Adjust oven racks to the upper and lower-middle positions. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the almonds onto a baking sheet and place in preheated oven 10 minutes. Shake the baking sheet halfway through baking so the nuts will toast evenly. Remove nuts from oven and set aside to cool completely. Turn the oven up to 375 °F degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.Bake, one sheet at a time, until the cookies are light golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheet front to back, and top to bottom halfway through baking time. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets until slightly set, about 2 minutes; remove to a wire rack with a wide metal spatula.Once the cookies are cooled to room temperature (about 30 minutes), line two baking sheets with parchment paper.Melt 8 ounces of the semi-sweet chocolate in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water, stirring once or twice, until smooth. Remove from the heat; stir in the remaining 2 ounces chocolate until smooth.Holding a macaroon by its pointed top, dip the bottom and ½ inch up the sides in the chocolate; scrape off the excess chocolate and place the macaroon on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining macaroons.Refrigerate the macaroons until the chocolate sets, about 15 minutes.In a small bowl, whisk together the cream of coconut, corn syrup, egg whites, vanilla and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, combine unsweetened and sweetened coconut, toss together, break up any large chunks. Pour liquid ingredients into the coconut and mix well blended.Scoop dough into a tablespoon and place 1 almond in the middle of the dough. Cover up the almond with the dough. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls about 1 inch apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Form the cookies into loose haystacks with your fingertips, moistening your hands with water as necessary to prevent sticking.