I am many things – wife, mama, cook, daughter, sister, friend and an avid coconut lover. It is funny how taste buds work. Sometimes you just love eating something and you meet someone else that just hates it and you wonder, “how could that be?” I am that way with coconut. I LOVE it, my husband hates it. I kinda don’t get it, but I know so many people that hate coconut that I guess it is just one of those acquired tastes. On the other hand, my husband LOVES mushrooms and I loathe them. Oh well, the finicky taste bud…

My husband was away for a few days on a golf trip and since he was gone I decided to indulge my love of coconut with my absolute favorite recipe for Macaroon’s. This is Ina Garten’s recipe and there are only five ingredients to these little clouds of bliss. So good, so easy. What else could a coconut lover ask for?
Coconut Macaroons (Adapted from Ina Garten’s recipe)

Ingredients
14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.

Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or 2 teaspoons. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.