Coconut Macaroons
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Soft and chewy on the inside, crisp and golden on the outside — these are the perfect coconut macaroons.
As a coconut lover, I’ve tried dozens of recipes for coconut macaroons over the years, and these are my all-time favorite. Chewy and rich on the inside, crisp and golden on the outside, they are delicious plain but even more irresistible dipped in dark chocolate. They also keep well for days on end, making them the perfect holiday cookie to bake ahead or give away. (Be sure not to confuse coconut macaroons with French macarons, which are delicate meringue-based sandwich cookies with a sweet filling.)
What You’ll Need To Make Coconut Macaroons
- Sweetened flaked coconut: The base of the macaroons; I recommend Baker’s Angel Flake for the best results, as there’s a lot of variability in coconut depending on the brand.
- Sweetened condensed milk: A key ingredient for making macaroons, sweetened condensed milk is a canned milk product from which water has been removed and sugar has been added. It’s sticky-sweet and makes the best macaroons. Many recipes call for it but, in my experience, they all have the same problem: too much liquid, which causes the sweet batter to pool around the edges of the macaroons and burn in the oven. This is because recipe developers want to keep their recipes neat and tidy with one whole bag of coconut and one full can of sweetened condensed milk. For this recipe, you’ll use just shy of one can. You’ll have to sacrifice some sweetened condensed milk (try adding it to you coffee!), but your macaroons will be perfect.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a lovely depth of flavor.
- Egg whites: Provide structure and help the macaroons hold their shape.
- Salt: Enhances the overall flavor.
- Semi-sweet chocolate (optional): For dipping or drizzling.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla.
Mix until well combined.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form.
Stiff peaks look like this when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.
Add the egg whites to the coconut mixture and fold until combined.
Using a mini ice cream scoop or two spoons, form heaping tablespoons of the mixture into mounds onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart.
Bake for about 25 minutes, until the bottoms and edges are deeply golden and the tops are lightly golden.
Let the macaroons cool on the baking sheet for a minute, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
If you’d like to dip the macaroons in chocolate, melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, stopping to stir every 30 seconds, until just smooth and creamy. (Alternatively, melt in a double boiler over simmering water.) Dip the bottoms of the macaroons in the chocolate and return to the lined baking sheets.
Refrigerate for about 10 minutes, or until the chocolate is set. That’s all there is to it. Enjoy!
Wondering with to do with those leftover egg yolks? Check out these recipes: Chocolate Cream Pie, Coconut Dream Pie, Millionaire’s Shortbread, Molten Chocolate Cakes, Tres Leches Cake, Rugelach, Banana Pudding Parfaits and Rum Cake.
You May Also Like
Coconut Macaroons
Soft and chewy on the inside, crisp and golden on the outside — these are the perfect coconut macaroons.
Ingredients
- 1 14-oz bag sweetened flaked coconut, such as Baker's Angel Flake (see note)
- ⅞ cup sweetened condensed milk (see note below on measurement)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs whites
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, best quality such as Ghirardelli, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Set two oven racks near the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the coconut, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form. Use a large rubber spatula to fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.
- Using a mini ice cream scoop or two spoons, form heaping tablespoons of the mixture into mounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back, until the tops and edges are golden. Let cool on the pans for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- If dipping the macaroons in chocolate, melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl at medium power, stopping and stirring at 30 second intervals, until just smooth and creamy. (Alternatively, melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water.) Dip the bottoms of the macaroons in the chocolate, letting any excess drip back into the bowl, and return to the lined baking sheets. Place the macaroons in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to allow the chocolate to set. The cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week.
- Note: There is a lot of variability in coconut depending on the brand you purchase. For the best results, I recommend Baker's Angel Flake (see package in the first picture on this page).
- Note: ⅞ cup = ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons
- Note: Make sure to use parchment paper (NOT wax paper) on the baking sheets. The macaroons will stick to wax paper.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The macaroons can be frozen for up to 3 months. (If you plan to dip them in chocolate, wait until you thaw them to do that.) Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Serving size: 1 macaroon (nutritional data includes optional chocolate)
- Calories: 134
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Sugar: 15 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 81 mg
- Cholesterol: 4 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Should the eggs be room temperature when we make this?
Hi Ally, no, it’s not required for these. Enjoy!
My mixture was really wet and when I baked, liquid oozed out around cookie. I carefully measured condensed milk. Did I perhaps not beat egg whites stiff enough? My daughter made these and they looked perfect and were fabulous. It’s my fault, not the recipe. They taste good, just aren’t very pretty. Help!!
Yes, that sounds like the likely problem. The only other thing I can think of is that maybe you used evaporated milk instead of sweetened condensed milk?
Must have been the egg whites. I used sweetened condensed milk…made sure I grabbed the right one from the pantry! Thanks for the help…my husband still ate a bunch 🙂
The recipe sucks big time! Its too brittle and breaks apart too easily. Even the temperature and time for baking is wrong: too long and too high. If I were to respect everything, I would have thrown away the entire batch.
Wow – I’m shocked! I have made this recipe numerous times without a problem. Have you checked your oven temperature with a thermometer?
Same here!! Dry and revolting. Such a waste of time and ingredients. Never again…
Again wowwwww. Not sure why yours turned out dry but I made them for the first time and they were moist and moist for days. They were a big hit here and didn’t really last long,lol.
Shelley
Hmmmmmm, I’m shocked too. I don’t even know how to bake very well and they turned out so great that I had someone request for me to make some for them. Maybe your not following the recipe to a tee. -Shelley
your recipe is so delicious! I used unsweetened coconut because it’s all that I had on hand. Before mixing everything together, I toasted my coconut for ~6 minutes at 325F. I used 1/2 tsp of almond extract, plus 3/4 tsp vanilla. After mixing everything up, the recipe felt like it needed a little bit more binder, so I added a few tablespoons of some extra sweetened condensed milk. I don’t recommend adding extra liquid until AFTER everything is mixed together (perhaps my coconut was dryer bc it’s unsweetened?). Then I chilled the mix for about 15 minutes so that it would pack together better (personal preference). I did NOT add extra sugar to accommodate for the unsweetened coconut. It turned out great (I’m not into super sweet sweets). Even without the changes I made, the recipe is perfect as-is!
Mine were in the oven for less than half the recommended time and the bottoms were burned black. What could I have done wrong? I even had the oven set slightly below the recommended 325…
Hi Carrie, Was your oven rack in the center of the oven? Or could it be your oven wasn’t fully preheated? The initial surge of heat to get the oven up to temperature can definitely cause burning.
Exactly what I was hoping for… A favorite of mine, I asked my local source for the recipe. No reply, and I have no complaint. I found your site and the recipe, The recipe was simple and delicious.
Love this recipe! So simple, yet so delicious! Every time I make them people ask for the recipe and I gladly direct them to Once Upon a Chef!!!
Best recipe for making these coconut treats! But I did add mini semi sweet chocolate chips and finely chopped almonds to mine. Crispy outside and chewy inside:-) Will have to freeze some!
Thank you!
I just made these and they are soooo good. I had a little puddling but I think I may not have folded the ingredients enough.
I’ve made these at least a dozen times. They are awesome! When I’m feeling lazy, I skip the chocolate and they are STILL just as fabulous.