The Best Chocolate-Dipped Triple Coconut Macaroons
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 22, 2007
Time
1½ hours, plus 30 minutes cooling
Yield
Makes about 4 dozen 1-inch cookies
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Cream of coconut, available canned, is a very sweet product commonly used in piña colada cocktails. Be sure to mix the can's contents thoroughly before using, as the mixture separates upon standing. Unsweetened desiccated coconut can be found in the baking aisle. If you are unable to find any, use all sweetened flaked or shredded coconut, but reduce the amount of cream of coconut to ½ cup, omit the corn syrup, and toss 2 tablespoons cake flour with the coconut before adding the liquid ingredients. For larger macaroons, shape haystacks from a generous ¼ cup of batter and increase the baking time to 20 minutes. Using the two-stage melting process for the chocolate helps ensure that it will be at the proper consistency for dipping the cookies.
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray parchment with nonstick vegetable cooking spray.
- Whisk together cream of coconut, corn syrup, egg whites, vanilla, and salt in small bowl; set aside. Combine unsweetened and sweetened coconuts in large bowl; toss together, breaking up clumps with fingertips. Pour liquid ingredients into coconut and mix with rubber spatula until evenly moistened. Chill dough for 15 minutes.
- Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto parchment-lined cookie sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Form cookies into loose haystacks with fingertips (see illustration 1, below), moistening hands with water as necessary to prevent sticking. Bake until light golden brown, about 15 minutes, turning cookie sheets from front to back and switching from top to bottom racks halfway through baking.
- Cool cookies on cookie sheets until slightly set, about 2 minutes; remove to wire rack with metal spatula and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Melt 8 ounces (227 grams) chocolate in small heatproof bowl set over pan of almost-simmering water, stirring once or twice, until smooth. (To melt chocolate in microwave, heat at 50 percent power for 3 minutes and stir. If chocolate is not yet entirely melted, heat an additional 30 seconds at 50 percent power.) Remove from heat; stir in remaining 2 ounces chocolate until smooth. Holding macaroon by pointed top, dip bottom and ½ inch up sides of each cookie in chocolate, scrape off excess with finger (see illustration 2), and place on cookie sheet. Refrigerate until chocolate sets, about 15 minutes.
Time
1½ hours, plus 30 minutes coolingYield
Makes about 4 dozen 1-inch cookiesIngredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Early in the development of our macaroon recipe, our tests showed that our choice of coconut would make a big difference in both taste and texture. Unsweetened shredded coconut resulted in a less sticky, more appealing texture. Sweetened shredded coconut packed more flavor than unsweetened, and together they worked very well. To add one more layer of coconut flavor to our coconut macaroon recipe, we tried cream of coconut and hit the jackpot. The flavor was superior to that of any of the cookies we had tasted to date.
Before You Begin
Cream of coconut, available canned, is a very sweet product commonly used in piña colada cocktails. Be sure to mix the can's contents thoroughly before using, as the mixture separates upon standing. Unsweetened desiccated coconut can be found in the baking aisle. If you are unable to find any, use all sweetened flaked or shredded coconut, but reduce the amount of cream of coconut to ½ cup, omit the corn syrup, and toss 2 tablespoons cake flour with the coconut before adding the liquid ingredients. For larger macaroons, shape haystacks from a generous ¼ cup of batter and increase the baking time to 20 minutes. Using the two-stage melting process for the chocolate helps ensure that it will be at the proper consistency for dipping the cookies.
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray parchment with nonstick vegetable cooking spray.
- Whisk together cream of coconut, corn syrup, egg whites, vanilla, and salt in small bowl; set aside. Combine unsweetened and sweetened coconuts in large bowl; toss together, breaking up clumps with fingertips. Pour liquid ingredients into coconut and mix with rubber spatula until evenly moistened. Chill dough for 15 minutes.
- Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto parchment-lined cookie sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Form cookies into loose haystacks with fingertips (see illustration 1, below), moistening hands with water as necessary to prevent sticking. Bake until light golden brown, about 15 minutes, turning cookie sheets from front to back and switching from top to bottom racks halfway through baking.
- Cool cookies on cookie sheets until slightly set, about 2 minutes; remove to wire rack with metal spatula and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Melt 8 ounces (227 grams) chocolate in small heatproof bowl set over pan of almost-simmering water, stirring once or twice, until smooth. (To melt chocolate in microwave, heat at 50 percent power for 3 minutes and stir. If chocolate is not yet entirely melted, heat an additional 30 seconds at 50 percent power.) Remove from heat; stir in remaining 2 ounces chocolate until smooth. Holding macaroon by pointed top, dip bottom and ½ inch up sides of each cookie in chocolate, scrape off excess with finger (see illustration 2), and place on cookie sheet. Refrigerate until chocolate sets, about 15 minutes.
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