Bakery-Style Coconut Macaroon Recipe
With just 6 simple ingredients and no condensed milk, this coconut macaroon recipe makes perfect bakery-style macaroons. Briefly cook the coconut mixture on the stove before baking the cookies for crisp, golden edges and chewy centers.
Table of contents
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 macaroon recipe.
I’ve tried many recipes and methods for this classic cookie, from fussy recipes where you whip the egg whites to stiff peaks and easier recipes that use sweetened condensed milk. None of them had the perfect flavor or texture.
Finally, I discovered a recipe from Standard Baking Co in Portland, Maine, that is simple and skips the condensed milk. Just cook the mixture on the stove briefly before baking the macaroons. They turn out golden on the outside and chewy on the inside every single time.
Serve these sweet and chewy coconut cookies with a cup of afternoon coffee or tea or add them to a holiday cookie tray.
Note from the author
2026 Update: This coconut macaroon recipe was first posted by Joanne, this site’s creator, in 2023. I have since retested the recipe and can attest that it still holds up! I have updated the post with even more tips for making the perfect bakery-style coconut macaroons — your family will love this one! -Taylor
What’s the difference between macaroons and macarons?
Even though macaroons and macarons often get confused, they’re two very different baked goods.
This recipe is for coconut macaroons, which are chewy coconut-based drop cookies. They can be dipped in or drizzled with chocolate, but do not have to be.
Macarons, on the other hand, are delicate sandwich cookies made with an almond-flour meringue and commonly filled with buttercream, ganache, or jam.
What readers are saying
“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!” -Catherine
What makes this recipe special?
The secret to this recipe comes down to the preparation.
The coconut mixture is quickly cooked on the stove before baking, which yields a cookie that’s crispy and golden on the outside, with a moist and chewy texture inside.
Bonus! You don’t need a mixer to make this recipe—you can do it all by hand on the stove.
What you’ll need
- Coconut: Use finely shredded unsweetened coconut. Save the sweetened coconut for coconut cake — it’ll make these cookies too sweet. I have tested these with flaked coconut as well and it worked fine but did change the texture of the final macaroons slightly.
- Granulated sugar
- Egg whites: Measure out 3/4 cup of egg whites; you’ll need about 5-6 large eggs for this. Do not use egg whites from the carton. They can be runnier than fresh egg whites and can affect how well the macaroons hold together.
- Salt
- Vanilla
- Chocolate: While Standard Baking Co prefers bittersweet chocolate, I personally like using semi-sweet chocolate on the macaroons. You can also skip this step if you don’t wish to add chocolate to the cookies.
This coconut macaroon recipe is naturally dairy-free and gluten-free. If you are making this recipe for someone with either dietary restriction, be sure to check that all of your ingredients are gluten-free or dairy-free.
Make sure you also have a candy thermometer (affiliate) or instant-read thermometer (affiliate) for checking the temperature of the mixture on the stove.
How to make these coconut macarons (step-by-step overview)
We’ll be cooking the base for these coconut macaroons to 130°F before scooping it into mounds and baking until golden. Let’s walk through the details of how to make the recipe.
In a medium saucepan or pot, combine unsweetened finely shredded coconut, granulated sugar, sea salt, egg whites, and pure vanilla extract:
Stir the ingredients together using a spatula. The coconut mixture will seem very dry, but that’s fine at this point.
Place the pan over medium-low heat. You will notice that after a couple minutes of cook time, the very dry coconut mixture will start to moisten:
And then by the about the 5 minute mark, it should start to look very moist, and have a consistency similar to mashed potatoes:
Use a candy or instant-read thermometer to watch for a temperature of 130°F. This takes about 5 minutes of cooking time:
Remove the pan from the heat, then use a medium cookie scoop (#40 size/1.5 tablespoons) to portion out the macaroon mixture:
Place scoops directly onto parchment paper set on top of a rimmed baking sheet. The macaroons won’t spread in the oven, so you can place the mounds pretty close together:
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 375°F preheated oven for 20 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
The cookies should be golden, especially where pieces of the coconut stick out, and have crisp bottoms. They’ll still be plenty moist inside.
