In our world of BPA warnings for canned products and ingredients in processed foods that I can’t pronounce (and have no clue what they are), Jack and I have decided to limit our use of canned products and make as much as we can from scratch. My search for a coconut macaroon recipe resulted in recipe after recipe indicating the need for sweetened condensed milk. I hesitated. First of all, canned milk was bound to cost a fortune in our little Arctic store and second, it would be in a can.
Eventually I found a homemade substitute, which, in addition to being less expensive and more natural, had none of that can aftertaste common to many canned products. With the help of a stick blender whipping 1 cup of powdered milk, 2/3 cup of sugar, 1/3 cup of boiling water, and 3 tablespoons of butter, I soon had 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk. This homemade version keeps well covered in the refrigerator.
Coconut macaroons were always a top fix for sweet cravings for me. When I was a starving student, I would wait until Passover passed so I could buy cans of Manischewitz macaroons that had been marked down. They were tasty, but I these bite-sized treats would taste better fresh. Baked at home, they are a bit crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. If you shape them like a pyramid, they are easy to dip into melted chocolate, for a nice presentation.
Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 2 egg whites
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- dash of salt
- 3 1/2 cups of unsweetened flaked coconut
- 10 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, egg white, vanilla and salt until combined.
- Stir in coconut until well blended.
- I used a cookie scoop to make uniform mounds on the baking sheets.
- Use wet hands to form mounds into pyramids. (Keep a bowl of cold water handy for this process.)
- Bake, one sheet at a time, until cookies are lightly browned, 15 – 20 minutes. (Don’t put away pan or throw out paper, yet.)
- Cool cookies on baking sheet until set, about 2 minutes. Then move to wire cooling racks.
- Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler, or in a heat-proof bowl over a simmering pot of water. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat.
- Holding the macaroon by its pyramid top, dip the bottom of the macaroon into the melted chocolate. Place the dipped macaroon back on the parchment-covered baking sheet. Repeat process with all the macaroons.
- Refrigerate the macaroons until the chocolate sets, about 15 minutes.
Recipe adapted from http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2009/06/19/chocolate-dipped-coconut-macaroons/.
CutterLight 
Wow, who knew you could make your own sweetened condensed milk! Brilliant!
You are so lucky to be in the bush- what an experience. I’ve lived in Alaska for 20 years, but always on the road system.
Thanks for checking out our blog, Donna. We do feel lucky. Also lucky that we get to spend our summers on the road system on Kenai Peninsula!
I would dip anything in chocolate..ANYTHING!
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These look wonderful and yummy!
You are so resourceful! I will definitely use your sweetened condensed milk trick!
Those look beautiful! Funny, I usually dip the tops of my macaroons in chocolate. Never thought to do the bottom. You get a lot more chocolate to stick your way!
More chocolate is the point, right?
So easy…….and I bet Better than a can too:)
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