dip the bottom and ½ inch up the sides in the chocolate; scrape off the excess chocolate and place the macaroon on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining macaroons.
9. Refrigerate the macaroons until the chocolate sets, about 15 minutes.
(Adapted from a combination of Joy of Cooking
and Baking Illustrated
)
Tags: Chocolate, coconut, Cookies, macaroons
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Wow. You’ve totally inspired me to make my own for Passover next year, though I’m not sure I can wait that long!
Those look great! I’ll have to give those a try
We are crazy about macaroons! just perfect finish to many dinners. These are so sensational looking. Thanks, s
Yay I didn’t think macaroons had a chance but they were my vote! They look beautiful! Definitely great around the holidays too. I agree with you – with or without chocolate they are delicious.
Alright, you’re scaring me…I used to make these too almost everyday for six years at my old job! Ours were these huge monstrosities that were round (about the size of your fist) and one side was dipped in chocolate. They, too, were one of the most popular items, but sadly, I didn’t like them. Waaaay too sweet for me! I have to have these bite-sized (like yours).
They kinda look like a volcano, with the brown bottom and toasted “lava” on top heehee
Meghan – Glad your vote won!
Tanya – That IS crazy! And fist-sized macaroons? That would definitely be too sweet for me. I think these are just perfect.
Carla – You’re right! Volcanoes! Great eye!
Those look crazy good!!
I didn’t vote for macaroons, but they’re my husband’s favorite. Does this mean I should make a batch for him for Father’s Day? I think so. The chocolate makes them much more appealing to me.
I would love to make these but I have an allergy to eggs. Do you think they would work with mashed banana’s in palce of the egg?
Any ideas? They look so good!
Delicious! And I can’t believe you’ve never made them, they’re beautiful!
I’m emailing this to myself immediately! I’m so glad I voted for the Macaroons. Good thing you tested with and without chocolate – thanks for taking one for the team (wink).
I love it!!!
thanks for the recipe sharing : )
Great recipe! Reminds me the French ‘Congolais’ cookies made of coconut .. but without the chocolate unfortunately!
These look so delicious. I’ve always loved macaroons – such chewy sweet goodness. We’ve never tried making them ourselves, though. I love the chocolate on these. Mmm!
I have to try your recipe…the ones I made before turned out like meringues with little bits of coconut inside…not exactly what I had in mind!
Those look heavenly! Yum!
I preferred the kind you made to the french kind anyway… but I did just make the french kind the other week:
http://stephchows.blogspot.com/2009/05/hazelnut-macaroons.html
I think you need to use homemade nuttella in the middle, I did and I was SO HAPPY WITH IT!!! http://stephchows.blogspot.com/2009/05/homemade-nutella-and-giveaway-teaser.html
Your pictures are awesome! These look really yummy, and I’m looking forward to the macaron post!
chocolate and coconut – if there’s a better combination I don’t know of it! These look divine!
Your photos made them look so delicious that I gave them a try on the weekend. http://tinyurl.com/m3ahhl
Thanks for the recipe. They are scrumptious!
Heaven in a chocolate coated bite. Thank you for sharing these!
These look fantastic. The photography is impecable too.
these look awesome! They seem perfect for a luau party ..because they remind me of little volcanoes
yum yum yum
Still on a baking kick lately and HAD to try these! These are so so simple and just as delicious! Will be whipping up another batch soon!
Jeane – Yes, you can definitely use mashed banana as a substitute for the egg white in the recipe, as its primary function is a binding agent. I would recommend about 1/4 of a normal size banana for this one egg white.
Please let me know how it turns out! I bet the banana flavor would be great with the coconut and chocolate!
Belle – You should definitely make these at home if you love macaroons – so easy!
Cate – if you try the recipe, I’d love to know what you think! I definitely don’t think these turned out like meringues – these were very soft and chewy, full of coconut.
Made these tonight… they were very delicious. Only problem was with removing them from the parchment paper. I misted some water on the bottom and let them sit for a few minutes. They peeled right off then.
Hi Okke – So glad that you came back and let me know that you liked these! Thanks also for the tip on misting water to remove them from the parchment!
I starred this in my google reader. It will be great to have an easy yummy recipe on hand during the holiday cookie making frenzy!
Delicious cookies!! I love macaroons. I am actually having a 12 days of treats on my blog and was typing up my post when I decided to make yours to see if I liked them better. And yes, the sweetened condensed milk gives it a little something. So, you’re recipe is my Day 2. With credit given to you of course. Thanks again for the delicious recipe.
