Coconut Macaroons
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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.
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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
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- 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.
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I made these for my mother on mother’s day and she absolutely loved them! We are a huge coconut loving family and these really hit the spot. The texture is amazing and dipped in chocolate they are unbeatable!
I made these cute see-through mixed cookie favors for a Mother’s Day Dinner, which included a macaroon and everyone’s eye seem to go to these because with a great deal of excitement, they would ask “Is there a macaroon in there?” Many did not wait to take their cookie box home and had eaten the macaroon before I even got to dessert. They all said how amazing they tasted and wanted the recipe. Thanks for sharing your recipes. I’ve tried so many and everything is explained so well, it is hard to mess any recipe up and everything is sooooo good.
These are always a hit in our home. I always get recipe requests when I bring them to parties. Thank you for another great recipe!
Ever since I stumbled upon this recipe I began to make them. The first time I ruined my first batch (totally my fault) for my second batch I followed instructions to a tee and made sure my recipe steps looked like your pictures! What a difference!!!! The game out PERFECT! so much so that my friends and family love, love to eat and request them often. I even got a request for the recipe frommy aunt…and she’s a baker!!!!!!
Thank you for sharing! And being so thorough with your instructions.
DO NOT WORRY if your cookies ooze a little around the edges while baking! I had read about that in the reviews, and sure enough mine started oozing some around the edges. I just kept on baking, rotated the cookie sheet after 10 minutes, then again after 10 minutes, baked 23 minutes total. Followed recipe exactly, measuring the condensed milk exactly.
They turned out delicious, chewy, moist, perfect! Dipped the bottom in melted dark chocolate chips.
My daughter loves macaroons and asked me to make them for her wedding. I plan to use this recipe. Can they be frozen?
Yes Donna, these freeze nicely!
So I made the mistake of using regular wax paper instead of parchment paper and cookies stuck to it and I had to throw the whole batch out! They look awesome but you can’t eat wax paper! I would add those directions to the recipe for all those others who don’t know the difference. Please
I’ve made these about 10 times or friends and family in the last six months. They are especially nice for people who need a gluten-free dessert. These easy-to-make cookies allow you to feel like you’ve done something special for them.
As an engineer who loves to bake, I have to make note of the many comments about the sweetened condensed milk. The only time the weight of a liquid equals the same number of fluid ounces is when the item has a specific gravity of 1. Sweetened condensed milk is heavier than water. 7 fluid ounces weighs more than 7 weight ounces. So if you use only half the can, you’ll end up considerably short of 7 fluid ounces in your mixture. (Water at 4deg C = 1g/1cm^3. Yes, the metric system is great and reduces this type of confusion with two types of “ounces”, by weight, and by volume.)
Thanks, Jenn for the great recipe!
I should have typed: 7 fluid ounces of sweetened condensed milk weighs more than 7ozs by weight (1/2 the can). Just trying to clarify the language of those Imperial units is frustrating!
Made these twice and they are absolutley delicious. A few notes… You must use parchment paper! I didn’t have any the first time through, so I used foil and had to place a second cookie sheet, one rack below, to keep the bottoms from burning (it worked!). Watch the timing, in my gas oven, they only took 17 minutes, electric took 23. You’ll know they are done with some of the coconut pieces are darker brown and the edges of the bottom are browned. If you burn the bottoms, move up a rack and try the extra cookie sheet trick, it worked even when I used parchment paper the second time.
These are great plain or dipped in chocolate and do well in the fridge. Such an easy and inexpensive recipe for something so yummy.
The can says the contents weigh 396 gr so the easiest way to get 1/2 can ( or 7 fluid oz) is to put your bowl on a scale and pour out 200 gr (198 to be exact)