Chocolate Macaroon "Latkes"

I made these for John's boss who celebrates Hanukkah, or if you prefer Chanukah, neither of which I can type without using spellcheck.

I realize that Hanukkah is all about fried foods and that macaroons are more of a Passover thing, but I was so craving macaroons and I came across this recipe and I thought - ha! The best of both worlds. A macaroon that looks like a chocolate latke.

These were a snap to put together.

You only dirty one bowl.

Sweet, sweet coconut and chocolate.

Do you know that coconut is one of my absolute favorite things right? Now add chocolate. Please you don't even need me to elaborate on the chocolate thing. We've know each other too long for you not to know what a chocoholic I am.

Put them together.

Magic.

Be still my heart.



Chocolate Macaroon Latkes
Makes about 40 2-inch cookies
recipe from Baking Obsession
4 egg whites
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
3 ½ oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 tbsp sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Scant ¼ tsp salt

Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set aside.

Combine all of the ingredients in a large heatproof mixing bowl, preferably stainless steel. Set the bowl in a skillet of barely simmering water and stir the mixture, scraping the bottom to prevent burning, until it is sticky and hot to the touch.

Scoop rounded tablespoons of the mixture about 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie slightly with a damp finger to resemble miniature potato pancakes. Bake, in batches, until the cookies feel dry on the surface and the protruding coconut shreds are dark golden brown and the interior still looks like melted chocolate, about 14 minutes. Slide the parchment onto a cooling rack and cool the cookies completely before removing them from the parchment. Or, if using the silicone mats, cool the cookies on the sheets on the rack, and then, using an offset spatula, transfer the cookies from the mats onto the cooling rack to cool completely.

The cookies are most delicious on the day they are baked. They can be stored, though, airtight, for 4 to 5 days.