Coconut Macaroons
This is the absolute best Coconut Macaroons recipe I’ve ever tasted, and it comes from the cookbook of legendary Standard Baking Co bakery in Portland, Maine. The secret is to start the cooking process on the stove before scooping and baking in the oven. The flavor is exceptional!
Coconut macaroons were always one of my favorite cookies as a child, but I could never find a version in my adulthood that felt like the absolute perfect coconut macaroons recipe.
Many recipes use sweetened condensed milk, and I personally do not like the taste this ingredient produces in the cookies. I always found the texture disappointing too.
I also tried the recipes where you whip the egg whites into stiff peaks first, but found it to be a lot of fuss for a cookie that still didn’t live up to my expectations.
Well this coconut macaroon recipe, to me, is perfection! The be all, end all.
A couple years ago when I was on vacation in Portland, Maine, I went to a highly recommended and exceptional bakery called Standard Baking Co, and fell in love with their rendition.
I was giddy to discover afterward that they have a cookbook, sharing their recipe from the bakeshop.
These easy coconut macaroons call for 6 simple ingredients: shredded coconut, sugar, egg whites, salt, vanilla extract, and chocolate.
The secret is not in the ingredients used, but how they are prepared. The mixture is partially cooked on the stove, which yields a cookie that’s crispy and golden on the outside, with a moist and chewy texture inside.
After some experimentation, I have adjusted the recipe ever so slightly, but it’s all very easy overall. There’s no need to get out any special equipment like the hand mixer or stand mixer. The bakers at the Standard Baking Co have truly figured it all out.
Let’s go through the process.
Step by Step Overview:
In a medium saucepan or pot, combine unsweetened finely shredded coconut, granulated sugar, sea salt, egg whites, and pure vanilla extract:
You will need 3/4 cup of egg whites, which I find is between approximately 5 and 6 large egg whites.
What Kind of Coconut to Use
Brands vary HUGELY when it comes to flavor and deliciousness. I only discovered this because the first time I recreated this recipe, it tasted nothing like the ones from the bakery.
Turns out it was because of the brand of coconut I used, which was Let’s Do Organic. I do not recommend this coconut.
I recommend Bob’s Red Mill brand or 365 at Whole Foods.
You will want to use unsweetened coconut, in a shredded form. I have also experimented with using the larger coconut flakes, and that did turn out fine as well, albeit with a different texture.
Stir the ingredients together using a spatula, and note that the coconut mixture will seem very dry. That’s fine, at this point.
Heat the pan over medium-low heat and cook for about 5 minutes, to a temperature of 130 degrees F.
You will notice that after a couple minutes of cook time, the very dry coconut mixture will start to moisten:
And then by the 5 minute mark, it should start to look very moist, and have a consistency similar to mashed potatoes:
Check for a temperature of 130F using an instant read thermometer or candy thermometer:
Remove the pan from the heat, then use a medium cookie scoop (#40 size 1.5T) to portion out the macaroon mixture:
Place scoops directly onto parchment paper set on top of a rimmed baking sheet:
Shape them if you wish, using your fingertips. I just leave them as little mounds, but you can also press them into pyramids, or swirl them a bit.
Bake in a 375F preheated oven for 20 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
The original Standard Baking Co recipe only calls for 10 minutes of baking time, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, but I found that the cookies did not have the color that I wanted on the outside.
With a little extended baking time, they are golden and crisp on the bottoms, but plenty moist inside:
Transfer the cookies from the parchment-lined baking sheet to a wire rack, and let them cool completely.
Now, if desired, you can add a chocolate coating of some sort.
My husband always argues that the chocolate takes away from the flavor of the coconut cookies, but I personally love a bit of chocolate. I am a coconut lover, AND a chocolate lover!
So I leave some uncoated, and make some drizzled and dipped. This gives you a bunch of different cookies to choose from.
Melt the chocolate chips of your choice in 30-second intervals in a microwave-safe bowl, then use the tines of a fork to drizzle the chocolate over the tops:
Or, dip them into the chocolate as you wish, coating the bottoms of the cooled macaroons, or the sides.
