I am by no means a candy-maker. I don’t have the patience for it. On the other hand, I love chocolate, and will dip pretty much anything in some good melted dark chocolate. As a baker, I’ve noticed, around Christmas especially, there are very few truly decadent chocolate cookies. My mom makes a mean chocolate espresso wafer but it really isn’t rich. I’m talking about a cookie that borders on candy. There are few cookies rich enough to truly quell that chocolate craving.
I know a lot of people will dip their coconut macaroons into chocolate. Well I’d like to step that up, and bake the chocolate into the cookie. In contrast to a traditional macaroon, these cookies are nearly truffle-like, leading to the name Coconut Truffle Cookie. They are rich, gooey balls of chocolate and coconut that have the texture of the finest chocolatier’s truffles. These delightful cookies are not only delicious, they are gluten free and EASY!
Coconut Truffle Cookies
- 4 oz 55%-72% cacao dark chocolate cut into small pieces
- 4 egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 heaping cup of sugar (just a small mound)
- 8 ounces sweetened coconut
Note: if you are using bagged sweetened coconut, lay the coconut out on a baking sheet overnight to reduce the moisture.
In a double boiler, melt the chocolate. Mix the egg whites in a large bowl with the salt until they start to foam just a little bit. Add the sugar and the cocoa and mix until it forms a smooth batter. Tamper in the chocolate (very thin constant stream) while mixing at a low speed. Mix in the coconut until well coated.
Refrigerate the dough for approximately 1 hour (or if you live somewhere cold, put it on your back porch). Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and place a pan of water on the lowest rack (to prevent the cookies from drying out). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Using your cookie scoop make 1 1/2 inch balls and place them about 1 1/2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake 10-13 minutes until the cookies are just set. Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 12-15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.
