Dark Chocolate Double Coconut Macaroons

Last bridal shower post! I received these cookies [and the recipe] back at Christmas from Mary Beth at A Carrot and A Cupcake for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. Since the bride loves coconut, these were a natural addition to our menu. Can’t go wrong with chocolate and coconut, right?! 🙂  I must say, I was a bit nervous making these macaroons for a bridal shower because you want bridal showers to be pretty, not trashy. And let’s face it: sometimes working with melted chocolate causes things to look trashy. Or is that just me? ANYWAYS…

I breathed a sigh of relief when these macaroons came out of the oven golden brown, with crunchy exteriors and soft interiors. And I breathed a second sigh of relief when my dipped chocolate looked… well… normal. Not drop-dead-candy-shop gorgeous, but passable. Normal, even for a home kitchen. And then I wanted to run away to the beach with the entire tin of Dark Chocolate Double Coconut Macaroons. They were so good [c’mon, I had to allow myself one to taste test. That’s just a thing ya do!] and I wanted more. But guys… I decided to share. 🙂 It was just the right thing to do.

More chocolate, more coconut, more more more. That’s the problem with little rich desserts. You can convince yourself ahead of time that “one is enough” and “I couldn’t possibly eat another. I am too full/stubborn/ridiculous girl embarrassed/pick your poison.” But no. One isn’t enough. These macaroons are rich and addictive. I heard that non-coconut lovers inhaled these macaroons. I must have done something right. 🙂

If the length of the recipe and all the steps scare you… don’t let it. These macaroons are foolproof, tested, and relatively simple. If you’ve ever had a dry macaroon and have sworn off making them because of that, well–this recipe is for you. These macaroons aren’t dry and they don’t have weird ingredients either. Just lots of delicious coconut and chocolate sweetness! I know these will be my go-to Christmas cookie and bridal/baby shower treat for years to come. Food bloggers always say that sort of thing, but I really mean it. I’ve never had a macaroon as good as these and I bet you haven’t either! Hope you enjoy them as much as I do! 🙂

one year ago: Pretzel Rolls
two years ago: Orange-Glazed Chicken Stir Fry
three years ago: Strawberry Chocolate Coconut Pancakes

 

Dark Chocolate Double Coconut Macaroons [from A Carrot and A Cupcake]

Ingredients:

• 28 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup canned cream of coconut [i.e. Coco Lopez] – or if you can’t find that, substitute an equal amount of sweetened condensed milk
• 2 ounces softened cream cheese
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or coconut extract
• pinch of salt
• 16 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Combine 14 ounces coconut and the powdered sugar in a food processor. Pulse until chopped into small pieces. Add cream of coconut, cream cheese, flour, egg whites, vanilla and salt. Pulse until mixed well. This batter will be soft, wet, and gooey so refrigerate for 15-30 minutes to make it easier to work with.

Place some of the remaining coconut flakes in a shallow bowl or baking dish [you can put it all in but you may not use it all, so I used a bowl and added more as necessary]. Drop rounded tablespoons of chilled batter into the coconut flakes, toss some coconut on top, and then gently roll with your hands to form balls. I found that some of the softer balls required more coconut to hold them together. Repeat until all batter is used.

Place 1 inch apart on prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating pans from bottom to top and front to back halfway through. Be sure to check early and often so they don’t burn! Let cool on baking pans for about 5 minutes and then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely. I cooled mine overnight and just covered up the cooling racks with a kitchen towel.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper [just reuse what you already have, and discard excess coconut flakes]. Combine chocolate and coconut oil in a small bowl and melt in microwave until smooth. I always melt chocolate at 50% power with 30 second bursts, stirring in between.

Dip bottoms of macaroons in melted chocolate, then place chocolate-side down on prepared pan. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until set.

Store macaroons covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Time: 60 minutes active, plus time to chill.
Yield: 4 dozen cookies.

Linked up with: Weekend Potluck.