Dark Chocolate-Dipped Maple Macaroons

Submitted by Sharon123

"From the blog Cookie + Kate(voted one of the top 10 blogs for 2012 by Saveur magazine). Yummy and healthy! Cookie + Kate adapted this from Sprouted Kitchen."

 

• Ready In: 29mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Yields: 2 dozen

ingredients

• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup raw sugar (turbinado)
• 3 tablespoons real maple syrup (or honey)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 cups unsweetened coconut, plus a bit more if necessary
• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (or dark)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Beat the egg whites with a whisk until they are loose and frothy.
3. Add the sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and cinnamon. Stir to combine.
4. Add the coconut and mix thoroughly. If you see any syrup pooling at the bottom of the bowl, gradually mix in more coconut flakes until you no longer see any excess. You want the mixture to be just moist enough to hold its shape when compacted into a ball.
5. Using your hands or a cookie dough scoop, scoop out about 1 tablespoon of the coconut mix at a time and gently scrunch it into a round-ish shape. Place each macaroon onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden brown.
7. Once the cookies have cooled completely, melt the chocolate chips. I find it’s easiest to melt the chocolate in the microwave at 20 to 30 second intervals (stir between each interval!). You can also melt the chocolate over a double broiler or in a glass bowl over gently simmering water. Stir the chocolate chips until they have completely melted, and remove from heat.
8. Lay out a new piece of parchment paper. Dip each macaroon into the melted chocolate, about half way. Lay on the parchment for chocolate to harden. You can speed up the process by placing the baking sheet in the refrigerator or freezer for 10 minutes.

9. Notes:

10. Yields about 2 dozen cookies.
11. If the maple syrup oozes from the sides of the cookies during baking, use a sharp knife to cut off the excess before dipping the cookie into chocolate.
12. These cookies were featured in FoodieCrush Magazine’s premier issue (p50-51)!