CHOCOLATE CHIP COCONUT MACAROONS
Time: 35 min
Servings: 15
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⅔ cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
5 ⅔ cups flaked coconut
½ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon table salt
14 ounces condensed milk (1 can)
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅔ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking tray with cooking spray and set aside.
Mix the flour, flaked coconut, sugar, and salt. Then add the condensed milk and vanilla and mix.
Add the chocolate chips and mix.
Roll the dough into balls and squeeze them together, so that they are tightly packed, this way they won’t fall apart. Put the balls on the tray and stick them in the oven for 17-20 minutes until they are a light golden brown.
MACAROONS
The first time I tried a chocolate chip coconut macaroon was my freshman year of high school at Carmel Bakery. After attending a study session for my first biology final, Lexie Sakoda, a classmate that I had only ever talked to at school, asked if I wanted to grab some food. I always liked Lexie, but never really thought about reaching out to people outside of my friend group. I was delighted when she asked me and was anxious, yet excited as we walked down Ocean Avenue with a crisp winter breeze blowing up from the beach. I immediately recognized that she was easy to talk to and her sense of humor was exactly the same as my own.
It felt kind of strange hanging out with someone that wasn’t in my friend group because I had only spent time with the same group of girls since elementary school. Of course I talked to other people at school, but I never made an effort to hangout with them outside of class. This experience was almost freeing because it made me realize that there were other amazing people outside of my tight group, which was something I had never considered. At this time in my life, halfway through freshman year, I definitely noticed my group slowly drifting apart, so it was pretty refreshing to have so much fun with someone that was new and different from my other friends.
We walked into the bakery that was quite toasty compared to the frigid temperature outside. The line in this particular bakery was always spilling out of the door and sometimes even down the block, but for some reason there was no line at all. Lexie recommended the chocolate chip coconut macaroon because it was her favorite treat in the store. Of course I agreed, and once we paid, we sat down at a small table for two.
She watched as I bit into the dense ball of coconut and chocolate, waiting for my reaction. I already loved coconut and chocolate, so this combination was absolutely perfect. I smiled after I swallowed the sweet chewy dough of the macaroon and Lexie grinned in response. I don’t think I’ve ever consumed something as fast as I ate that macaroon.
From that day forward, Lexie and I made a tradition of studying for our finals together, whether that was a study session at school or at the bakery, and making sure to purchase at least one chocolate coconut macaroon each every time. This tradition not only brought me closer to Lexie, but helped me find one of my best friends that made my high school career significantly better. If I had never agreed to grab a snack with Lexie, my life would not be the same.
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