Chewy Chocolate Macaroons
This is one of many cookies I have been making with my mom since I was too young to recall. Without a doubt these are the easiest cookies to make and are flour, leavening, and egg free making them Gluten Free, Vegetarian, and Kosher for Passover. They can also be easily made Vegan if you use sweetened condensed coconut milk, which would really amp up the coconut flavor.
These are Macaroons, not Macarons. It seems that this type of cookie is quintessentially American, but also Jewish as they seem to have diverged from Macarons in order to replace any leavening for Passover as well as adding coconut, which was easy to find since it was grown in Florida. So just keep that in mind. These will be chewy on the outside and inside, and notably made with coconut rather than almonds.
Full Recipe Ingredients:
14 oz bag (397 grams) sweetened flaked coconut
0.5 cups Cocoa powder, ideally Dutch Process
1 can (14 oz or 397 grams) Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract or Paste
Tools:
Cookie or Baking trays
Cooling racks (optional)
Parchment paper or other non-stick lining (optional)
Steps:
Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).
Line your cookie/baking sheets, or grease them if you are not using non-stick liners.
In a large bowl, mix the coconut and the cocoa powder until there is no powder left in the bottom of the bowl.
Stir in the condensed milk and vanilla. You can use the paddle attachment on a mixer, or you can do this with a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto your cookie sheets. You can try greasing your spoon or scoop beforehand to keep them from sticking, but you may need to reapply often. Try not to compress the mixture too much or it may take a while for the cookies to cook.
Bake 10-15 minutes or until almost set. The cookies will basically look exactly the same as they did before, but will be less wet. The best way to tell if they are done is to check the bottom of one. If it is no longer sticky at all, they should be ready.
Immediately remove from the cookie sheets, ideally transferring to a cooling rack.
Once cool, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. As with all of my Christmas cookies, these can last for a long time if stored correctly.
Notes
I have not tried these cookies with sweetened condensed coconut milk, however some research seems to indicate it behaves identically to the dairy version.
It can be a struggle, even for me, to determine when these cookies are done. Pulling one off of the sheet and seeing if it is sticky on the bottom still is the most useful method. If you find them still too soft or gooey once cool, you can put them back in the oven no problem. In the end, these cookies largely dry out in the heat rather than cook.
We use vanilla extract, but you could likely add any extract to change the flavor or create some variety. Almond might get you closer to a Macaron flavor, orange would be an interesting addition, and even peppermint could go well with the chocolate. Since there is no egg or flour, make sure to taste the batter before baking if you decide to experiment. You may need more extract than the 2 teaspoons, and adding additional liquid will only mean cooking them for slightly longer.