You will love this slightly crisp on the outside, soft and chewy coconut on the inside with a bit of crunch from the nuts and a rich chocolate taste. The recipe is naturally gluten-free and flourless.
Put a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan filled with gently simmering water. Add the chocolate and let it melt over medium-low heat. When you see most of the chocolate has melted but there are still few pieces not melted, remove from the heat and stir until they are all melted. Set aside to cool down a bit when you prepare other things
Prepare the batter:
Whisk the egg whites with sugar, salt, vanilla, and cocoa powder until it's smooth and no lumps from the cocoa powder. Add the coconut and chopped nuts and combine until all coconut are coated evenly with the batter
Chill the batter:
Cover and chill the batter in the fridge for at least 1 hour (or 30 minutes in the freezer if you are pressed for time). You can even leave it in the fridge until the next day and bake if that's what fits your schedule
Shaping:
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) for conventional oven, 330 F (165 C) for convection oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
Remove the batter from the fridge and use a small ice cream scoop, the size is about 1 Tbsp. If you don't have one, you can just use two spoons to help you shape
Scoop about 1 heaping tablespoon of batter and place the mound on the baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches in between. If you are using two spoons, try your best to form a mound
Press on one slice of almond if you like. This is optional. I just like the visual contrast
Baking:
I recommend baking one tray at a time. Keep the other tray chilled in the fridge while one tray is baking
Place the baking sheet on the middle rack and bake for about 15 minutes. DO NOT overbake them. The outside will crisp up but when you gently squeeze it, it gives. Let them cool down on the pan set on a cooling rack to cool down completely.
To serve:
When you eat them on the same day, the outside stays crisp and the inside is moist and chewy (thanks to the coconut).
Storage:
Once they have cooled down completely, transfer to an air-tight container and they can be kept for about a week. The outside get softer after storing in an air-tight container, but they will still be delicious. They can be kept frozen for up to one month. Simply thaw at room temperature before serving
Notes
Recipe is adapted from Joy Of Baking with some modifications