Because Baking is Creative: Macaroons!

Oh, dear bloggies, I have not forgotten you. Sorry for the silence on this here blog lately. The good news is that I've been up to some fun projects that you'll get a peek of very soon. And the other good news is that I've been thinking of you, and I had these 5 ingredients, so I made you some macaroons...and I think that even if you don't like coconut, you'll like these! I never knew how easy macaroons were to make.






Chocolate Dipped Toasted Coconut Macaroons
from Alton Brown

4 large egg whites
pinch of salt
1/2 cup sugar
12 ounces sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
6 ounces dark chocolate chunks or chips



Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place coconut on a baking sheet, spread out evenly and place in the oven. Return to the oven every five minutes to stir the browning coconut. Once evenly browned, after about 15 minutes, remove the the oven and allow to cool.

In a mixer fitted with a whip attachment, whip egg whites and salt until they become white and begin to stiffen. Add sugar in 3 parts. Continue to whip until the egg whites are very stiff. Fold in toasted coconut.

On parchment lined cookie sheets, drop a teaspoon of the mixture leaving 1 to 2 inches around each cookie.Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The outside should be golden brown but the insides should still be moist.

Place chocolate chunks in a heatproof bowl. Place bowl over a pan of simmering water so that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the simmering water. Allow to melt. Stir until loose and creamy. Partially dip the macaroons in the chocolate then allow to cool and harden on a parchment lined sheet. You can place the pan of chocolate dipped cookies in the refrigerator to speed up the hardening process.