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Cost: $ $ $ $ $

Difficulty: • • • • •

Time: 1h00

from A Homemade Life.
Yield: 14-18 macaroons

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Step 1
Place the coconut, sugar, and egg whites in a heavy 2- to 3-quart saucepan and stir well. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, 10 to 15 minutes. The mixture will look very creamy as it heats, and then it will slowly get a bit drier, with individual flakes of coconut becoming discernable. Stop cooking when it no longer looks creamy but is still quite sticky and moist, not dry. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla. Scrape the mixture into a pie plate or small baking sheet, spread it out a bit to allow it to cool quickly, and refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Step 3
Using your hands or a small, spring-loaded ice cream scoop – I like to use one with a capacity of 2 tablespoons – scoop and firmly pack the coconut mixture into small domes. (If you’re using an ice cream scoop, keep a bowl of warm water nearby. The scoop will need a quick swish every now and then to keep it from getting gummed up.) Space them evenly on the baking sheet.
Step 4
Bake the macaroons until evenly golden, about 30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Then remove the macaroons from the baking sheet, and set them on a wire rack. Set the rack over the baking sheet.
Step 5
Put the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until it is hot and steaming. Do not allow it to boil. Remove the pan from the heat, and pour the cream over the chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Spoon the warm ganache generously over the macaroons, shaking them gently, if needed, to coax the chocolate down their sides.
Step 6
Refrigerate the macaroons until the ganache sets, at least 2 hours. Transfer them to an airtight container, and refrigerate or freeze.