Coconut-Macadamia-Chocolate Chips HUGE Cookies

This will be your new favorite cookie recipe!

These giant cookies are filled with chunky pieces of macadamia nuts, melty chocolate chips, and nutty-sweet coconut flakes

Everybody needs a favorite easy-to-make, quick and delicious cookie recipe. You never know when you will need to whip up a batch: for your kids' playdates, last minute office party, or snacks at the next soccer game... Yes, it was my turn last weekend and I was prepared :)
Rather than making the usual chocolate chip cookies, next time try this. Add some macadamia nuts and shredded coconut to turn your plain chocolate chips cookies into something spectacular. Chewy on the inside, slightly crunchy around the edges. Filled with the tropical flavors of coconut and the salty and buttery macadamia nuts. I use semi-sweet chocolate chips so that the cookies would not end up too sweet. But you're welcome to change it up and use white or dark chocolate chips.

And do you see the size of these cookies?!? HUGE!
I used my ice-cream scoop to pick up the dough and make perfectly round cookies in no time at all. My scoop is about 1/4 cup in size, and with the ingredients listed below, I ended up with 10 enormous cookies. You can also use a smaller size, and make more. But remember: adjust the baking time to about 10-11 minutes for regular size,

Here are some more tips.
Remove the butter and the eggs from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before starting with the recipe. Room temperature ingredients are easier to combine, make a smoother dough, and chewier cookies.
Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes (... or overnight if needed) to make thicker, chunkier cookies.
After baking, wait until they are completely cooled down, and then store in an air tight container. They will be fresh for several days.
And listen to this. I read somewhere that cookies will stay soft and chewy for longer if you place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. There is something about the bread giving out moisture, so the bread will dry out and the cookies will stay fresh for longer. Interesting, right?!? I will have to try it now too...But, for some strange reason, cookies do not last long enough in my house to worry about keeping them fresh. Haha!

Make sure to check out my video recipe too:

Ingredients: to make about 10 huge cookies                                PRINTABLE RECIPE

• 5 oz (140 gr) of unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100 gr) of white sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 gr) of brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 and 1/4 cups (185 gr) of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (80 gr) of shredded coconut 
• 1/2 cup (100 gr) of semi-sweet chocolate chips 
• 1/2 cup (75 gr) of macadamia nuts, roughly chopped 

Preparation time: 40 minutes, plus 30 minutes inactive
Directions:
1: In a large bowl, cream the butter with the white and brown sugar, with a blender or mixer if you have it, until soft and fluffy.

2: Add the egg, the vanilla extract and the salt. Blend well, until smooth.

3: Gradually blend in the flour and the baking soda. Do not overmix. Mix until just incorporated.

4: Mix in the shredded coconut.

5. Fold in the chocolate chips and the macadamia nuts until distributed through out the dough.

6. To make thicker cookies, place the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, or longer.
Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C).
Scoop the dough onto parchment paper, over a baking sheet, leaving enough space between the cookies. You will need two large baking sheets. I used my ice-cream scoop (1/4 cup) and ended up with 10 huge cookies.

7: Bake at 350° F (175° C) for about 14-15 minutes (depending on the size of the cookies), until the edges are slightly brown.

Enjoy :-)

   

Chocolate-Drizzled Coconut Macaroons

A perfect summer treat: crunchy and chocolaty on the outside, chewy and soft on the inside. 

It's been a super busy week! Back from a perfectly amazing vacation, and right into the craziness of the first week of school for my boys. That's why you haven't seen any new recipes lately!
It's really hard to get back into the swing of things after spending more than a week relaxing and having fun in paradise. Yes. I was in paradise!

Take a look at this breathtaking sunset in Ke'e' beach, Kauai.

See what I'm talking about?!? Just... It's hard to find one word to describe it. Perfection!
I posted a few more pictures of our vacation on Instagram, if you want to check it out!

After coming back this week, I was in the mood for something tropical.  Something tempting and sweet. And easy to make, of course! I am still in a slow moving rhythm of vacation.
These coconut macaroons are the perfect match: crunchy and chocolaty on the outside, chewy and soft on the inside. Every bite filled with the sweet and nutty flavor of the coconut, mixed with the bitter-sweet taste of the chocolate.

These macaroons make me think of an Almond Joy bar. Well, not quite. There are really no almonds in these cookies. Just coconut and chocolate and ... lots of joy :)

And here is my video recipe. All for you!

Ingredients: to make about 20 macaroons (1.5 tablespoons each)            PRINTABLE RECIPE

• 2 egg whites
• 1/3 cup (65 gr) of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2.5 cups (200 gr) of sweetened flake coconut
• half cup of semi sweet or milk chocolate
• 2 tablespoons of whipping cream

Preparation time: 45 minutes, plus 30 minutes to cool down

Directions:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325° F (160° C). In  a large bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy.

Step 2: Add the sugar, the vanilla extract, and the pinch of salt. Beat some more.

Step 3: Add the coconut and fold with a spoon until just combined.

