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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How would you recommend adapting this to a chocolate macaroon recipe? It seems like cocoa is the answer. Any suggestion on amount? Perhaps it needs a bit of sugar too?
Hi Debbie, adding cocoa powder may not give you a good result. You could stick with this recipe and dip the macaroons in chocolate or add some chocolate chips. If you truly want a chocolate macaroon, I think you’ll have the best luck with a recipe specifically for them.
Made these for my granddaughter’s birthday. They were a big hit. She loved them
I have made this recipe several times now and it’s always a huge success. Everyone keeps asking me to make more.
I first tried this using the sweetened coconut but found that that the cookies tasted too sweet since the condensed milk already has plenty of sugar. I then began using organic unsweetened coconut & they came out perfect so that is what I now use when making this recipe.
I also just made a batch using low sugar condensed milk along with the unsweetened coconut and still tastes terrific!
Love this recipe!
Margaret,
Did you use 14oz unsweetened coconut shreds or 7oz unsweetened coconut shreds? I’m just noticing now that my bags say 7oz. Hoping to adapt the recipe to decrease the sugar content.
Thanks!
Jenn, I know these will be delicious. But my neighborhood store (WF) only has unsweetened coconut. How should I adjust the recipe? Thanks!
Hi Barb, unfortunately, unsweetened coconut won’t work here, but if you Google Alice Medrich, she has a recipe that uses it and comes out really well.
Jenn, I didn’t see your reply until I’d already made them. Here’s everything I did wrong: wrong coconut, wrong size package (12 oz — all WholeF had), reduced condensed milk a little (maybe too much) to compensate — and they’re still gorgeous. They are drier than they should be but I dipped and drizzled them with chocolate so doubt I’ll have any complaints.
I always rely on your excellent recipes. Thank you for your clear instructions, your tips and especially for taking time to answer our questions. Thank you for making us all better cooks and bakers.
❣️
Hi Jennifer
I love so many of your recipes and these macaroons are a staple in our house especially over Passover. I just wanted to let you know I often make them with unsweetened coconut and they turn out amazing. also use the entire can of condensed milk and they come out great every time.
Thanks for your amazing recipes. I have shared your site with many friends over the years.
Maureen
Hi Jenn,
One of your biggest fans writing once again. I made these and they taste too delicious! I’m just not sure I cooked them long enough because they are sticky-chewy and the coconut seems to linger in my mouth for a very long time. I cooked them at 325 degrees but the bottoms and edges were so browned that I ended up taking them out after only 21-22 minutes. So, do you think it could be that I just didn’t cook them long enough? I don’t want them to burn so maybe 300 degrees for a longer period of time? Will they still brown up so nicely at 300 degrees? Thank you Jenn!!
Hi Pam, so glad you liked the recipes! The macaroons are naturally a bit chewy, but if they’re really sticky, they may have been a touch underbaked. If you want to avoid the bottoms browning too quickly next time, nest your baking sheet inside another one. That will provide an extra layer of insulation. And I’m not sure when you’re serving these, but if you let them sit out at room temperature, uncovered, that should help to dry them out a bit.
The best!
What size cookie scoop do you recommend?
#40 – Medium – 1.75 T
#20 – Large – 2.93 T
Thanks!!
Hi Carol, so glad you like them! I’d go with #40.
Hi Jenn, These look delicious. Has anyone (or you) mentioned trying the recipe using coconut condensed milk to make it dairy free?
Hi Jill, a few people have mentioned they’ve made these with sweetened condensed coconut milk successfully, so I definitely think it’s worth a try. Enjoy!
Tried it, but it didn’t look like the pictures. I used just a little less of the condensed milk and still it looked soupy. I clearly didn’t get the same results. Will see how they come out and try again. It looked easy enough to make but I still managed to screw it up. Maybe the egg whites added in too much liquid?
Hi Laura, If there was a lot of pooling around the macaroons, likely, the egg whites weren’t whipped enough. Make sure you beat them to stiff peaks. Hope that helps!
Hey Jenn! I’ve made this macaroon recipe over 20 times, and each time it comes out perfectly. Sometimes I do a capuccino version or other flavors and everyone always loves them. With spring shortly here, I want to do a key lime version dipped in white chocolate. So, I was thinking of zesting a few key limes and adding in some fresh juice (3-4tbl) from them. My concern is the additional liquid will throw everything off balance and probably cause them to collapse. Should I decrease some of the condensed milk to compensate for the addition of the lime juice, but I figure the condensed milk acts as a binder. I saw a couple of key lime macaroon recipes online, and they use flour which I guess compensates for the additional liquid, but I don’t want to mess with the existing texture which is perfection. Please provide your expert advice!!!! Thanks.
Hi Jay, I think a key lime version sounds delicious, but I agree that the lime juice will throw off the texture. I think you’ll get enough lime flavor from the zest. I’d love to know how they turn out if you try it!
So this was my first try making macaroons. I’ve also never made anything meringue. So all went well until I added the whipped egg whites to the coconut and milk mix. It was too liquidity and I couldn’t form balls at all. I baked them anyway, flat as they were. They were still very tasty! What do you think I did wrong? I carefully measured the sweetened condensed milk. Did I maybe not whip the egg whites long enough? What could I have done to remedy the batch by adding something to thicken it up?
Hi Julie, yes, I feel confident that the egg whites weren’t whipped enough. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot you can do to remedy the batch if the egg whites aren’t the right texture. Glad you liked the way they tasted, though, so lesson learned for next time! 😊