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.)
“My dad described these as “freaking perfection.” I concur.”
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 what 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
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 oz semi-sweet chocolate, best quality such as Ghirardelli, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). 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 in (2.5 cm) 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.
Notes
- 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).
- ⅞ cup = ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons
- Make sure to use parchment paper (NOT wax paper) on the baking sheets. The macaroons will stick to wax paper.
- Freezing 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
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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Jenn, can you freeze the extra “dough” for later use? Or if not, how long do you think it is safe to keep in the refrigerator? I’ve made these several times and each time, a new audience says they are the best macaroons they’ve ever had. The only thing I’ve changed is using dark chocolate instead of milk. Yummy! Thanks!
Hi JoAnna, unfortunately, because you beat the egg whites, I don’t think this batter a good candidate for refrigerating or freezing. The baked macaroons do keep nicely for about a week if stored on the kitchen counter and freeze beautifully too so feel free to fully prepare them in advance and store.
I am ready to make these macaroons for the 2nd time. I loved the first batch, which I dipped the bottoms of half the cookies in melted semisweet chocolate. This time no chocolate. I love the simple coconut macaroons. Chocolate or no chocolate these are by far the best I have made in my 40+ years of baking. I have shared this recipe with my sister as she is also a macaroon fan.
would coconut milk work instead of the condensed milk? or is there another non dairy substitution? thank you
Hi Lisa, I don’t think coconut milk 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! If you want a proven recipe that doesn’t require sweetened condensed milk, you could try this one by Alice Medrich – I’ve made them and they’re really good.
You can use sweetened condensed coconut milk in place of the regular, I do. You can purchase it or make your own.
Thank you, I was wondering if it would work.
I made these macaroons this evening and they turned out well. However they were a touch dry and I am wondering if I didn’t use enough condensed milk. The tin I bought was in grams rather than ml – do you know how many grams of the milk are required?
Hi Hollie, Sorry you found them to be a bit dry. Math is not my strong suit, but I believe you’d need 273 grams.
Just made them! I have always loved coconut macaroons but as I am not much of a chef I have never thought about making my own. I can’t believe how easy they are to make! Thank you for this easy to follow recipe. I may just have to eat them all myself! 😂😂
I love this recipe! The macaroons were chewy and delicious (i made them Dipped in chocolate). The only reason i gave 4 out if 5 stars is because there was some pooling around the macaroons so they didn’t look quite like pictured here.
I did use the recommended amount of condensed milk (1 3/4 cup plus 2 table spoons). I wasn’t able to find Baker’s coconut flakes (in Canada) and used another brand (also flaked and sweetened).
I am wondering if that was the reason for the pooling and if there are any suggestions to make them come out like pictures here (no pooling around bottom). Even less condensed milk? How much less?
Thank you for this amazing recipe Jenn!
Hi Ana, A little pooling around the bottom is normal, but the macaroons may be a little runny on the bottom if the egg whites aren’t stiff enough. Make sure you beat those egg whites to a stiff peak. Hope that helps!
I have been cooking a lot in the past week here in Vancouver, Canada. I’m staying in with my family and I’m teaching my two sons to cook.
I just made these. I’m waiting for them to cool so we can dip them in chocolate.
This is a great easy recipe and it worked well. I added some lemon zest which was very good.
I do not like this recipe… it’s too sweet, and the batter is too runny to stay in shape. I recommend adding LESS condensed milk. Add it sparingly… just enough to bind the flaked coconut together.
I made them several times and they are great. I just find them a bit dry and I wonder if it could be the problem on transforming the cups into grams? I live in Italy and cups, tbs and tsp are not always easy to understand.
My next recipe is the lemon bars and I’m afraid not to ruin it by confusing the quantities..any chance to have the oz measurements? I try 🙂
Thanks for the tasty ideas!
Hi Mirela, Most of my recipes have both weight and imperial/cup measures. 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. Hope that helps!
Turned out great! Hubby said they are the best he’s ever had. He had them without chocolate. The daughters and I prefer them dipped in dark chocolate like recipe suggests. I will make them with non-sweetened flakes next time.. I used Aldi sweetened coconut flakes and they spread out/ pooled a bit. If you don’t use Bakers, cut back on the condensed milk so the mixture looks like in the recipe photo ( mine was definitely more moist).
I did not like this recipe at all. Had a very strong condensed milk flavor