Cranberry Coconut Macaroons

Five more days until Christmas! Hopefully you've already wowed everyone with your lemon sugar cookies.  Next up we have cranberry coconut macaroons, and they're even dipped in chocolate!  And I promise, these are incredibly easy cookies to make.  They're simple and use only a few ingredients, but are deliciously decadent and amazing.  They're sure to be a crowd pleaser. Be sure to hide them if you're saving them for them an event, because they'll be snatched up in no time!

In a large bowl, mix together the coconut, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.

Fold in 1 cup of cranberries (rinsed well and cut into quarters) until well combined.

Drop rounded teaspoons of the mixture onto a well greased cookie sheet.  The original recipe says to bake them on parchment paper, but this was a huge failure in my kitchen, so I strongly advise using some PAM instead.  Doesn't the parchment paper look pretty, though?

Bake them at 325 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes, or until they are set.  Remove from the cookie sheet immediately and let cool.

You can stop here if you're satisfied, or you can opt to dip these babies in chocolate (and who doesn't love some extra chocolate??) Melt a bag of milk chocolate chips in a double boiler.  If you don't have one (like me), boil a couple of inches of water in a medium saucepan.  Place a metal bowl over the water and pour the chocolate chips in. Stir them frequently until melted and smooth.  

Dip the bottom half of each macaroon in the chocolate. Place on cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Chill in the refrigerator until the chocolate is hardened.  Serve and enjoy!

Cranberry Coconut Macaroons
Adapted from Bon Appetit August 2000

1 14-ounce package sweetened flaked coconut 

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup cranberries, rinsed and quartered

1 12-ounce package milk chocolate chips (optional) 

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

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

3. Fold in the cranberries to combine.  

4. Drop rounded teaspoons onto a well greased cookie sheet. 

5. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until set.  

6. Remove from cookie sheet immediately and let cool.

7. If desired, dip them in chocolate - melt chocolate chips in a double boiler.  Dip the bottom half of each macaroon in the chocolate and place on a sheet of wax paper to cool and harden.