Chocolate Filled Macaroons are an extra special delight and they are naturally gluten free without substitutions! They bake up with a crisp exterior that hides a soft chocolate center. Yumm! The chocolate doesn’t over power the creamy and chewy coconut at all. I particularly like the combination of dark chocolate with the coconut, but any type of chocolate will be fantastic.
A Few Simple Ingredients
I did a lot of experimenting developing this recipe to get the right balance of sweetness, texture and workability for this dough. Unsweetened finely shredded coconut resulted in a better flavor and was easier to shape than the standard shredded coconut. I played around with using (or not using) whipped egg whites and sweetened condensed milk. Ultimately I found that whipping the egg whites and using sweetened condensed milk resulted in the best texture and flavor combination. Attempting to make it egg or dairy free worked, but truly, the best result was created using both ingredients. See my recipe note for more info on using sweetened condensed milk for Passover.
Making the Dough
Begin by combining the shredded coconut with vanilla and sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl. In another bowl, whip the egg whites, powdered sugar and salt until soft peaks form and no liquid settles in the bottom of the bowl. Fold the egg white mixture into the coconut mixture by hand.
Shape & Bake the Chocolate Filled Macaroons
Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to measure about 2-3 tablespoons of the dough into your hand. Press a bite sized piece of chocolate into the center of the dough and then shape the dough around the chocolate in a mound. I used Dove chocolates in a variety of flavors and they were fantastic. Place each formed cookie on a parchment lined baking sheet. The cookies won’t spread when they bake, but leave a little space between them for air to circulate. That way they will get nice and crispy on the outside. Pop them in the oven to bake and when the bottoms have browned a little, they are done. Let them cool before removing them from the cookie sheet, garnishing with melted chocolate or eating them.
Optional Chocolate Garnish
Any type of chocolate: dark, semi-sweet, milk or white will work. Place the chips or chopped chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds, then in 15 second intervals until the chocolate is partially melted and can be stirred. Remove and stir until it is smooth. Now you can drizzle the chocolate on top, dip the bottoms or completely dunk the cooled macaroons in the melted chocolate. For details on how to make Thumbprint Macaroons or Classic Macaroons, follow the highlighted links.
More Gluten Free Cookies!
For cookie monsters like me, check out Hamantaschen, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, Dirty Snowballs, Almond Cut Out Cookies, Naked Cut Out Cookies and College Dorm Cookies
Chocolate Filled Macaroons
Ingredients
- 5 cups finely shredded unsweetened coconut - *see note
- 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk - *see note
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 egg whites - ¼ cup measured
- 2 tablespoon powdered sugar - *Gefen brand is Kosher for Passover
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 32 bite sized chocolate pieces - *such as Dove's dark chocolate
- ¼-1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted - *optional for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper.
- If the shredded coconut is not very finely shredded, pulse it in a food processor a few times. Then measure out the 5 cups needed for the recipe.
- In a large bowl combine the shredded coconut, vanilla and sweetened condensed milk. Stir with a large spatula to combine these very well.
- In a separate bowl, use a hand mixer on high speed to whip the egg whites, powdered sugar and salt until soft peaks form and there’s no liquid settling in the bottom of the bowl.
- Fold the egg white mixture into the coconut mixture. Don’t over mix, but be sure that all of the egg whites are incorporated well.
- Use a small cookie scoop to make mounds of the batter. Press a chocolate into the center and use your hands to shape the batter around the chocolate. Place on the parchment lined baking sheet and continue until all batter has been used.
- The macaroons will not spread, but leave about an inch between each one to allow air to circulate. The shape you put them in the oven is essentially the shape they will come out in.
- Bake for approximately 18 minutes, until the bottoms have brown slightly.
- *Optional garnish: slowly melt chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (dark, semi-sweet, milk and white chocolate all work well) in a microwave safe container in 15-30 second intervals until soft enough to stir to a smooth consistency. Then dip the bottom of the macaroons in the chocolate or drizzle it on top for garnish. Let cool on parchment paper until the chocolate hardens before storing or eating.
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