Chocolate Dipped Macaroons

This cookie recipe is the easiest thing you'll ever make! I happen to love coconut, and most especially macaroons. When I found out how easy these were to make, I decided to give it a twist by dipping them in chocolate and sending em' over the edge. Of course, the chocolate part is optional. If you are a die hard traditional macaroon fan, then keep it simple and enjoy them as they are; a moist and delicious cookie. For fun options, you could add a few drops of flavored extract in your chocolate to create a theme. For instance, add a few drops of orange oil extract and a dash of orange rind to your chocolate if that suits your fancy. You can't go wrong with either orange oil extract or even peppermint oil extract in your chocolate just to add some variety to your cookie platter. Play around with it and have fun! For now, here is the recipe for the cookie and dipping chocolate. Enjoy!

Makes about 2 dozen cookies (+/-)

Cookie Batter
Ingredients:
1 - 14oz. bag sweetened coconut
1 - 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp. vanialla extract
parchment paper
cookie baking tray

Dipping Chocolate
Ingredients:
1 - 4oz. bar of Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate
1 - 4oz. bar of Ghiradelli 60% bittersweet chocolate (I like to combine the two to make the perfect dipping chocolate)
heat-proof bowl
1 quart pot for boiling water
parchment paper
cookie baking tray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your cookie trays with parchment paper, one for baking your cookies and the other for drying your freshly dipped cookies. Boil about 2 cups water in your quart pan and then turn off heat. Place your heat proof bowl on top of the quart pan and set aside (the bowl should be about 1" from touching the water).

In a large bowl combine coconut, condensed milk and vanilla and stir until blended. This is a very wet dough. Use two spoons together to drop cookies on your parchment paper, about 1 Tbsp. of dough per cookie. I like my cookies to be bite size, since they are sooooo rich and yummy. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. They should be just turning a light gold color around the bottom edges. Take out and place cookies on a cooling rack. Let cool completely before moving to the dipping stage.

Meanwhile, break up your chocolate into small pieces and place in heat proof bowl suspended over the hot water. Turn the heat back on to a very low temperature to keep the water hot, but not too hot. Your chocolate will melt within minutes, just keep stirring and be patient. Once your chocolate is melted, take each cookie turning it upside down and dip the very top of your cookie into the chocolate then place back onto the other parchment lined cookie tray. Refrigerate these dipped cookies for about 15 minutes until the chocolate is firm to the touch. That's it!