Transfer the cookies from the parchment-lined baking sheet to a wire rack, and let them cool completely.
Finishing and serving options
You can leave the coconut macaroons plain and enjoy them as-is for maximum coconut flavor. You can also drizzle them with chocolate for a light chocolate note or dip the bottoms for a richer cookie.
I like to do some of each so friends and family can choose which they like as they eat the macaroons.
Melt chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second intervals, just until the chocolate is smooth and melted.
To drizzle, dip the tines of a fork in the melted chocolate and use that to lightly drizzle the tops of the macaroons:
Or, dip them into the chocolate as you wish, coating the bottoms or sides of the cooled macaroons:
Place the dipped cookies back onto the parchment, and let them cool at room temperature or in the fridge, just enough to harden the chocolate.
Storage tips
Make sure the coconut macaroons have cooled completely and/or the chocolate has set completely before storing.
Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer-term storage, store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Uses for the leftover egg yolks
Use the leftover egg yolks for this Coconut Cream Pie or any recipe using pudding.
All of my semifreddo recipes call for 8 egg yolks, so that’s another great way to use them up. Try my Peanut Butter Semifreddo, Dark Cherry Semifreddo, or Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Without An Ice Cream Machine.
You can also use them for creme brûlée or homemade lemon curd.
Recipe Tips and FAQ
I would recommend using both if you want to add almond, but only use 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract. It’s very strong.
You could make the macaroons slightly larger—up to 2 tablespoon scoops—but I wouldn’t go much larger than that with this recipe. Expect a longer bake time if you make them larger.
You could also make them smaller with a 1-tablespoon scoop. If you do, be sure to reduce the baking time; I would start checking them around the 10-minute mark.
I have found that this primarily happens when the mixture isn’t cooked long enough on the stove. Make sure to use a thermometer to check that the mixture is 130°F. Some readers have also had issues with spreading or the cookies not holding together when using cartoned egg whites instead of fresh egg whites.
Make sure to line the pan with parchment paper before portioning the macaroon mixture. If the macaroons are falling apart when you transfer them to the wire rack, let them cool on the pan for a bit longer to allow them to set before trying again.
Tried this recipe? Leave a rating and comment below — I’d love to hear how it turned out! Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
Bakery-Style Coconut Macaroons
Ingredients
- 4 3/4 cups unsweetened finely shredded coconut 385 g by weight
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup egg whites from 5 to 6 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Equipment
- Medium cookie scoop (#40/1.5 tablespoons)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut, sugar, egg whites, salt, and vanilla over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring continuously, for about 5 minutes, until the mixture reaches 130°F on a candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer. Note that the mixture will seem very dry at first, but will moisten as it cooks.4 3/4 cups unsweetened finely shredded coconut, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 3/4 cup egg whites, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Using a medium (1.5 tablespoon/#40) cookie scoop, scoop the coconut mixture into mounds on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake on the center rack of the oven for 15-20 minutes or 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.
- Once the macaroons have cooled, place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until the chocolate has melted. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the macaroons or dip the bottoms of the macaroons in the chocolate as desired.1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Allow the macaroons to rest at room temperature until the chocolate hardens, or move the pan to the fridge to set the chocolate more quickly.
Notes
Ingredients
- If you cannot find finely shredded unsweetened coconut, more coarse coconut will work, although the texture of the cookies will change.
- Bittersweet or dark chocolate can be used in place of the semi-sweet chocolate for a dairy-free version.
- I do not recommend using egg whites from a carton as they can often be runnier than regular egg whites and may not bind the cookies together as well.
Shaping
- We enjoy these coconut macaroons left in mounds from the cookie scoop, but you may also form them into pyramids if you prefer a different look.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
9 Comments on “Bakery-Style Coconut Macaroon Recipe”
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!