Coconut Macaroons

Here is a recipe I found online for a non egg based coconut macaroon. The ratings were very good which prompted me to try it out. Anyway just in case you're wondering what's the difference between a macaroon and a macaron, please click on the following links.

Macaroon
Macaron

Anyway I might have to give up on making macarons because it's too difficult to make. I can't even get the conditions right because Singapore is very humid, and I don't have air-conditioning in my house either to regulate the temperature. Maybe when I'm in Tasmania I can try it out. It's tough work but any brave soul that wishes to try please let me know. I'll give you all the macaron recipes I have. Anyway this is probably way macarons are so expensive!

Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 1/2 cups flaked coconut
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, coconut and salt. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla using your hands until well blended. Use an ice cream scoop to drop dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about golf ball size.

3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until coconut is toasted.

Above is the mixture after I have stirred in all the ingredients and mixed it up well.

Instead of using the ice cream scoop as advised in the recipe, I follow what some members said to use your hands instead. I think I made a mistake of compacting it too tightly though. I was thinking more of the shape so I could dip it in chocolate than to realise too compact might make it hard.

The done product before putting it in the oven! They look like fish balls or sotong balls! Haha. The mixture was enough for 22 golf ball sized macaroons, I think next time should make them smaller though, so it's easier to eat.

After baking in the oven, this is the result! Top was quite nicely browned. The smell was really nice and fragrant, guess it's because of the coconut.

After which I melted semi dark chocolate and coated some of the macaroons. Wah these are really decadent desserts man.... You only have to eat one to get the jelak (too rich) feeling. The macaroons were sorta crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside. My test subjects/guinea pigs tell me that it was a little too hard because it was so compact. Gotta take note of that next time, as well as to make it smaller so it's easier to eat. Overall I'd say it's not bad but got room for improvement in my technique.

Really cannot eat too many seriously jelak! Haha.