Chocolate Brownie Macaroons

These are a mashup of brownies and coconut macaroons, and they deliver the best of both. Fudgy chocolate centers with a slightly crisp, chewy exterior studded with shredded coconut.

Two types of chocolate (unsweetened and semisweet) get melted together and stirred into sweetened condensed milk with vanilla and a hint of almond extract. That chocolate base is rich and dense. The lightness comes from a whipped egg white meringue folded in, which gives the macaroons their slightly puffy, airy texture on top while keeping the inside intensely moist.

The baking is short: just 10 to 12 minutes until the tops look dry but the centers are still fudgy. Pull them too late and you lose that brownie-like chew. A single blanched almond pressed into the top of each cookie before baking adds a clean, nutty crunch.

Chef Tips

• Melt the chocolate slowly over low heat and stir constantly. Chocolate scorches fast, and burnt chocolate tastes bitter and grainy.
• Make sure the egg white is at room temperature before whipping. Cold whites don’t whip as high and take much longer to reach stiff peaks.
• Fold the meringue in gently. Stir a quarter of it in first to lighten the thick chocolate base, then fold the rest in with a spatula to keep the volume.
• The cookies are fragile when hot. Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a rack.

Variations

• Roll in extra shredded coconut before baking for a more textured, crunchier exterior.
• Drizzle with white chocolate after cooling for visual contrast.
• Skip the almond on top and press a raspberry into each cookie before baking for a fruity twist.