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.