Vanilla Coconut Macaroons

I don’t remember the first time I had a macaroon but I have always loved them! I remember making them in girl scouts and I was always so excited when I saw them at bake sales! My Grammy’s next-door neighbor would have them at Christmas (they were a Jewish family who loved to celebrate Christmas!) and they had the chocolate-dipped ones that were such a special treat. I grew up thinking of them as a Jewish food but when I googled ‘macaroons’ I read that almost every region has their own version of one. The word itself actually comes from an Italian word maccarone.

This recipe is super simple and they are so cute! They travel well and keep for 4-5 days in an airtight container (you can also freeze them for up to 3 months). They make a tasty tea treat with hot chai black tea.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 14 oz bag sweetened flaked coconut

• 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 large eggs whites (room temp)

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325°F. 

In a mixing bowl, combine together the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl using a hand mixer (or you can bust out your kitchen aid stand mixer), beat the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form.

Gently fold the egg white mixture into the coconut mixture.

Using an ice cream scoop (#16 disher), scoop the macaroons out onto a greased baking sheet, spacing about 1” apart. If you don’t have a disher, form 3 tbsp of the mixture into a ball and press into the baking sheet to flat the bottom.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the tops start to get toasty.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy! 

If you’re feeling really decadent you could dip these in milk chocolate like my Grammy’s neighbor… yum!