I think semi-sweet chocolate is perfect, but if you prefer a dark chocolate in the 60% cacao range, that should work too. Don’t go any darker, or the bitterness will start to fight too much with the coconut flavor.
Place the dipped cookies back onto the parchment, and let cool at room temperature or in the fridge, just enough to harden the chocolate.
Enjoy your delicious coconut macaroons!
Uses for the Leftover Egg Yolks
Use the leftover egg yolks for this Coconut Cream Pie, or any recipe using pudding.
Or, all of my semifreddo recipes call for 8 egg yolks, so that’s another great way to use them up. See Peanut Butter Semifreddo, Dark Cherry Semifreddo, or Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Without An Ice Cream Machine.
You can also use them for homemade lemon curd or orange curd.
Recipe Tips and FAQ
Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Otherwise, store in the fridge for 2 weeks or in the freezer for 3 months.
I would recommend using both if you want to add almond, but only use 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract. It’s very strong.
Did you enjoy the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
Coconut Macaroons
Ingredients
- 4.75 cups unsweetened finely shredded coconut (385g by weight)
- 1.5 cups granulated sugar*
- 3/4 cup egg whites (from 5 to 6 large eggs)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips**
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet*** with parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the chocolate over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring continuously, for about 5 minutes, until a temperature of 130F is reached. Note that the mixture will seem very dry at first, but will moisten as it cooks.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (size 40 1.5T), scoop the coconut mixture into mounds on the baking sheet. Shape the mounds if desired****.
- Bake for 15-20***** minutes, on the center rack of the oven, until golden brown on the edges. I prefer the 20 minute mark personally, which gives a thoroughly crisp exterior, but still with a moist interior.
- Remove the tray from the oven and cool the macaroons completely on a wire rack.
- Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, and melt in 30-second intervals, stirring each time, until the chocolate has melted. Then drizzle or dip the macaroons into the chocolate, as desired. Let the chocolate harden at room temperature, or speed the process in the fridge.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
9 Comments on “Coconut Macaroons”
Should I make any adjustments for altitude? I am at 4000 ft. These macaroons look wonderful! Thanks for the help.
Hi Andrea, I unfortunetly dont have an answer as i have never made these at altitude. I would watch them closley towards the end just to make sure they arent burning. Please let me know how they come out and if you have any tips for anyone else at altitude
My 4,000 ft altitude adjustments…
I used a larger pot for ease of stirring.
It took about 8-9 minutes for the mixture to reach 130°F.
As you noted, it got more moist as it heated. So far…just like your instructions.
Upon scooping, I realized that the shredded coconut was not fine enough. I should have run the coconut thru my processor to get finer (shorter) pieces. (I used Organics brand as Bob’s Red Mill was out of stock). So I wound up making 2 batches. Both batches – I used a generous 1 Tbl. cookie scoop.
BATCH #1 – cooked for 18-20 minutes at 350° – by the time they had browned, they were dried out and not pretty. Tasted good, just dry.
BATCH #2 – prior to the stove top cooking, I pulsed the shredded coconut (a couple of turns) to get slightly shorter pieces. Baked at 400° (on the middle rack) for 11-12 minutes – PERFECTION!
Cooled macaroon on the cookie sheets, then drizzled with chocolate. With the altitude adjustments, outsides were crispy and insides moist…and very pretty, as macaroons should be! Thanks for the great recipe.
This is an amazing recipe. Cookies came out perfectly crisp, brown and just the right amount of sweetness. I dipped a few in chocolate and left some plain. Either way, they are excellent. I have already shared the recipe twice. I will definitely make again!
Thank you so much Catherine! Im so glad to hear this
These are delicious! But mine did not hold together at all. What did I do wrong? I did use liquid egg whites from the carton instead of the actual egg white from separating an egg, could that be the problem? Many thanks for some advice, and thanks for the recipe.
Hi Caroline! Yes unfortunately egg whites from the carton will have a runnier concistency. Carton egg whites go through a pasteurization process to make them last longer. Baking with them can be a little tricky!
Another winner JoAnne All of your recipes are amazing.
Hi Carole, glad you enjoyed these. We have the Standard Baking Co to thank for this one 🙂 They are amazing!