Classic Coconut Macaroons Recipe

This Classic Coconut Macaroons Recipe is the BEST I’ve ever tasted! Perfect for with your cup of afternoon tea or bake up a big batch for the holidays.

Coconut Cookies are some of my favorites, but unfortunately, my family does not share my passion for coconut. This Alice Medrich recipe got rave reviews from my friends, and now is the gold standard of macaroon recipes.

BEST Coconut Macaroons Recipe

I am the only macaroon fan in my household. It makes it hard for me to get my fill of one of my favorite cookies. But I was heading out of town to meet up with some sorority sisters for football, tailgating and lots of gabbing. I baked up a batch of brownies, a pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling and I needed a 3rd treat to share. Three’s a charm, ya know.  I’d had my eye on this Alice Medrich macaroon recipe for a while, so decided to bake up some classic macaroons.

Tips for Making a Traditional Coconut Macaroon Recipe

If you’re used to making a macaroon recipe with sweetened condensed milk, this recipe has an extra step. But, I promise you, it’s worth the extra time.

The ingredients, egg whites, sugar, coconut, vanilla and salt, are heated in a double boiler. In this recipe from Alice Medrich, a makeshift double boiler is made by boiling water in a skillet and placing a heatproof bowl into it.

This mixture must be stirred frequently until it thickens and becomes opaque, or loses its transparency. At that point, the mixture can be taken out of the water and cooled.

After about 30 minutes, the coconut cookies scooping can begin.

I like to use a large cookie scoop to place rounds of the batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

To bake, the macaroons start at a higher oven temperature at first, then it’s decreased after 5 minutes in the oven.

I will never make macaroons with a can of sweetened condensed milk again. This is the ultimate recipe. They’re sweet, moist, chewy. Just spectacular!!! One of my local foodie friends proclaimed these the best macaroons she’d ever eaten.  Go ahead, coconut lovers, give this recipe a try!

What’s The Difference  Between Macaroons and Macarons?

Are you unsure of the difference between Macaroons and Macarons? Well, you’re not alone. Though they are both cookies, there are major differences between the two. Both recipes also call for egg whites. That’s where the similarities end.

When it comes to macaroons, they’re made with egg whites, sugar and coconut. Coconut is key as it’s not a macaroon without coconut. Many versions are made with a can of sweetened condensed milk, which definitely makes for an easy recipe. But to taste the real classic macaroons, make a batch with egg whites. The texture of a macaroon  is chewy.

Macarons are a French sandwich cookie. Best made with older egg whites, macarons also contain almond meal. Where macaroons are always coconut flavor, macarons can be made in numerous flavors and filled with just as flavor alternatives. Macroons (with the double “0”) are super easy to make whereas Macarons (use your best French accent and roll your “R”) are fussy. The goal when baking up your macarons is to have each “cookie” to have a “foot” or base that’s a slightly different texture. The resulting macarons are not chewy, but instead crisp like a baked meringue.

You Might Like These Tools to Make This Coconut Macaroons Recipe

• Half Sheet Pans
• Parchment Paper
• Medium Cookie Scoop

Frequently Asked Questions

More Coconut Recipes You’ll Love:

• Banana Coconut Sweet Bread from Cravings of a Lunatic
• Coconut Apricot Bars
• Carrot Cake with Pineapple, Coconut and Pecans
• Coconut Cream Pie
• Maple Coconut Granola
• Coconut Zucchini Bread
• Hummingbird Cake with Coconut
• Coconut Truffles
• Chewy Coconut Cookies
• Coconut Cupcakes
• Chocolate Dipped Macaroons
• More Cookie Recipes

Shopping List for Coconut Macaroons:

• Check your pantry for granulated sugar, real vanilla extract and table salt
• Sweetened coconut (like Baker’s Angel Flake)
• Eggs (whites only needed)

This post for a Coconut Macaroons Recipe was originally shared in October, 2012. Text and photos were updated in 2019.

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The Recipe:

Classic Coconut Macaroons Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Yield 16 cookies

This classic macaroon recipe from Alice Medrich is the best you'll ever make!

Ingredients

• 4 egg whites
• 3 cups sweetened coconut (like Baker’s Angel Flake )
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Set aside.
2. Fill skillet halfway with water and bring to a simmer. In heatproof bowl, combine all ingredients and place bowl into skillet. Cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes, till mixture thickens and becomes opaque. Remove bowl from water and let cool for about 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350º. Scoop out about 2 tablespoons of batter (I used a large cookie scoop) and place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for about 5 minutes, then decrease oven temperature to 325º and bake till cookies are lightly browned with some darker edges, 10-15 more minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 115Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 92mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 2gSugar: 15gProtein: 1g

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