Coconut Macaroons

I'm not certain what it is that I like about coconut macaroons.  But I really like them.  I like everything about them.  I might even like them more than I like cookies, which is shocking.  They are sticky, intensely coconut-y and delicious.  I like them chocolate-dipped, with almond extract, and plain.  I like all of them.  I guess most of that can be attributed to the fact that I really love coconut and always have.  I have really only found a few macaroon variations that truly disappointed me enough that I couldn't finish them.  Conversely, I have really only found a few variations that were good enough that I remember them distinctly.  One variation on a macaroon that I love is the macaroon and nutella sandwich cookie that they serve at the Street Sweets truck.  The macaroon at the truck is thin and crispy, almost like a florentine.  And I had never considered the combination of nutella and coconut before, but it was totally delicious.  And I generally like my macaroons a little on the sticky side, but they taste really nice crispy like that.  Joe the Art of Coffee on the UWS also has really nice chocolate-dipped macaroons.  They're not too sweet, not to sticky - a very classic macaroon.

I have never tried a macaroon recipe that uses condensed milk before, but I figured why not give it a try?  The last batch of macaroons I made using a more traditional recipe just weren't quite as good as I was hoping for, so I was looking to try something new and different.  I kept finding blog posts and recipes that used condensed milk, so apparently it's not that uncommon to add it to your macaroons.  Who knew?  As you might expect from macaroons that used condensed milk (or from any baked good that uses condensed milk), these macaroons were a bit on the sticky side.  But that's ok, because I like sticky.  They also spread out and ooze a lot more than your typical macaroon (which is made up of coconut, egg white, vanilla extract and very little else) during the baking process.  The macaroons weren't crispy enough for me to want to make sandwich cookies out of - I think if you're going for that kind of recipe we would need coconut that is more finely ground, a touch of flour to bind the ingredients and give them a more cookie-like texture, and no condensed milk.  The fact that we started out with over a dozen macaroons and now only have one or two left should bear witness to the fact that these macaroons weren't too shabby...

Recipe after the jump!

Coconut Macaroons

Bon Appetit

August 2000

INGREDIENTS

14 oz. sweetened flaked coconut

14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (we used a silpat since we were out of parchment paper). Combine flaked coconut, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in medium bowl to medium-firm peaks. Fold 1/3 of egg whites into coconut mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining egg whites. Drop half of coconut mixture by level tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Top each with a second level tablespoonful coconut mixture.

Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Cool macaroons on parchment paper. Slide metal spatula under macaroons to remove.