These Macaroons have a crisp and crunch outside with a soft and chewy inside making them absolutely irresistible.
Macaroons have always been one of those cookies that I have been curious about making. But the coconut core of these cookies has always made me a little hesitant. I am not the biggest fan of coconut; I don’t mind a small hint of coconut flavor, but I have never really like it being so prominent. But I figured why not give it a chance and make macaroons.
In my mind, macaroons are a cookie. However, when making these cookies, I felt that what I was doing was not like making cookies at all. It felt like baking but not anything I was used to doing. But that made the whole process fun in its own way.
Check out the Make section of MCG for more fun recipes like desserts and savory dishes.
Ingredients
There were surprisingly few ingredients needed for making macaroons. The core of the cookie is coconut flakes and condensed milk. Honestly, those two ingredients felt like 80% of the recipe. Which is against why this felt so weird. While I did use eggs whites, there wasn’t really a leavening agent and definitely no powders of any type were used.
Process
The recipe for macaroons is so short and sweet that breaking it into parts feels kind of unnecessary. The first step was to mix the coconut flakes, condensed milk, and vanilla extract into a bowl. I used a spatula to mix everything together since the condensed milk make the batter feel very sticky.
Then I used a stand mixer to whisk together the egg whites and salt. The fluffed-up egg whited effectively as a leavening agent because of the air whipped into them. However, it will not give any increase or change when baked since there is no reaction occurring.
I whisked until I reached stiff peaks before folding the egg whites into the coconut mixture. And that’s it for the batter. Simple, right? To form the macaroons, I used a cookie scoop to create mounds on a baking sheet. The cookies will not change in the oven so be sure to be happy with their shape! What you have not is basically what you’ll have at the end.
The final step of the process was baking! The condensed milk and egg white will bind the macaroons together. And the milk will caramelize giving the macaroons their golden coloring.
Reflections
I have to admit, these macaroons were delicious. They tasted much better than I was anticipating. The outside of the cookie was crisp and crunchy while the inside remained soft and chewy. The juxtaposition was like a match made in heaven.
The biggest surprise for me was that I did not mind the coconut flavor whatsoever. It was very much present, but it didn’t feel like it was punching me in the face. Or rather, it was complimentary in a way I could get behind. This recipe will definitely go into the starred binder. Plus! There is a version that modified the cookie with a chocolate dip that I would be interested in trying.
Lessons
What is Condensed Milk??
I have used condensed milk in so many recipes, but I never really stopped to think about what it is. Condensed milk is milk with the water removed, that what makes is condensed. Makes sense. However, in most cases the milk is modified to have more sugar which gives it more sweetness. It is also common for sweetened condensed milk and condensed milk to be used interchangeably.
Recipe
Macaroons
Ingredients
- 1 14- oz Bag Coconut Flakes
- 1 Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 Egg Whites
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325℉. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- In a medium bowl, mix together coconut flakes, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract.
- In a large bowl, using a stand mixer or electric whisk, combine egg whites and salt and beat until stiff peaks have formed.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold the eggs whites into the coconut mixture. Be gentle when folding to avoid knocking the air out of the egg whites.
- Create 1-inch balls using a spoon or mini ice cream scoop, place each ball 1 inch apart on the baking trays. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, turning the pans at the halfway point.
- Let cool on the baking tray for 3-5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
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