A couple of weeks ago when we were on Vacation in California, and we stopped off at this little French Bakery in a beautiful seaside town called Cambria, before heading to moonstone beach. We had this awesome French bread picnic, with dark chocolate macaroons for dessert– and they were such a hit with the whole family, I decided that when I got home, I would learn how to make them.

Years ago I tried and failed several times to make coconut macaroons, but somehow this time, I lucked out by finding the most perfect recipe from ezrapoundcake, and adapted the directions to make them just a little bit simpler. They. are. perfection! They taste exactly the same as the ones my family fell in love with at that beautiful beach town in Cambria, and I can’t wait to make them ALL the time! I hope you guys love this recipe too. <3

Bakery Style Dark Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

Makes: 12 large, 24 small
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 30-35 mins

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cake flour
Pinch of kosher salt
2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Two 14oz bags sweetened shredded coconut
6 egg whites
1 cup sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
2 cups Ghiradelli dark chocolate baking chips

Instructions

1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until you see bubbles forming around the edge, remove from heat before it starts to boil.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks until blended.
3. Add the sugar, flour, salt and vanilla to the egg yolks, and whisk
4. Pour the warm milk into the electric mixer, and whisk until well combined
5. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and stir over medium-high heat. Whisk vigorously for about a minute, or until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil. (It will look like a thick paste)
6. Place in the fridge to cool.
7. Preheat the oven to 350degF. Line a baking sheet with a silicone liner, or parchment paper.
8. In a large bowl, combine the coconut, egg whites, sugar, salt and cooled mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
9. Scoop 2 Tbsp of rounded dough (using a large cookie baller) onto your prepared baking sheet.
10. Bake for 30 mins, until the cookies are golden brown. Transfer to a baking rack to cool completely for 20 mins.
11. Pour the chocolate chips into a shallow bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, stir, then microwave in second increments, continuously stirring and checking until the chocolate has completely melted.
12. Dip the bottoms of the macaroons in the chocolate, then return to the cooling rack, and place in the fridge to set. Pipe chocolate on the tops if desired.