These Easy Coconut Macaroons are soft and chewy, perfectly moist and quick to throw together. They taste especially amazing dipped in chocolate and drizzled with caramel.
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Easy Coconut Macaroons Recipe
Homemade Coconut Macaroons, not to be confused with macarons, are the perfect little two-bite cookies to serve for holidays or just to have around the house. They’re soft and chewy on the outside, slightly golden brown outside and (unlike French macarons) are crazy easy to make.
These tasty little morsels taste incredible dipped into melted chocolate and drizzled with caramel, but feel free to skip those steps if you are short on time or just prefer the pure coconut flavor.
And if you're on the hunt for more coconut recipes, be sure to try our Coconut Cookie Bars, Coconut Pound Cake, German Chocolate Cookies, and Coconut Chocolate Bundt Cake.
Coconut Macaroons Ingredients
- Shredded Coconut - we suggest using sweetened coconut but you can substitute unsweetened coconut if you want to cut a bit of sugar.
- Flour - you can use either all-purpose flour or cake flour for this recipe.
- Sugar - you’ll need white granulated sugar to make these macaroons.
- Salt - sea salt or kosher salt work great.
- Egg Whites - you will need only the whites from the eggs. Either reserve the yolks for another use or discard.
- Vanilla Extract - pure vanilla extract tastes best.
- Chocolate - you can use chocolate chips, bar chocolate or any other high quality chocolate that you can find. Dark chocolate (or semi sweet) and milk chocolate both taste amazing. You can also skip the chocolate completely if you would prefer!
- Caramel - Kraft Caramel pieces are easy to find so that is what we suggest for this recipe. You could also try our homemade Caramel Dip, or use another melting caramel from the store. Also, just like with the chocolate you can feel free to skip this step.
How to Make This Recipe Coconut Macaroons Recipe (Easy!)
- Make the coconut mixture. In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded coconut, flour, sugar, salt, egg whites, and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined.
- Scoop and bake. Using a small ice cream scoop or two spoons, scoop about 1 ½ tablespoons of the coconut mixture onto baking sheets with parchment paper, keeping them 2" apart. Bake in a preheated oven for 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottoms and edges. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- Melt chocolate. Meanwhile, place the chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and heat on high for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between heating, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
- Dip the macaroons in chocolate. Dip the bottoms of the macaroons into the melted chocolate, placing back down to set up on the parchment or silicone mat. Drizzle chocolate over the tops if desired, then store in a cool spot for at least 20 minutes to set up.
- Drizzle with caramel. Place the caramels into a separate microwave safe bowl, melting the same way as the chocolate. Once melted and smooth, drizzle the melted caramel over the coconut macaroons and place in a cool spot until set.
- Serve. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Macaroon vs macaron - what's the difference? Macaroons and macarons are both cookies that are made with egg whites and sugar, however they look, taste and are made quite differently. Macaroons are made with shredded coconut, are nut-free and originated in the United States.
Macarons, on the other hand, are a French pastry made with almond flour and meringue. French macarons are often colored and filled with different flavored fillings, while macaroons are always coconut.
Hopefully, you shouldn’t have this issue with our Coconut Macaroon recipe since we add a little flour to ours. However, if you find that your coconut macaroons are spreading the issue is likely the egg whites. Rather than mixing them in as is, beat the egg whites separately in a bowl with a whisk until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture carefully, then scoop and bake.
You can also try refrigerating the macaroons for about 30 minutes after you scoop them.
Yes! Coconut Macaroons are very freezer friendly. You can store the baked macaroons in freezer bags or another airtight container for up to 2 months.
Storing Coconut Macaroons
- Room Temperature: macaroons can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerator: if you want them to last a bit longer, store macaroons in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freezing: these will also freeze great. Store in freezer bags or an airtight container for up to 2 months in the freezer. To thaw, pull out to room temperature for a couple of hours.
Coconut Macaroons Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ⅔ cups Shredded Coconut sweetened
- ¼ cup All-Purpose Flour
- ⅔ cup Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 4 large Egg Whites
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 ½ cups Chocolate Chips or bar chocolate (high quality)
- 20 Kraft Caramel Pieces
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside. (Note: do not use wax paper as the macaroons will stick!)
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded coconut, flour, sugar, salt, egg whites, and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined.
- Using a small ice cream scoop or two spoons, scoop about 1 ½ tablespoons of the coconut mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, keeping them 2" apart.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottoms and edges. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- Meanwhile, place the chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and heat on high for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between heating, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
- Dip the bottoms of the macaroons into the melted chocolate, placing back down to set up on the parchment or silicone mat. Drizzle chocolate over the tops if desired, then store in a cool spot for at least 20 minutes to set up.
- Place the caramels into a separate microwave safe bowl, melting the same way as the chocolate. Once melted and smooth, drizzle the melted caramel over the coconut macaroons and place in a cool spot until set.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More of Our Favorite Cookie Recipes
- Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
- Easy and Chewy Cowboy Cookies
- Coconut Cream Sugar Cookie Cups
- Lemon Meltaway Cookies
- Oreo and M&M Cookies
- Oatmeal Butterscotch Chip Cookies
- Best No-Bake Cookies
- More Dessert Recipes
These soft and chewy Coconut Macaroons are super simple and taste amazing dipped in chocolate and drizzled with caramel. They're the perfect little cookies to serve for the holidays or to have around the house for a snack.
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