Coconut Macaroons

A few weeks ago I was searching for the perfect recipe to make French macarons. You know, those colorful little meringue cookies that have been getting so much hype lately? I did actually find some recipes, and let me tell you, they are one of the most challenging things I've ever attempted to make.
To be honest, I was a little stressed out after finding out how complicated they are. But at the same time, I was happy that my search lead me to a recipe for coconut macaroons. To my delight, these were the complete opposite of their French counterpart. I love these little things and when I found out how SUPER EASY they are to make at home, I decided to make them that night! After a few minutes of prep and baking, I was snacking on these yummy treats and still researching away for my next big baking adventure. I'm happy to report that I did end up coming up with perfect French macaron recipe and actually tried them out! I'll upload the step by steps soon but for now, enjoy these!

Let's begin!

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 bag (14oz) sweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 2.5 teaspoons almond extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate, melted (optional) 

Tip: Almond extract is really easy to find in grocery stores but if you can't get any for whatever reason, vanilla extract should work fine too. In my opinion though, the almond flavor is what makes these taste so special so I would suggest sticking to it.

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, coconut, and salt

Add in condensed milk and almond extract

Stir together until fully incorporated. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour

Preheat oven to 325F and scoop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until macaroons begin to look brown. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely

Melt the chocolate right before you're ready to dip. Microwave chocolate chips for 30 seconds. Remove and stir. Microwave for 20 seconds. Remove and stir. Microwave for 10 seconds. Remove and stir. Then continue microwaving in 10 second intervals until fully melted

Use chocolate to dip the bottoms of the macaroons, drizzle the tops, or eat them just the way they are!

Tip: If these are way too sweet for your liking, substitute the sweetened coconut with the unsweetened version.

Enjoy!