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. See note below about this
In a large bowl combine the shredded coconut, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. 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 on the parchment lined baking sheet. 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. Remove and let cool.
*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.
Notes
Note: Some brands of sweetened condensed milk may contain corn syrup. Eagle brand and Publix generic only contain milk and sugar. They are both Kosher Dairy, but do not have the symbol for Kosher for Passover. I have not found a brand with the Kosher for Passover certification. Therefore, if you require this, a substitute would be to make your own sweetened condensed milk, which only requires 2 ingredients! Combine 2 cups milk and 2/3 cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then let reduce approximately by 50 percent. Once thickened and reduce, let cool to room temp then it is ready to use or store covered in the fridge until ready for use. Note: If using standard shredded coconut instead of finely shredded, you will need 2-3 7oz bags. Once the coconut has been finely shredded in a food processor, then resume measuring out the 5 cups needed for the recipe.