I've combined coconut and chocolate before, always with good results. There are the Amaretto Chunk Cookies, my homemade take on Samoa (Girl Scout Cookie) Bars, and the Mocha Coconut Granola Bars. These chocolate dipped coconut macaroons, though?! Quite possibly the best way I've discovered to combine chocolate and coconut.

These soft and pillowy cookies practically melt in your mouth. The dark chocolate cuts some of the sweetness from the coconut, making it impossible to stop popping them in your mouth, one after another.

After my grandma made these over Christmas, I knew I need to have them again...and soon. I consulted Food and Wine magazine, picked up the ingredients, and made a batch of these on a leisurely Sunday afternoon. I brought a few to share at dinner with Ryan's family. They received rave reviews all around and I started to regret not sharing the whole batch. However, I had plans to serve them to our weekly Community Group. That is, until Ryan caught wind of my plans and dropped a few hints that he wouldn't mind not sharing them. I acquiesced and prepared something else for our community group. I could practically hear the sigh of relief as Ryan relished each one of the little cookies for the next few days!

Is there a dessert so good you're unwilling to share?

(P.S. Happy birthday to my sister and best friend Julia! Last year's recipe [below] featured the cake I made for her birthday...you'll have to wait a few weeks to see this years but I promise it's a good one!!)

One Year Ago: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Two Years Ago: Bran Breaded Tilapia

Coconut Macaroons

from Food and Wine, December 2011

*makes about 40 cookies

Ingredients:

-1 (14 oz) bag sweetened shredded coconut

-1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

-1 tsp pure vanilla extract

-2 large egg whites

-1/4 tsp salt

-4 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted (this wasn't enough for me and I melted a little extra!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla.

3. Beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff peaks form. Fold the beaten whites into the bowl with the coconut mixture.

4. Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake on the upper and middle thirds of the oven for about 20-22 minutes, flipping the sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through.

5. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks to cool completely. When cookies are cool, melt bottoms in dipped chocolate and return to baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining chocolate. Place in fridge or freezer for 5-10 minutes to set chocolate. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

This post is linked to Eat at Home.