Chocolaty Coconut Mounds

Submitted by Chef Joey Z.

"My DH doesn't like macaroons, but he liked these a lot. I didn't use any sugar sweetened ingredients in this (though you could) and it satisfied my sweet tooth as well. It's a very simple recipe that takes a little time to prepare, but it's well worth the effort. Keep these little gems cold otherwise they will fall apart."

 

• Ready In: 52mins
• Ingredients: 3
• Yields: 20 cookies
• Serves: 10

ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups unsweetened coconut (I used shredded)
• 3 drops almond extract (I used organic)
• 3 3⁄4 ounces unsweetened organic chocolate (melted)

directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350'F.
2. On a baking sheet with a silpat liner (or parchment paper) spread the coconut out and toast it for about 10 minutes.
3. On occasion mix the coconut up to balance out the toasting. Keep an eye on it, some ovens are hotter then others. This should take about 10 minutes.
4. When it's a toasty golden brown shade remove from the oven and cool completely. The chocolate won't adhere to the coconut if the coconut is still warm.
5. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over lightly simmering water. The amount of chocolate is quite small, but it is enough for this recipe.
6. In a medium bowl combine the toasted coconut, almond extract and melted organic chocolate.
7. Stir the mixture until the coconut is totally coated with the melted chocolate.
8. Using a tablespoon measure press the mixture into the spoon then plop onto a lined baking sheet, make sure your baking sheet is cold, not warm. I used a silpat sheet so the cookie wouldn't stick. It worked perfectly. Parchment would probably work too.
9. Place the sheet of cookies into the fridge to firm up for about 20 mintues or longer.
10. These will keep in the fridge for about 3 days, but bet they will get eaten up before that.
11. Bon Appetit!