Sweet 16th! MacMackies

Alright guys, as promised, the very first Sweet 16th is here.

I am going to share a very special recipe with you all for this first baking post.  This is a recipe that my mom and I thought up this summer.  They are beautiful little cookies called MacMackies and what it basically boils down to is a chocolate covered shortbread cookie coated in coconut macaroon.

yeah, I'll let you come to terms with the awesomeness for a moment....




Moving on - the first thing you will need to do is to whip up some delicious shortbread.  Any shortbread recipe will work but I like this one:

1 1/4 c. flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 c. butter (butter is better in shortbread!  room temp or slightly cooler works the best.)

Mix up the flour and sugar and then cut in the butter.  You can use a mixer for this if you prefer.  You can also add a splash of vanilla if you like (I like to :D  ).  Form the mixture into a ball and knead it a bit until it is smooth.   At this point we depart from normal shortbread making.  You will need something like this:

A rounded teaspoon or something like a melon baller.

Press the shortbread dough into your chosen utensil and level it off.  Then tap it out onto a cookie sheet (or your hand).  Once you have all of the shortbread into little domes, bake them in a 325 degree oven for about 25 minutes.  They are done when the bottom edge starts to brown and the tops are set.  Cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.  You want them to be completely cool before the next step.


Here is what you should have so far:

Aren't they cute?!


After they are cool, you want to dip them in some chocolate.  Just because.

Melt a cup of chocolate chips with a teaspoon of shortening either over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring regularly.  Then with a fork, dip the shortbreads in the chocolate and turn them around and over until they are completely coated like this:

Place them on some parchment paper and stick them in the fridge to help the chocolate set.


The next step is the macaroon.  Again, any macaroon recipe will work but I like this one because they are a little denser than a normal macaroon and they don't have any egg whites in them.  Which makes them easier to make.  For this you will need:

2/3 c. flour
1 bag flaked coconut
1/4 tsp. salt
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a big bowl, stir together the flour, coconut and the salt.  Then mix in the condensed milk and the vanilla with your hands until its well blended.  Take some of the macaroon mix in one hand and flatten it out a little. Then place a chocolate shortbread into the center of it and mold the macaroon up around the shortbread until it is pretty much sealed inside.  Continue with the rest and place onto parchment lined cookie sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes until the coconut is toasted.  Here's what you should now have:

And when we cut (or preferably bite) into that

Mmmmmmmm, the chocolate melts into the coconut in the second baking and helps to keep the shortbread from getting dryed out.

These are a little time consuming and a little messy, but they are oh so worth it.  Hope you enjoy!

Happy Baking!


edit:  this will make more shortbread than it will macaroon mix.  if you want it more even, double the macaroon recipe and it should work out about right with small enough shortbread domes.