Coconut Macaroons | Sally McKenney
When done right, coconut macaroons taste like the irresistible coconut center of an Almond Joy or Mounds bar. Chewy, moist, and sweet! When done wrong, they’re dry and fall apart easily.
The recipe below is my all-time favorite, and its perfect combination of ingredients produces oh-so-moist and tender macaroons with delightfully crisp exteriors. They’re a favorite in my collection of naturally gluten free dessert recipes and quick dessert recipes. You can leave them plain (with just 5 ingredients), add a dunk in chocolate and/or almond on top, or really elevated them like we do with this caramel coconut macaroon thumbprints recipe.
Coconut Macaroons Details
Just 5 ingredients in the base recipe
Can leave plain or add toppings/add-ins
Dough comes together in 1 bowl
No cookie dough chilling required
Naturally gluten free and dairy free
And remember, these are coconut macaroons, not macarons. If you want to learn how to make those delicate sandwich cookies, I have an in-depth French macarons tutorial.
3 Notes About The Coconut:
Use Sweetened Coconut: Sweetened coconut is extremely moist and a little sticky, which is exactly what you want for these cookies. Unsweetened coconut can work instead, but you may need to increase the egg whites and add more sugar. For best results, use sweetened.
Measure Accurately: You need 4 and 3/4 cups (about 385g) of sweetened shredded coconut, which is a little less than a standard 14-ounce package.
Chop It/Pulse It: Pulse the coconut shreds in the food processor a few times to chop up the pieces. Why? Smaller pieces of coconut help the cookies hold their shape better—the cookies will be more compact this way. If you don’t have a food processor, spread the coconut onto a cutting board and give it all a rough chop.
Here are the ingredients you need:
Finer pieces of coconut help the macaroons hold shape better; I pulse it with a food processor a few times to break down the shreds:
Make the Coconut Macaroons Dough
Even though the process is really easy, I want to walk you through a few steps so you can have success on the first try. This has been my favorite recipe for decades, and I’ve picked up on several tricks (learn from my mistakes!).
In addition to coconut, egg whites are a main ingredient in this dough. More specifically, beaten egg whites. In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer, you’ll beat the egg whites, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract together on medium-high speed until foamy and the sugar is mostly dissolved. The trick here is to not over-beat the egg whites—this should really only take 1 minute.If you over-beat the eggs, you’ll end up with a stiff meringue-like mixture, and the baked macaroons will be very dry.
Fold the chopped coconut shreds into the egg white mixture. After that, use a medium cookie scoop to shape 1.5 Tablespoon portions of dough onto a lined baking sheet. I usually fit 12 on a standard 12×17-inch half baking sheet.
Coconut macaroons do not spread much while baking. Sometimes they can leak a little sugar/egg white liquid, but if you chopped the coconut up enough, this shouldn’t really happen. Bake until a little toasty on top, about 20 minutes at 325°F (163°C).
Avoid Over-Baking Bake for only a precise 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Over-baking will dry out your coconut macaroons.
Can I Have Add-Ins or Toppings? Yes, absolutely! Macaroons can be dressed up in so many different ways. While they’re absolutely incredible plain, I love dipping the bottoms in melted dark chocolate. Other varieties:
Chocolate almond macaroons: Pictured below! These remind me of an Almond Joy candy bar. Instructions in the recipe notes.
Sprinkle loaded macaroons: Carefully fold 1/3 cup (about 57g) sprinkles in coconut macaroon dough before scooping and baking. Avoid nonpareils (the little balls).
White chocolate cranberry macaroons: Add 3/4 cup (about 100g) of dried cranberries to the dough when you add the shredded coconut. Melt 4 ounces of pure white chocolate and drizzle over cooled macaroons.
Strawberry macaroons: Here’s my strawberry coconut macaroons recipe.
Almond butter macaroons: Here’s my almond butter coconut macaroons recipe.
If you’re looking for a moist and chewy coconut macaroon with a toasty exterior, you’ve come to the right place. When you’re feeling fancy, dress the simple recipe up with any of my suggested varieties in the recipe notes. Be sure to try my almond butter coconut macaroons, too!
More Coconut Recipes
Coconut Cake
German Chocolate Cake
Coconut Cream Pie
Dark Chocolate Coconut Blondies
Coconut Chocolate Easter Cupcakes
Ingredients
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
4 and 3/4 cups (385g) chopped shredded coconut (a little less than one 14-ounce package, see note)*
optional: two 4-ounce semi-sweet chocolate bars (226g), finely chopped
Instructions
Preliminary Note: I recommend pulsing coconut in processor a few times to cut it down & break it up. Finer pieces of coconut make a tighter, more compact coconut macaroon that will hold its shape. Measure 4 and 3/4 cups after it’s been pulsed. If you do not have processor, spread onto a large cutting board & roughly chop it.
Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
Make macaroons: In a large bowl using mixer, beat egg whites, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract together until foamy & sugar is mostly dissolved, ~1 minute. Do not over-beat. Fold in chopped coconut, making sure coconut is evenly moistened.
Using a medium cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop 1.5 Tablespoons (about 30g) of the mixture & arrange on prepared baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. (For smaller cookies, measure 1 Tbsp (about 18-20g) per cookie.)
Bake until lightly browned around edges & tops, about 20 minutes. Make sure to rotate pan to help ensure even baking.
Cool for 10 minutes on baking sheets, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Bottoms may be sticky, use thin spatula to help release them from mat/parchment.
Dip in chocolate (optional): Melt chopped chocolate, either in a double boiler. Dip each cooled coconut macaroon in melted chocolate & place back onto baking sheets. Allow chocolate to set in refrigerator or at room temperature.
Macaroons stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Sally McKenney is a baker, food photographer, and New York Times best-selling author. Her kitchen-tested recipes and step-by-step tutorials have given millions of readers the knowledge and confidence to bake from scratch. Sally’s work has been featured on TODAY, Good Morning America, Taste of Home, People, and more.
The secret to Chef John's moist, tender, chewy coconut macaroons, which are simple to make and bring to potlucks, is condensed milk and tempered chocolate.
These strawberry coconut macaroons are moist and chewy on the inside and slightly crisp around the edges.
Strawberry Coconut Macaroons
I made these with unsweetened coconut because that's what I had on hand, but it turns out unsweetened coconut is too dry for this recipe (the macaroons wouldn't hold together after baking even though I added extra egg white!). In the future I would either have to use unsweetened coconut with a whole bunch of corn syrup added or, more easily, just use the sweetened coconut specified in the recipe.
When I have a mad craving for homemade cookies but have no desire to spend a lot of time baking, I turn to Coconut Macaroons. These are by far these easiest cookies you’ll ever make. You can go from assembling the ingredients to sitting down and enjoying the Coconut Macaroons in less than a half hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°.
If you decide that you want both almond and chocolate flavored Coconut…
