I’m going to just come right out and admit it: I don’t like macaroons. I don’t like coconut all that much, and I like almond extract even less. (But I love almonds … go figure.)
But it’s not always all about what I want. My wife loves macaroons. I think it comes from fond childhood memories of the Girl Scout Samoas. But whatever the reason, I’ve chosen to overlook this obvious character flaw. That’s why I agreed that, in honor of Valentine’s Day, we’d go ahead and make them anyway.
And you know what? I … I …
No, I can’t do it. I still don’t like them. My wife said they were fabulous, though. And one daughter and my father-in-law are also now fans. This is why there’s more than one kind of cookie: We can’t all like the same one. That’s also why, the next day, my wife made me a batch of oatmeal-raisin cookies. Which are one of the world’s perfect foods.
Oh, but back to the macaroons. They’re actually pretty easy to make. But this version has a couple of extras that you don’t get in the Girls Scouts version.
Ingredients
14 ounces shredded coconut
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
1/2 cup chopped cashews
8 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate (optional)
Directions
Everything else is ready to go except the cashews. If we were doing almonds you can find them already slivered. But the cashews had to be chopped. Jenn did them by hand, because she didn’t want them totally crushed, like the Ninja would do to them.
In a large bowl, combine the coconut, cashews, craisins, almond extract …
Wow! That’s just a little over-exposed. Let me try that again.
Man, trying to get something as dark as the craisins to show up red, not black, but still see any detail in the coconut is freakin’ hard. Okay, no one cares about my photography problems. Moving on, where were we … nuts, almond extract …
Ah, right, and finally the vanilla.
Give everything a stir until it’s pretty uniform.
Then add the condensed milk.
Yes, you have to mix it before adding the condensed milk. This stuff is incredibly sticky. If you put it all in at once, you’ll never get the nuts and craisins mixed in evenly. To say nothing of the almond extract and vanilla.
Now give it another mix until all the coconut is coated and sticking together.
Use an ice cream scoop to measure out even portions onto a greased baking sheet.
Actually, put some foil on it first. You don’t want to have to clean up after baking this.
We got twelve good-size cookies out of this recipe. You could easily make smaller ones and get two baking sheets full.
Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes, until the coconut is crispy brown on the edges.
Lift them off the baking sheet immediately to prevent sticking.
Serve as is …
… or melt some chocolate and drizzle it over the top, or dip them in.
And that’s it.
If you’d rather have a bit of nostalgia, this looks like a pretty good Girl Scout Samoas copycat.
Ingredients
- 14 ounces shredded coconut
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
- 1 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
- 1/2 cup chopped cashews
- 8 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate (optional)
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients except the condensed milk and mix to combine. Add the condensed milk and mix until all the coconut is coated and sticking together.
Use an ice cream scoop to place portions on a greased baking sheet. (Add a layer of foil before greasing to save on cleanup time.)
Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes, until the coconut is crispy brown on the edges. Remove from the baking sheet immediately to prevent sticking.
Optionally melt the chocolate and drizzle it over, or dip the macaroons in it.
