Coconut Macaroons

When all the world is going to hell in a hand basket, make Macaroons!  Yes folks, with tsunamis, earthquakes, nuclear fall out and fighting in the middle east, it’s always nice to end the day with a Coconut Macaroon and a cup of tea.  This recipe belongs to my girl Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa.  I adapted it slightly by using unsweetened shredded coconut, instead of sweetened coconut.  For those of you who like your desserts very sweet, then go ahead and use sweetened coconut.  What surprised me, was how few steps are needed to make this.  I thought I was being absent minded and I had skipped a step, but nope, it takes less than 6 steps, 5 ingredients and under an hour, and you are done.  And while you are enjoying that Macaroon, maybe take a moment to be grateful for all that you have and enjoy the good things in life.

You will needed shredded coconut, vanilla extract and sweetened condensed milk.

Add 14 ounces of shredded coconut.

Add 1 can (14 ounces) of sweetened condensed milk to the coconut.

Add 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.

Combine all the ingredients and mix well.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to 2 extra large egg whites.

Whip the egg whites on high speed until the egg whites form to medium-firm peaks and ……

fold carefully into the coconut mixture.

Make sure to not stir in the egg whites. The key word is Fold in the egg whites.  For those of you who don’t know the definition of folding, it basically means to gently incorporate the lighter mixture into the heavier one by bringing the spatula down through the mixture, across the bottom, and over the top again, until everything is well blended.

Form the Macaroons using a ice cream scooper and place them on a parchment lined cookie tray.

Place in an oven that’s preheated to 325 degrees F and bake for about 25 minutes, until golden

and voila!

Ingredients needed:

1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)

14 ounces shredded coconut, unsweetened or sweetened if you have a real sweet tooth!

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 extra-large egg whites  ( The Barefoot Contessa says at room temperature, but mine were on the cool side, and it came out fine)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cooking Method:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  In a large bowl, combine the shredded coconut, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract, set aside.  Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed with an electric mixer, until the egg whites form medium-firm peaks.  Now take the egg whites and fold them into the coconut mixture.  Using an ice cream scooper, form the Macaroons and place them on a parchment lined cookie tray.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until nice and golden.  Let them cool.  This will make about 20 Macaroons.