Senorita, Margarita.

You know what first comes to mind when I think of summer? Margaritas. When I was younger, my family and I would vacation to Panama City Beach, Florida for spring break. I was in fifth grade the first time we went, and at the peak of my awkwardness. Seriously, I listened to Spice Girls and ate my mashed potatoes with ketchup. Wait...I still do that. 

Anyway, because I just couldn't get any cooler, virgin margaritas were me THING! I would sit up at the cabana bar with my mom and she would order my friend and I virgin margaritas, emphasis on the margarita(s), seeing as I probably had about 3 large ones before I realized I hadn't even eaten lunch. Oh well. It was vacation. Anyway, these virgin margaritas were special, because they were swirled, you know, red and white, so, obviously that meant strawberry and coconut, two of my favorite things, together, in one drink. I was sold. 

Now, I don't know if there were actually strawberries or coconut in the drink, but hey, at that age, artificial flavors were KING, and of course, the tiny little umbrella hanging out of the drink was the object of my affection. Anyway, after seeing this recipe a while back, I just now had the brilliant idea to make it my own. So, I thought maybe, just maybe, I could re-create my Panama City Beach virgin margarita experience...

strawberry + coconut

swirled together

packed into itty bitty sized balls

for the ultimate

strawberry coconut macaroon.

Seriously, it's one single bite of pure summer, blissfully coco-nutty with a hit of strawberry sweetness.

Holy Yum Factor!

Now who wants to get me a real swirled Margarita? Oh, and let's crank some Tim Mcgraw by the pool because it's never summer without some T-Mac tunes. 

Strawberry Coconut Macaroons (recipe slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen) (GF):

Ingredients:

1 (14-ounce) package of sweetened, shredded coconut (I had a little less that 14 ounces and it worked out okay)

2/3 c. granulated sugar

3 large egg whites

1/4 t. sea salt

1 c. fresh strawberries, hulled, and sliced in half lengthwise

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, blend the coconut for 1 minute.

3. Add the sugar and blend for another minute.

4. Add the egg whites and sea salt and blend for another minute. 

5. Pulse in the strawberries until they are largely, but not fully broken down. Some of the batter will be white, and other parts will be red. Resist stirring them together.

6. Using a melon ball scooper, or a tablespoon, scoop batter into 1-inch mounds, place on the prepared baking sheet.

7. Bake for 25-30 minutes (time will vary with different ovens...I clocked mine at about 32 minutes), or until slightly golden on top. 

8. Let them rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before serving. They will firm up as they cool, but will remain soft and gooey on the inside, crispy on the outside. 

Makes about 27 small macaroons.

MANGIA!!!