Coconut Macaroons

Servings: 26 macaroons.

INGREDIENTS

14oz *sweetened coconut flakes (Make your own with desiccated coconut)
*1/4 cup of water (Only if you’re using desiccated coconut)
*4 teaspoons of sugar (Only if you’re using desiccated coconut)
7/8 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (Can be substituted with 1 ½ tsp vanilla essence)
2 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate (Optional)

The Perfectly Balanced Soft Chewy Inside And Crisp Golden Exterior Macaroons

The key ingredient in this recipe is sweetened condensed milk, a canned milk product from which water has been removed and sugar has been added. It’s sticky-sweet and makes the best macaroons. Many recipes call for it but, in my experience, they all have the same problem: too much liquid, which causes the sweet batter to pool around the edges of the macaroons and burn in the oven.

This is because recipe developers want to keep their recipes neat and tidy with one whole bag of coconut and one full can of sweetened condensed milk. After all, it’s annoying to have leftover sweetened condensed milk; there’s not much you can do with it except add it to your coffee. For this recipe, you’ll use just shy of one can so you’ll have to sacrifice some sweetened condensed milk, but your macaroons will be perfect.

Recipe by Jenn Segal

METHOD

*How to sweeten dessicated coconut flakes:

Heat 1/4 cup of water and 4 teaspoons of sugar until sugar is completely dissolved.
Stir in 1 cup of desiccated coconut flakes until all liquid is absorbed.
Leave it to dry before storing in the fridge, or use immediately.

Main Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 325°F and line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a bowl, mix the coconut flakes, condensed milk and vanilla extract. Set aside.
Beat the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form.
Fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture using a spatula.
Scoop the mixture using a mini ice cream scoop or tablespoons and space them out onto the baking sheets about 1 inch apart.
Bake for 23 to 35 minutes until the tops and edges are golden.
Let cool for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Optional:

If dipping macaroons in chocolate, melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl at medium power, stopping and stirring at 30 second intervals until smooth and creamy. (Alternatively, melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water.)
Dip the bottoms of the macaroons in the chocolate, letting any excess drip back into the bowl, and return to the lined baking sheets.
Place the macaroons in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to allow the chocolate to set.

Storage: Separate layers of macaroons with parchment paper or aluminium foil and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months. To serve frozen macaroons, remove from the container and let them come to room temperature.