I adore coconut macaroons. So when I was asked to bring cookies to a party recently, I tried this recipe which had them dipped in chocolate (my other favorite thing).

Making the macaroons was pretty easy and doesn’t take long; 20 minutes to mix together the ingredients and spoon onto a cookie sheet, and another 25 minutes to bake them in the oven.

Dipping these little treats in chocolate was a bit more tricky, and because I had a deadline (the party), the pressure was on. I’ve always struggled with melting chocolate properly. I use a double boiler, but I think I overheat it. The chocolate ends up thick and lumpy and almost dry in texture. Which makes it totally unsuitable for dipping.

I learned an important lesson this time. Don’t try to thin the chocolate using cream or milk. Disaster…the chocolate never sets. I ended up taking very sticky macaroons with me on the night.

I got it right for the Buckeye recipe here. Rather than go to all the trouble of melting the chocolate over the stove, simply microwave it. Put the melts or broken up chocolate bar in a microwave-safe bowl for a lot less time than you think you should. Start with increments of 30 seconds and stir after each heating. The chocolate stayed thin and easy to use.

I’m so traumatized by almost destroying my darling macaroons, that I won’t be dipping them again. They don’t need it anyway.

Recipe – Coconut Macaroons (source: onceuponachef.com)