You Can't Please Your In-Laws All of the Time, but You Can Please Them Some of the Time {Recipe: Coconut Macaroons}

For years I carefully planned out dinners to make for my in-laws and I always wanted to end it with a special dessert. My father-in-law was never particularly complimentary about the meals I made, in fact if asked what he thought he usually gave a criticism (I never asked, it was always my husband who did). The only thing I ever made that he gave unsolicited praise for was these macaroons. This is the one the quickest and easiest recipes I have ever made for my father-in-law and it was his favorite. Don't get me wrong, I loved my father-in-law, he just liked food prepared to what he was used to not whatever new dish or recipe I was trying. He passed away 10 years ago and I miss those dinners and his lively conversations. 

I had not made these macaroons since my father-in-law passed away, then I realized that my daughter, Lili, really likes them as well. So, I figured it was high time I taught her to make them! 

Coconut Macaroons

This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten's Coconut Macaroon's that can be found on the Food Network website. The differences are: I use Bob's Red Mill Shredded Coconut, Unsweetened and large eggs, mainly because that is what I usually have on hand. I actually prefer the little less sweetness of the unsweetened coconut.

Ingredients

14 ounces shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened (depending on how sweet you want the macaroons)*
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large egg whites, at room temperature**
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (about a cup of chocolate chips) + 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil, optional
Sprinkles for decoration, optional

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.  Line 2 sheet pans with a Silpat Baking Mat or parchment paper; set aside. 

2. Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites and salt with an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until medium firm peaks are formed. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture. 

3. Drop the batter onto the prepared sheet pans using a 1 3/4-inch diameter cookie scoop, or 2 teaspoons full. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool and serve, or, if using bittersweet chocolate: melt the chocolate  and coconut oil in a double broiler over simmering water. Once the chocolate is melted,  dip the cooled bottoms of the macaroons in it. Drizzle any left over chocolate on top of the macaroons.  For more festive macaroons, decorate with sprinkles on top. 

*If you find that the shredded coconut is too dry, you can add 3 tablespoons of hot water to the coconut and let it stand for 10 minutes. I do not do this, I don't mind that the macaroons are a bit drier than with the sweetened coconut. 

**All the Ina Garten's recipes I have seen call for extra-large eggs. Unless the recipe a large amount of eggs, it shouldn't make a difference. The difference is 2 ounces vs. 2.25 ounces, and I assume that is just on average. 

Upon tasting them, Lili suggested that we add a caramel drizzle with the chocolate on them. Sounds good to me! :)

Enjoy!