Facts are facts: chocolate and coconut are an amazing combo. So when we discovered today was National Macaroon Day, we decided to hit up one of our favorite pastry chefs, Dee Patel at The Pantry KC, for her rendition. Turns out, she puts a bit of her own spin on it. “At The Pantry KC, we feature a gluten-free, eggless coconut macaroon that is both chocolatey and has a hint of dulce de leche flavor,” says Patel. “I often joke that my macaroons are more like a chocolate, coconut candy bar than a cookie.”
Patel says this recipe is easy-peasy. Truly. “The recipe is quick and doesn’t even require a mixer,” she says. “If you can resist them for that long—they can be stashed away in a cool dry pantry for up to a couple of weeks.”
The Pantry KC’s Macaroons
(Yields: 24 macaroons)
Ingredients:
5 cups of sweetened dry shredded coconut (Chef note: I prefer medium shreds)
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla-bean paste
2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Directions:
In a mixing bowl combine the coconut, condensed milk, vanilla bean paste and salt. Mix the ingredients with your hands or a rubber spatula until there is no visible dry coconut. Allow mixture to rest for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven and prepare two cookie sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
After resting the batter use a one-ounce portion scoop to shape the macaroons onto the cookie sheets. Make sure to level and pack each scoop full tightly. Consistent scoops will make all the macaroons the same size and shape for even baking.
Once they are all scooped, bake the macaroons in the oven until golden brown. This will take approximately 15 minutes. (Be sure to rotate the cookie sheets halfway through baking for even browning.) Once baked remove the cookie sheets from the oven and cool. Leave the macaroons on the cookie sheets.
After the macaroons have cooled, place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and melt them in 30 second bursts. Once the chocolate is melted, drizzle it over the macaroons using a spoon. (Chef note: I usually like to stripe the macaroons—they look so elegant with stripes. Sometimes I like to dip the bottoms. If you like more chocolate that’s the way to go!)
Once the chocolate has cooled and hardened on the cookies you can enjoy them or store them in an airtight container.