Macaroons--Part 1

Espresso Ganache Dipped Coconut Macaroons

Macaroons:14 oz. sweetened shredded coconut
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Espresso Ganache:

1.5 cups semisweet chocolate morsels

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1+ tsp. finely ground espresso beans

Macaroon Directions:Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl.


Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks.


Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.


Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or 2 teaspoons.


Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool.

Ganache Directions:

Grind espresso beans on the finest grind that your grinder allows.

Bring whipping creme to a simmer. Pour over the top of the chocolate and ground espresso. Let stand 2 minutes.

Mix ingredients together.

Dip half of macaroons into ganache and place back on waxed paper to cool.

What I learned:1. This recipe is super easy. I really picked a great one to kick off my macaroon challenge.
2. I am not so sure about the ice cream scoop. After I made a couple and thought they were huge, I pinched them off and started using spoons. Recipe said it would make 20-24 macaroons, I made 30 and still thought they were too big.
3. They cooked longer than 25 minutes. More like 30-35, so I kept my eye on them.
4. After dipping them in the ganache and leaving them out for a few hours they had not hardened to my liking, so I put them in the fridge over night. This made them a bit soggy this morning and the chocolate did not stay hard. If you have any tips on how to get the ganache to firm up, please let me know!
5. They were declared by Bryan as "excellent"! There are now none left since I sent them to work with him and took the rest with me to school. Let me know if you try these!

XOXO,
Hannah