This is a real treat for coconut lovers. Delicious and classic, these Coconut Macaroons are the pinnacle of coconut sweets. These coconut cookies are a family favourite year-round, but especially around the holidays.
The macaroons have the perfect balance of soft chewiness on the inside and light crunch on the outside. They’re delicious on their own, but even better with the addition of chocolate. Just a quick dip in chocolate and a drizzle of sugar and you’ll be in macaroon nirvana.
These traditional cookies are sure to become a new favourite.
What’s the distinction between Macarons and Macaroons, anyway?
There is a world of difference between macarons and macaroons. They share a nearly identical spelling, but that is about it for their similarities.
- Macarons are a type of cookie made from meringue. They’re miniature, spherical, and decorated with ganache or buttercream in a variety of colours. Making macarons is a challenging task that calls for a lot of patience. Say it like you just saw a prawn: mack-ah-ROHN.
- We’ll be making macaroons today! It’s a coconut cookie that can be thrown together quickly. Macaroons are easy to make and loved by all. Mack-a-ROON (rhymes with “spoon”) is how you say it.
Free-From-Gluten Treats
These delicious coconut macaroons don’t contain any gluten, which is just one of their many benefits. That’s the way they’re made, so there’s no need for any fancy replacements. This is the perfect recipe for your gluten-free friend or family member. And if they have a fondness for coconut, all the better! Since they contain no flour, they also make a great Passover dessert.
Ingredients for the Recipe
What a short list of ingredients for such a delicious dessert! It consists mainly of foods you would find in a pantry. That’s one of my favourite outcomes!
- Sweetened condensed milk can be found in most grocery stores’ baking sections. It’s very sweet and has a thick, rich, creamy consistency. You should not confuse it with evaporated milk.
- The cookie recipe only calls for the egg white.
- I never use anything but 100% pure vanilla extract.
- Salt, to bring out the other flavours.
- I substitute shredded sweetened coconut for the coconut flakes.
- Macaroons are delicious either plain or dipped in chocolate, but I prefer the latter. If you’re going to dip them in chocolate, go for the best quality you can find. These macaroons are fantastic with either dark or semisweet chocolate.
Coconut Macaroon Recipe
Making these cookies is a breeze. The consistency of the dough is sticky and unlike that of regular cookie dough. A word of caution:)
- Turn on your oven to 325 degrees F and prepare two baking sheets by lining them with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper.
- Because this dough is so sticky, I prefer to use a large mixing bowl. Sweetened condensed milk, an egg white, vanilla extract, and salt should be thoroughly combined and stirred before using. Finally, stir in the coconut.
- Get busy with the dough spoons! Each macaroon should have about 2 tablespoons of dough, and they should be spaced out on the baking sheet by about 2 inches.
- Make mounds with a pointy top by shaping them with your hands. This is a very sticky situation. It’s a good idea to clean your hands with soap and water in between cookie batches.
- Macaroons should be baked until they reach a golden brown colour. The aroma of these baking is like heaven to me because toasted coconut is one of my favourite smells.
- The cookies need to cool on the baking sheet until they are completely set. After 5 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooking.
- This calls for chocolate. Stir the chocolate chips or chunks every 20 seconds while melting in the microwave. The hob equivalent would be a double grill.
- To prevent food from sticking, use a large piece of parchment paper. Put the cookies on the parchment paper to dry after dipping them in the chocolate and covering just the bottoms.
- If you have any leftover chocolate, use it to decorate the cookies.
Tips for Storing
After they have cooled, you can keep the coconut macaroons in an airtight container for up to 4 days. They have a two-week shelf life in the fridge.
The cookies will keep for up to three months if stored in a freezer. Macaroons should be stored in an airtight container between sheets of parchment paper to prevent sticking. Put it on the counter to thaw before serving.
You can download this recipe in pdf format.