My first time making this recipe was for a  group in college. I did not realize how simple they are to make! After that I started seeing coconut macaroons everywhere. I went shopping at Sur La Table and stumbled upon their baking section. I saw they had coconut macaroons. I read the ingredients to see how the make their version of the macaroons. Flour. Eggs. Water. Sugar. Coconut flakes.       My friend’s ingredients? Simple: Coconut flakes & Sweet condensed milk. Since I transitioned to the vegan/plant based diet, I swap sweet condensed milk for the equivalent vegan version. You can find this at your local supermarket or online. 

Recipe:

 Ingredients:

1-2 bags of unsweetened coconut flakes

Vegan condensed milk 

Chocolate chips, optional

 Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degree F.
2. This is a sticky but fun job! Add to a large bowl the ingredients. Mix with your hands. If it is too dry, add milk as you blend with hand. Too wet, add more coconut flakes.
3. Once the mixture is evenly mixed, meaning it is not too wet or dry, create them in ball shapes and place on a prepared baking pan with aluminum. Mid-way in or when you see it turning slightly golden-brown, rotate the dish so it heats evenly. You can bake these in a muffin pan, if you have one. This will ensure they are held in a nice round shape. Just be sure to spray some oil before adding the macaroons (it will stick to the pan). If you don’t have a cupcake pan, no worries. Either way, they will come out great
4. Skip this step if you don’t want to dip the macaroons in chocolate: While the macaroons are baking, fill a pot 1/3 with water, bring to a boil. Add a heatproof dish (I use one of those aluminum bowls that is large enough to fit on top of my pot) on the pot, add the chocolate chips in; stir occasionally after 2-3 minutes once you see the chocolate starting to melt. You can add a hint of coconut oil if you want to add extra coconut flavor and richness to the chocolate. This is optional. 
5. When the macaroons turns golden-brown, take them out of the oven and let them cool for 5 min. If you did melt some chocolate chips, dip the cooled macaroons and serve right away or put on a non stick tray and let it cool until the chocolate hardens. Either way is your choice- the latter makes a pretty presentation for holiday gatherings and get togethers alike. 
6. Enjoy!

Tip:

• If the mixture does get too dry, it will have a burnt taste. Too wet, it will fall apart.