Coconut Macaroons w/dark chocolate drizzle

If you know me, you know my 3 weaknesses: dark chocolate, coffee, & coconut. Not necessarily in that order but coconut macaroons do satisfy 2 out of 3 requirements. I make these every few months because not only are they super delicious and basically coconut heaven, but also because they’re SUPER simple & equally impressive. (For real, they take less than 30 minutes to whip up)

In fact, they’re quick enough to make that coconut macaroons end up being the dessert I make when I have zero time to bake (and probably shouldn’t be baking to begin with). Last year I made them several times during my fourth round of med school exams. I’d been mainly living at the library, only going home for 30 minute breaks to eat lunch or brew fresh coffee. But since it was the end of a full unit, I wanted to bake something for my last study group & decided on coconut macaroons because they’re soooo quick yet seriously look like I spent a while on them. (And really, coconut + chocolate makes everyone’s day better….well as much as it can given that everyone is studying all day/night. yay med school.)

With as many times that I’ve made these, I have yet to find someone who does not immediately rave about them. Seriously- look at that toasted coconut with dark chocolate drizzling over it- how can you not love these??? These are, without a doubt, my go-to dessert recipe. As long as someone isn’t allergic to coconut, I will bring these. They’re delicious, easy, and gorgeous= the perfect gift. And the bakery or store version of these don’t hold a candle to these fresh baked ones! My friend’s mom works at Godiva, where they always have absolutely gorgeous puffs of coconut macaroons that are dipped in chocolate and ready to be devoured. Well, I made these for her one time (even though she already adored the Godiva made ones)- and it was such a success! She flat out said that these beat the store brand any day of the week (talk about flattering compliments)! Now I know the secret dessert to send her way whenever I get the chance.

But I really can’t talk about these coconut macaroons without talking about one of my favorite professors at medschool. It had been a few months since medschool started and the stress was high (the weight was also but shh) and it was hard to focus or find time for anything that wasn’t medically relevant. Well, I stopped by this professor & he has a vibe that just makes you want to slow down and really relax and process what’s been going on. So we ended up talking for about a hour or two about our lives, how the first year had been so chaotic, how our daily lives/mindsets have changed to adapt, and then, more importantly, what we do to keep grounded and happy. We talked about several things, I mentioned my family, painting, coding, crocheting- and baking. The rest of the conversation basically focused on what we like to make and how much we love to bake and cook- also how sharing our concoctions is half the joy. I left his office with a renewed motivation to keep my baking/cooking alive even in medschool. Later that week, as a thank you & to share the joy of baking, I whipped up a batch of these and dropped them off in his office on a Friday afternoon. Saturday morning, I woke up to the SWEETEST message saying -direct quote here-

Ambreen, you are like the coolest, most wonderful . . .Thank you so much for the macaroons.  I can’t type out all the exclamation marks that express my joy!!

Which basically means that these are a hit and people love them, which means they love you. Simple.