Macaroons are a sweet, refreshing and gluten-free Valentine's Day treat
Make a batch of these macaroons for a sweet, refreshing and gluten-free Valentine's Day treat. Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk. You may find the condensed milk to be cloyingly sweet, but it's key to yielding a juicy, soft interior without any dryness — which distinguishes a great macaroon.
These macaroons are crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, with a chocolate-dipped base for a little Valentine's Day bling. The recipe takes inspiration from an Ina Garten recipe, with a few tweaks. It switches out half of the sweetened coconut with unsweetened coconut, which helps to offset some of the sweetness, and adds a whiff of almond extract for extra dimension. Most important, it includes a generous dunk in bittersweet chocolate, which has a magnificent grounding effect on, well, everything.
Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: Makes about 24
Ingredients
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
7 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
7 ounces unsweetened shredded coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
7 ounces dark (70%) chocolate
Directions
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Combine the milk, coconut, vanilla and almond extract in a large bowl and stir to blend.
Beat the egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gently fold into the coconut.
Drop heaping tablespoon-sized mounds of coconut, about 1 1/2 inches apart, on the baking sheets. Bake on the two center racks in the oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheets to ensure even baking. Remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
While the cookies are baking, melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water over low heat, stirring until smooth. Dip one half of each cooled macaroon in the melted chocolate and transfer to a board or platter lined with parchment. Refrigerate until set. Store at room temperature for up to four days.
Lynda Balslev is an award-winning writer, cookbook author and recipe developer, and authors the blog TasteFood.