Coconut Macaroons are delicious, gluten-free cookies made with just a couple of ingredients. They are easy to make and come together in a matter of minutes.
There is nothing quite like a chewy coconut macaroons. The white chocolate-dipped bottom covered with colorful sprinkles will make this the most sought after cookie on your Christmas tray. Make these with your kids and watch their eyes light up. These are such a blast to put together!
Big thanks to Marina from Let The Baking Begin for sharing such an amazing recipe! She is an amazing baker and everything I’ve made from her blog has turned out great. You should also check out her beautiful Napoleon Cake if you’re a sweets freak.
How to Make Coconut Macaroon
- Preheat your oven and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the shredded coconut, coconut oil, egg whites, sugar and vanilla in a bowl until sticky.
- Use an ice-cream scoop to form macaroons. Place tightly packed scoops directly on baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven at 250°F. Allow to completely cool.
- Melt your white chocolate until smooth.
- Dip the cookie bottoms into the white chocolate, then directly into a bowl filled with emerald sprinkles. Place on parchment paper to set. Drizzle remaining white chocolate over the top of macaroons. Sprinkle with red sprinkles.
Tips for success
- Weigh Your Ingredients. Weighing your ingredients will ensure that you get the absolute perfect texture. Yes, it’s a little perfectionist, but so worth it!
- Use sweetened coconut. Use sweetened coconut shreds to get that quintessential, ooey-gooey texture.
- Melt chocolate in intervals. Melt the white chocolate in 10 second intervals to prevent overcooking. If you microwave it for too long, it will become crumbly and unsalvageable.
- Use an ice cream scoop. To keep your cookies consistent in size, use a small or medium ice cream scoop.
- Or, shape your macaroons by hand. You can also scoop out the filling and shape the macaroons with well-oiled hands by rolling between your palms.
FAQ
Where do coconut macaroons come from?
To be honest, no one really knows. The consensus for where these delectable treats came from is almost evenly split between Italy and Spain.
Why did my coconut macaroons spread?
Your macaroons will spread while baking if you don’t incorporate your batter well enough. You should mix the ingredients together until they are nice and sticky to prevent speeding.
What is the difference between a macaroon and a macaron?
A macaroon is a coconut cookie, while a macaron is a delicate French sandwich cookie. They often get mixed up because of the similar spelling but couldn’t be more different! Check out my recipe for The Perfect French Macarons if you have a hankering for this cookie.
Storing Macaroons
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or, store them in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
- Freezing: Freeze the macaroons for up to 2 months. Store them in a sealed air tight container or a freezer-safe bag to keep the cookies from soaking up any smells in your freezer.
Other Cookies To Try
- Pecan Crescent Cookies – Buttery and full of nuts. These cookies are all about the texture.
- 4 Ingredient Nutella Cookies – This chocolate hazelnut spread always up levels cookies.
- Amaretti Cookies Recipe – Amaretto liquor cookies pair perfect with a cup of coffee.
- Easy Coconut Candy Recipe – Chocolate covered coconut balls? Sign me up.
- Nutella Stuffed Snowball Cookies – These Nutella stuffed cookies are a chocoholics best friend.
Recipe
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut (180g)
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 2 Egg Whites (60g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Decoration
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips Guittard is a good brand
- green and red sprinkles
Instructions
Cookies
- Place the oven rack in the middle and preheat your oven to 250°F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a small bowl, combine coconut, coconut oil, egg whites, sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is sticky.
- Using a small or medium ice cream scoope, tightly pack each scoop and release onto the parchment paper.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes for larger-sized macaroons (about 7 pieces) and about 20 minutes for smaller-sized (12-15 pieces) macaroons. Once baked remove from the oven and allow to completely cool.
Decoration
- In a small bowl, microwave the chocolate in 10 second intervals, mixing well between each until the chocolate chips just start to melt. Continue whisking until the chocolate is completely melted. If it needs a little bit more time, do not heat for more than 5 seconds at a time at this point.
- Dip the bottom of each macaroon into the white chocolate, then immediately into the emerald sprinkles and place on parchment paper to set. Drizzle the remaining chocolate with a fork over all of the macaroons and pop on some red sprinkles.
Can i used unsweetened coconut to decrease the sweetness due to the added sugar and white chocolate which is very sweet?
Also, for the metric unit version, is it 112.5 grams or 180 grams of coconut. Thank you
Hey there Sandra, Yes you can definitely use unsweetened coconut. And yes, It would be 180 grams. Thank you for the questions. I hope this helps. Happy holidays!
Hey, I have a question? In your ingredients it doesn’t say coconut oil and in instructions it says place all ingredients together and coconut oil?? Do I have to put it with coconut oil togather with shredded coconut?
Hi Jenn - Sorry for the confusion. We updated the recipe card to include coconut oil in the macaroon batter. Hope this helps!
Looks delicious and easy to make. Please update the instructions. The oil is listed in the step 2, instead of step 1. Definitely going to make them for Christmas!
Hi Karine - Thanks for the kind words! You're 100% correct. Updating that now and thanks for pointing it out. Can't wait to hear how they turn out for your Christmas spread!
Amazing macaroons! Rather than dip bottom in chocolate I mixed in dark chocolate chips. DELISH!!!!
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
You are actually the most helpful, the most generous with your tutorials, the most thorough. I’m so glad I clicked on your website after searching on Google for macarons.
That is so sweet, Maggie! Thank you! I'm so glad you find the instructions helpful and clear!
So delicious looking!
Thank you very much!
Does the chocolate need to be room temp before dipping the coconut clusters in?
Hi Rebecca, you want to fully melt them and dip the coconut macaroons in right away. Enjoy
When and what do you use the coconut oil for? I read and re-read and couldn't see where in the recipe it is used, though it is in the ingredient list.
Hi Elisabeth, good catch, you would add it in the first step.
Shouldn’t they be baked at 350 degrees instead of 250? At 250, they just spread and didn’t brown at all
Hi Anne, this recipe should hold up a shape. Just make sure that the oven is preheated.
Gum drop cake
can you do italian stromboli please i need it
Hey Jana, one day! 🙂
These are so pretty! Must try this Christmas!
Thank you Lynne. They really are perfect for Christmas. I hope you love them, come back and let me know how it went!