My mother loves macaroons and for some reason, I can’t stand the sweetened bakers coconut, I do however like fresh coconut. Has anyone ever tried these using fresh shredded/grated coconut? Just wondreing if it would work.
How do you think these would be with cream of coconut (coco loco) substituted for the condensed milk? I have some in the fridge, so I’m just wondering!
Hi Jami,
I’ve never made that substitution, so I couldn’t say for sure, but if you try it I’d love to know how it turns out!
These look so good! Love all things covered in chocolate
WOW and WOW! The Macs look so good! Gorgeous photos too!
I don’t eat too many cookies but I LOVE coconut macaroons! These are gorgeous!
These look absolutely delicious! I love the coconut and chocolate combo!
These are absolutely perfect! What a pretty dessert these macaroons would make for a special occasion.
These are gorgeous, and they look so decadent!
I stumbled upon your recipe for Chocolate dipped Macaroons today. I almost.. (almost) got them into the fridge to cool – but alas, were so good they were eaten straight out of the dipping bowl of chocolate!
Thanks for this gonna make ‘em every week treat! I’ll be sure to let you know how much weight I need to lose by Christmastime..
Thank you for sharing these! I was looking for something “a little different” for after-dinner munching, and these fit the bill perfectly. I shared them and my results on my own blog, but definitely linked back to you
http://soupson502.blogspot.com/2010/06/chocolate-dipped-macaroons.html
Your pictures had me, love at first sight. Your recipe may well be the best and most direct and easy to follow i have encountered. They are in the fridge now. Thanks for sharing the yumminess.
I just made these and I have no idea how you managed to get 3 dozen out of the quantities you have listed. I used heaped teaspoonfuls instead of tablespoons and I barely got 2 dozen. Still, they look pretty good
Hi Michelle!
I just discovered your blog the other day and have read through the entire thing. I’m planning on sending you an e-mail with a bunch of questions soon. When I made macaroons in culinary school the batter was a bit thinner, so we piped them out with a star tip into a cute little swirl mountain. You should give that a try next time!
Julianne
These taste so yummy, but for some reason they have completely stuck to the wax paper. Maybe I need a different brand? hmmm, not sure what went wrong. Still delicious though, just wish I could solve the liner problem
Hi Kelly, As noted in the recipe, I set the dipped macaroons on parchment paper, not wax paper. They are actually totally different and could be why yours stuck – parchment paper is by its nature non-stick. I would pick up a roll – I use it for all of my baking!
Thank you for your help. I bought some parchment paper the other day and I am about to make the recipe again right now. For some reason I always thought waxed paper and parchment paper were interchangeable.
Please please can you use proper measurments and not cups. I have 7 different cup sizes! Is it possible to get this recipe in grams please?
Hi Cherie, Almost all recipes published here in the U.S. are written in volume (i.e. cup) measurements, and some include weights in ounces, but virtually none include grams. The “cups” refer to an actual measuring cup, which are standard sizes. I am working on some conversion calculators, but in the meantime I would recommend using something like Google to do conversions – if you type in “xx cups = ? grams” it will do a conversion for you.
Hi!
I would love to make these but before I do I want to make sure that flour was suppose to be added??? I didn’t see it in the recipe but doesn’t macaroons usually call for flour?? Please get back to me asap! Thanks! Kay
Hi Kay, Nope no flour! Enjoy the cookies!
Hi Michelle!
Any suggestions on how to store them so that they stay crisp for a couple of days? I kept them in an airtight container after they cooled completely, but they became soft the next day.
This is my third time making them this month!!! Thanks for such a fabulous recipe!
Hi Bina, What about using a tin? They usually aren’t as airtight as the plastic containers.
This looks so amazing, will def make it soon!
OOOOOOOOOO! I really want to bake these! I’ll bake them tonight, let’s hope it goes swell!
Update
When my cookies were baking, it turned watery. Is this supposed to happen? If not, what did I do wrong, and how do I fix it? Thanks!
Hi Anne, They shouldn’t be watery. I’m wondering if you used too much water on your hands when shaping?
I didn’t use water, I used two spoons? Should I have used water? Please help me! Thanks!
– A
Hi Anne, Hmm, I’m honestly not sure why these would turn watery on you. Did you substitute any ingredients, are you at a high altitude, using a convection oven, etc.?
Nope, followed all the directions. Weird, huh? I actually live in the valley. Well, thanks for trying to help me!
– A
I made these yesterday. They were fantastic. I baked them on a silicone baking mat on my cookie sheets. I had no problem removing them. I want to try to make them taller next time. All my bunco friends loved them.