Summerfest: Chocolate Dipped Macaroons

Last weekend I entered our small hometown's Baking Contest for the annual Summerfest and won 1st with my Chocolate Macaroons! Following in my grandmother's footsteps, who won last year for her peach pie, I decided to try the Italian take on macaroons.

Different than the French sandwich cookie macarons, the base for these cookies is coconut. They are gluten-free as well as the French macarons (which use almond flour instead of wheat flour). Read my tips at the bottom of the post before baking for the best outcome!

Chocolate Dipped Macaroons

yields: 45 small cookies

14 oz.     Sweetened Shredded Coconut

14 oz.     Sweetened Condensed Milk

2             Egg Whites (Room Temperature)

2 tsp.      Vanilla Extract

1/4 tsp.   Salt

10 oz.     Mini Chocolate Chips, Semi-Sweet (optional)

1. Line baking sheets with parchment paper & preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Combine coconut, condensed milk and vanilla extract until fully incorporated. Sprinkle in salt and continue to mix evenly.

3. In a separate bowl beat egg whites on high until white form peaks. 

4. Gently fold egg white into coconut mixture until evenly distributed.

5. Place bowl in refrigerator for at least 15-20 min. so the batter is easier to handle when scooping.

6. Using a small cookie scoop (I used a 1/2 tablespoon measuring tool) and form small rounded balls and place on baking sheet. 

7. Bake from 17-25 minutes depending on your oven. 

8. Remove cookies from oven and place on cooling rack or a separate piece of parchment paper to let cool. Cookies must be cool before dipping in chocolate. I let them sit overnight in the refrigerator before covering in chocolate but there is no need to wait that long. 

To decorate macaroons with chocolate, first microwave a chocolate for 30 second intervals, stirring chocolate until liquid. Dip macaroon bottoms in chocolate and place on parchment paper to dry. Fill a small bag (or Ziploc bag) with chocolate and cut a small tip at the end of the bag. Drizzle chocolate over the top of the macaroons. Enjoy!

Tips 

Since this is not my personal recipe I tweaked a few of the steps and had many test runs until they came out perfect. Initially, the batter became too runny and would spread out on the baking sheet and the macaroons did not keep the tall shape they should take. So, I have included my tips on how I perfected this recipe to yield correct results. I have only made this recipe twice, so next time I make these I will add what ingredients I changed!

-Do not use the entire can of condensed milk. The first batch I made came out too runny and I think too much condensed milk was at fault. I didn't want to add more coconut and overkill the taste. So, with my second batch I did not scrape the inside of the can when I poured out the condensed milk. Pour the contents of the can into the coconut but you do not need every last drop!

-REFRIGERATE!!! This made the batter less sticky to handle and also hardened the batter so they kept their tall shape when baking.

-When you take the batter out to form the rounds DO NOT mix the batter. It releases more moisture and makes them runny again, making the macaroons lose their shape in the oven. When you get to the end of the batter after placing them on the baking sheet their will be a watery mixture at the bottom of the bowl. I assumed it was the condensed milk (which was making it too runny) had dripped to the bottom of the bowl and collected. Simply DO NOT stir that back into the batter. 

-Your baking time of your oven will never be the same as the recipe calls for. Everyone's oven is different. I found with my oven around 18 minutes for a sheet of macaroons was perfect. So continue to watch your first few sheets of macaroons until you are comfortable with a time for your oven.