Cookie season I salute you.

Mazing Macaroons packaged for gifting giving

It’s the most wonderful time of the year when I dust off my treasured and sometimes secret cookie recipes to bake for the holidays.

Cookies just make the holidays bright.

These sweet treats are the things that memories and traditions are made of. They are objects of enchantment and folk lore when they are baked and shared with generation after generation.

This Christmas my three-year-old grandson Elijah – or “Eli” as I call him – is totally into the holiday season because he’s figured out this time of years gives him a pass to eat all the cookies he wants, or so he thinks.

My grandson Elijah “Eli” surrounded by the things he loves best – cars

Every year I bake up an assortment of cookies, cakes and treats and package them for gift giving. This year I included a new macaroon recipe I had been developing.

Eli was happy to be my cookie tester. When I pressed the lightly toasted macaroon into his  little hand he said, “Bella (which is what he calls me) they look like snow balls!”

“Well I guess they do. They are called coconut macaroons,” I said.

He took a bite, and then tried to shove the rest of the cookie into his mouth. After he finished the cookie, he raised his hands over his head and said, “These macaroons are mazing Bella!”

Mazing. I like that. I wonder if that’s better than a-mazing?

If you are thinking about making a few baked goods for the holidays, this recipe is simple and you can have these tasty little treats baked up in no time. They are moist, chewy, soft and delicious little mounds with a pop of chocolate. The video below will show you just how easy they are to make. And like Eli says, they are mazing!

Mazing Macaroons

Ingredients
14 ounce package of angel flake sweetened coconut
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup mini chocolate chips
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla
1 egg white, beaten stiff

Method
Combine together coconut, pecans and mini chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.

Add sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and salt to coconut mixture. Mix well and make sure the condensed milk is thoroughly blended in the mixture.

Beat egg white in a bowl until stiff, until the texture similar to meringue. Fold beaten egg white into the coconut mixture.

Set oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop out heaping tablespoons of the mixture and form into densely packed balls. Place each ball on the baking sheet and press them down lightly.

Bake for 15 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from oven. Cool and store. Makes 20 to 22 macaroons.