Chocolate-Covered Coconut Macaroons

I've heard that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach - and I've discovered just how true this is when it comes to my man.  The only problem is that I'm not a great cook, and he's very aware of that.  However, I can bake, my friends.  And the other day, Matthew brought it to my attention that I've never baked for him!  So I decided to remedy the situation.

And, because I know what my man likes, I decided to surprise him with one of his favorite treats: coconut macaroons.  I had never tried to make them before, so I was a little anxious about it.  But he seemed to love them.  The only criticism he had was that he would have preferred milk chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolate - mental note made!

I thought I'd share the recipe with you.  I used this recipe by KFUREY on allrecipes.com, but I put my own spin on it.  So, without further ado...

CHOCOLATE-COVERED COCONUT MACAROONS

  

(These don't have chocolate on them because I snapped this while they were cooling and didn't get a chance to snap one of the finished product.)

What you'll need: 

• 5 cups of flaked coconut
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1 small can of sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tsps of vanilla extract
• About 6 squares of Baker's milk chocolate, or 1 1/2 cups of milk chocolate chips (Remember the mental note???)
• 1 tbsp butter

What you'll do:

1.   Preheat the over to 350 degrees, and grease your cookie sheet.  
2. In a large bowl, combine the coconut, flour, and salt.
3. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until well blended.
4. Drop by the spoonful onto your greased cookie sheet.  *Side note: I used heaping spoonfuls, but Matthew said he would have preferred smaller cookies.*
5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on your oven, or until the cookies start toasting efficiently.
6. Immediately remove from cookie sheets and let cool on wire racks.
7. In a microwave safe bowl, melt your chocolate for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after every 30 seconds.  Add the butter to the chocolate, mixing well. It should almost have the consistency of icing, but not quite as thick.
8. Dip each cookie bottom in the melted chocolate and place on wax paper to dry.  I also topped each cookie with the leftover melted chocolate using a spoon - obviously this is optional.  I also needed mine to dry pretty quickly, so I put them in the freezer for about an hour, which was sufficient
9. Eat them up!  Or put them in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag to store!  Or store some in the freezer for later - if you have the self-control!