Step 4: Scoop the batter onto your baking sheet, covered with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. I used a  1.5 tablespoon scoop. Make sure your scoops are nice and compact. You should be able to make about 20 macaroons.

                                                 

Step 5: Bake at 325° F (160° C) for 17-20 minutes until lightly golden, turning the baking sheet around after about 10 minutes. Let the macaroons cool down before removing from the parchment paper.

                                      

                                                 

Step 6: Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water, mixing the chocolate with a spoon, and stirring in the whipping cream.

Step 7: Drizzle the chocolate on top of the macaroon (and dip in the bottom if you like!). Let the chocolate cool and harden before serving.

Enjoy :)

Nutella and Coconut Pralines

You won't believe how quick and easy is to prepare this no-bake dessert. 

Deliciously nutty and chocolaty. And look at the list, only 4 ingredients!!

Last night I made the fettuccine with mascarpone and prosciutto for dinner. If you haven't tried it yet, it's really fast, easy and delicious! For that recipe I only used half of the mascarpone cheese I bought, so today I wanted to finish the rest of the container before it spoils. And here is what I did:  I mixed the mascarpone with some crumbled cookies, a bit of shredded coconut and some delicious nutella, and voila': dessert for tonight is ready!!
You will see that this recipe is similar to the other coconut pralines I've already posted. At least the finished product looks the same. But today's recipe uses mascarpone cheese and nutella. While the other pralines are made with ricotta cheese and cocoa. Both deliciously good. These are probably my favorite though, a little sweeter, nutty and chocolaty. And you can really taste the nutella. As you might know: I adore nutella! I can eat it with anything: spread on bread or crackers, on top of crepes or pancakes, sprinkled over ice-cream or yogurt... or just plain nutella. All by itself! Sure, why not?!?
My only mistake today: I have not made enough of these pralines. So I will have to run out to the store and buy some more mascarpone and prepare another batch :-)
Ingredients: to make about 16 pralines                Printable Recipe

• 3 oz (85 gr) of cookies (10 petit beurre cookies or similar)
• 8 oz (113 gr) of mascarpone cheese
• 2 tablespoons of nutella
• 3/4 cup shredded coconut

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 1 hour to chill

Directions:
Step 1: Crumble the cookies, using a food processor or, like I did, by placing the cookies in a ziplock bag and crushing them, using a cup, a rolling pin... anything works really!

Step 2: In a large bowl, mix together the crumbled cookies, the mascarpone cheese, the nutella and 1/4 cup of shredded coconut. We will use the rest of the coconut in the next step.

Step 3: Roll small balls (about 1 tablespoon each) with your hand and roll them around in the shredded coconut.

Let chill for one hour or more. I doubt it, but if there are any leftovers, remember to store them in the refrigerator.

Enjoy :-)

Coconut Macaroons

A perfect summer treat: crunchy and chocolaty on the outside, chewy and soft on the inside. 

Today I'm in the mood for something tempting and deliciously sweet. Which means: Let's bake!!
I have been baking A LOT recently, especially after I got my new silicone mats from Kitchen Executive Chef. These mats are just perfect, no greasing and no sticking. And they are super easy to clean.
So, guess what is today?!? Time for one more chance to win a set of silicone baking mats. Many thanks to Kitchen Executive Chef:

And here is the recipe for this super easy, fast, and oh-so yummy coconut macaroons: crunchy and chocolaty on the outside, chewy and soft on the inside. In every bite you find the sweet and nutty flavor of the coconut, together with the bitter-sweet taste of the chocolate. Sinfully delicious summer treat!!
You can also try them with nutella ... check out at the end of this post! Once you try these, I'm sure you wish you'd made more :-)


Ingredients: to make about 16 macaroons (1.5 tablespoons each)  Printable Recipe

• 2 egg whites
• 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
• 1 pinch of salt
• 7 oz, about 2.5 cups of sweetened flake coconut
• one cup of semi sweet chocolate
• 1 tablespoon whipping cream

Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 30 minutes to cool down

Directions:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In  a large bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy.

Step 2: Add the sugar, the vanilla and almond extract, and the pinch of salt. Beat some more.

Step 3: Add the coconut and fold with a spoon until just combined.

Step 4: Scoop the batter onto your baking sheet, covered with a silicone baking mat. I used a  1.5 tablespoon scoop. Make sure your scoops are nice and compact.

                                                  

Step 5: Bake for 17-20 minutes until lightly golden, turning the baking sheet around after about 10 minutes. Let the macaroons cool down, for about 30 min.

                                                 

Step 6: Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water, mixing the chocolate with a spoon, and stirring in the whipping cream.

Step 7: Dip the bottom of each macaroon and drizzle the chocolate on top. Let cool in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or more before serving. I know... soooo hard to wait :-)

If you don't have chocolate handy or you'd like to experiment, you can also use nutella. Just make sure you warm it up just a little bit (in the microwave or a double boiler) so that it's easier to sprinkle on top. This is what you get! Buonissimi!!