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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Comments
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These are beyond way to sweet!
I just made these little gems and sad to say that all 30 were devoured within 15 minutes of the kids coming home from school. DELICIOUS and so easy to make. Thank you!
Hi! Can you tell me how much coconut flakes needed? Is it 5 and 1/3 cups or 5 scoops of 1/3 cups. Im confused. I tried putting 5 scoops of 1/3 cups and it was so runny. I think i beat the egg well as well but i maybe did it wrong i ended up throwing the batter. Can you tell me how approx how many minutes to get a stiff peak using an electric mixer.. thank you!
Sorry for the confusion, Michelle! You need 5 cups + 1/3 of a cup of coconut, so that accounts for your very runny result. In terms of timing for beating the egg whites, it should take a few minutes. Just make sure you beat them until they form stiff peaks when you lift the beaters out of the bowl. Hope that helps!
These are delicious! I just found it difficult to clump together in even sizes. Could I use a silicone mini muffin tray or would that affect the way they cook?
Yes, I think that should work. (Sorry for the delayed response!)
Can you sub. the sweetened condensed milk with Coco Lopez cream of coconut? Thanks.
Hi Jessica, I’ve never tried cream of coconut here, but read online that it may work. Please LMK know how it turns out if you try it!
I just made these today and they were awesome! Going in the ‘keeper” file.
Hi, could I substitute something for the sweetened condensed milk? I need to have a dairy free cookie. Could I add simple syrup to coconut/almond milk creamer to simulate the sweetened condensed milk, for instance? Or does the condensed milk do something to the cookies chemically, such that it can’t be substituted?
Hi Kate, I’ve never used anything but sweetened condensed milk here. I don’t think coconut or almond milk creamer would work, but perhaps you could try cream of coconut. (I read online that it can be a reasonable substitute for sweetened condensed milk.) Just a disclaimer that I haven’t tried it; I’d love to hear how it turns out if you do!
I follow your recipe every step but they come out of the oven brown not golden. what went wrong? I convert Fahrenheit to C as I live in the UK.
Hi Nok, I’m sorry to hear you had a problem with these – it sounds like they are overbaked. You mentioned you converted the temperature to Celsius – did you bake them at 165°C? Also, just a heads up that many of my recipes (including this one) have metric conversions; to view them, scroll down to the recipe and immediately under the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a little toggle. If you move it from “cup measures” to metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you.
Ah I’m from Scotland and I’m going to give these a go tomorrow but was struggling to convert from cups to weights, so glad I read the comments and seen your reply 😁 I’ll let you know how they go
Can these be frozen?
Yes, they freeze nicely!
I was so excited to finally try this recipe tonight. My batter was runnover though😢I used a cookie scoop and they still were perfectly formed but when I popped them in the oven they started getting runny. What do you think could have caused this? Sure they’ll still taste fantastic!!
Hi Jamie, all macaroons do pool a little around the edges, but it shouldn’t be a ton; it’s likely that the egg whites weren’t beaten long enough. Make sure you beat them until they form stiff peaks when you lift the beaters out of the bowl. Hope that helps!