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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I’ve made Coconut Macroons before but never whipped the egg whites before. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how ‘fluffy’ they were. I thought they were delicious and will definitely make them again. Please know we are full time RV’rs and the results from baking in an RV oven can sometimes be a surprise so while a bit darker than I would have liked we still enjoyed them very much – my husband thought they were the best so thank you!
I would like to make these for my daughter who is away in college since these are her favorite. Any tips on how I can package it to ship so that they stay fresh and crispy? I will be overnighting them so I would say two days top for transit.
Hi Leslie, these keep nicely for about a week so they should arrive in decent condition, but they won’t maintain the crispy exterior (which would be the case even if you didn’t send them to her and they were just stored on your kitchen counter). Hope she enjoys!
I have to agree with some of the other reviewers; the recipe is too slack and needs a little starch to stabilize and give the macaroons more structure. I’d omit the egg whites completely. Classic recipes use only sweetened condensed milk, coconut, salt, vanilla and a small amount of flour. I like some of your other recipes quite a bit. Blog if you want to…pay no mind to the haters!
Jesus, what a garbage recipe. Duped again by another mommy blogger- I should have know when I saw 7/8th cup 😑😑 DONT WASTE YOUR INGREDIENTS
You don´t have to be rude about it, i made these and they were delicious. Where are your manners for keeping comments to yourself. I´m only 11 and i have way better manners than you.
Brook, you are so awesome! Way to shut down the bullies
Just made 80 macaroons and they all turned out fine!!! I used my smallest ice cream scoop (Tbsp)!!!!
Recipe really easy!! Please try it you will love it…. Promise
She is a classically trained chef and her recipe is to die for. Switch the little tab to metric measurement and you will realize that you judged the recipe and the chef prematurely.
Mine are in the oven now and one pan is running together. And yes they were stiff peaks.
Hi Amy, How did they come out? Did you rotate the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking?
Making these in the UK with cup measurements would be a challenge if you do not have ‘cups’. Cooked in a Celsius fan oven, and for UK cooks, 15 minutes at 165o top two shelves works well. As we are worldwide ‘web cooks’ now, metric measurements would be helpful. As to some cooks disappointment, weight of egg whites would also help as even large eggs vary on amount of white. Great recipe, thank you.
Hi Bea, Glad you enjoyed these! Actually, the majority of my recipes (including this one) do have conversions to weight/metric measurements. 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!
Mine looks perfectly fine and they are not running together
Thanks for your recipe my family loved them. This is my favorite for coconut macaroons.
When prepared correctly, this recipe is second to none. I make slightly smaller cookies using a small spoon to scoop the batter and a fork to move it from the spoon to the parchment paper. Cookies end up with a great texture and crispy peaks!
This is the second recipe I have used from your website.
They turned out perfectly.
Thank you for the photographic instructions, very useful for amateurs like me.
My Jewish family has been trying various macaroon recipes for literally decades. This is the first recipe, even those handed down for generations, that is a really big hit with everyone. Your recipe is circulating through the suburbs of Phoenix and Cleveland. Thank you!
Made these today. Everything worked out well. I didn’t have the recommended chocolate, so I used Hershey’s dark chocolate. Turned out great. Thanks for the recipe.