bliss in a bite

If you know me, you know that I like to chat with people and talk things over, share ideas, get really enthusiastic, and completely commit to an idea... I think you've noticed that I tend to be on the obsessive side of things (scones, almond butter, lemons...and just about everything else in my life too)!

Now that I've started on this Starbucks kick, well... I've become game for trying any Starbucks baked good people seem to like. So Tonya challenged me with this one... chocolate dipped coconut macaroons. I didn't make them exactly as she remembered; since Starbucks used to make a flat cookie: with one half a beautiful white and the other half a dark chocolaty brown.

My little pyramid shaped cookies turned out pretty awesome, and Tonya said that I totally kicked their butt! Whoot Whoot!

Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons
ingredients:
2/3 c. sweetened condensed milk
1 egg white
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
3 1/2 c. sweetened flaked coconut
10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate squares, chopped (or whole chocolate chips)

Preheat your oven to 325 F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl (no need for any electric mixers for this recipe), stir together the condensed milk, egg white, vanilla and salt until just combined. Stir in the coconut until well blended.

Once everything is blended, grab your mini scooper and drop the dough onto your prepared cookie sheets - if you want to make more cookies, spoon out about 1 tablespoonful of dough per cookie.

Moisten your fingers as needed in order to shape your macaroons into little pyramids.

Bake one cookie sheet at a time (place the other cookie sheet into the fridge to remain cool) for about 15 to 20 minutes (the tops will be golden brown).

Allow the cookies to set on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes, then cool the macaroons completely on a wire rack (at least 30 minutes).

Once your Macaroons have cooled grab your chocolate and melt it (either in a double boiler or over low heat in a saucepan). This should take a few minutes, whisking every once and a while to ensure that the bottom doesn't burn and that the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.

Hold a macaroon by its pointed top and dip the bottom into the chocolate - allow excess chocolate to drip back into the pot. Place the macaroon back onto your cookie sheet (lined with the parchment paper). Repeat with the remaining macaroons.

Refrigerate the macaroons until the chocolate sets, about 15 minutes.

You should get about 22 little pyramids in total... each one absolutely delicious. I promise.