What to Make for Dessert When You Don't Want to Make Anything...

After the craziness that was Thanksgiving, the last thing I want to do is spend lots of time cooking an extravagant meal or dessert.  Trouble is that it's Miss A's (and her twin Miss L, of course) birthday on Friday!  Birthdays require cakes and desserts and there will most certainly be a cake, just later in the week.  We are having a bunch of people over for a Birthday/Holiday Party and need some munchies to provide our guests along with their Holiday drinks.

Enter the Chocolate and Almond Macaroon... my lazy girl's dessert!  There are only 6 ingredients, but look decadent enough to impress!

CHOCOLATE AND ALMOND 

MACAROONS

Unblanched & unsalted almonds

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 (14 oz) package sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/8 tsp salt
24 whole RAW almonds (no salt and make sure they're unblanched)
1/2 cup dark chocolate morsels

Pam (made with canola oil)


Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

My prized Silpat - favorite
thing ever!

Stir together the first 4 ingredients (condensed milk, coconut, almond extract, and salt); a soft dough will form.
Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets (or your Silpat if you have one!).



TIP: Spray just a little Pam made with canola oil onto the tablespoon you'll be using so the dough doesn't stick to it.  You might need to respray lightly a few times throughout.


Press an almond into the top of each cookie, forming a pillow.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes (our oven is fast and it only took 13ish, but I'd set for 12 and check on them).  The macaroons should be just golden; remove to wire racks to cool.

Mine won't look like this, but as long as they
taste good,right?

Microwave the chocolate morsels in a microwave-safe bowl at HIGH for 1 minute 15 seconds.  You want the chocolate to be melted and smooth, so make sure you stir at 30-second intervals and upon removal.


TIP: Put parchment paper under the wire cooling racks for when you drizzle the chocolate.


Transfer to a 1-quart ziploc freezer bag; cut a tiny hole in 1 corner of the bag.  Pipe the melted chocolate over the cooled macaroons by gently squeezing the bag.


Ta-dah!