Coconut Macaroons

I LOVE a good Coconut Macaroon. I actually prefer it drizzled in chocolate....a lot of chocolate. As I was feeding the baby today and feeling particularly uninspired, Ina Garten was effortlessly whipping up a batch of lovely Coconut Macaroons on her show. They looked so good and I just had that feeling… the "I want macaroons right now" feeling. I decided to go through the cabinets and gather ingredients. I figure all I can do is try and if I mess up, I bet they will still be good and no one needs to know but me and well, you.


I also decided at that very moment that I want to try and expand my recipe horizons. I want to try new and more difficult recipes that will test my culinary know how. Depending on how busy I am I would love to try a new"out of the box" recipe a week. So, in that spirit here is recipe #1 courtesy of The Barefoot Contessa.


Ingredients



14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.

Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or 2 teaspoons. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.


I'll let you know how they turn out!

Cecilia