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Baking · American

Coconut Macaroons

One bowl, no flour, and chewy little coconut mounds with toasty golden tops.

Hands-on
25 min
Hands-off
18 min
Oven preheat
15 min
Total
43 min
Makes
24 macaroons
Serves
12

Turn the oven on first: it heats while you mix and scoop (preheat overlaps prep). Total = 25 min hands-on + up to 18 min baking. Add time for the macaroons to cool on the pan, and about 15-20 minutes more if you dip them in chocolate and let it set.

Oven 180 °C · 160 °C fan (350 °F)

Pan 2 standard baking sheets, lined with parchment (US: 2 standard baking sheets, lined with parchment)

  • easy
  • vegetarian
  • gluten-free
  • passover
  • flourless
  • one-bowl
  • cookies

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Coconut Macaroons
Amount
Units
Oven

Ingredients

You need: 2 baking sheets · parchment paper · medium bowl · spatula or wooden spoon · 2-tablespoon cookie scoop (jumbo scoop) or a 1/8-cup measure · small microwave-safe bowl (optional, for chocolate) · wire rack (optional) · oven mitts

Contains: egg · milk

Method

  1. Heat the oven, line the pans

    Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F). Line two baking sheets with parchment, or grease them lightly.

  2. Mix everything in one bowl

    In a medium bowl, stir together the 397 g (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk, 2 egg whites, 1 tbsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp salt, 133 g (2 1/2 cups) unsweetened coconut and 276 g (3 1/4 cups) sweetened coconut until every shred is coated and no dry coconut is left at the bottom.

    Otto tried this firstOtto grabs a can of evaporated milk because the cans look alike. Evaporated milk isn't sweet or thick, so the mix stays runny and won't hold a shape. You want SWEETENED CONDENSED milk.

  3. Scoop

    Scoop 2-tablespoon mounds onto the lined sheets, about 2.5 cm (1 in) apart. Leave them round, or pinch them into little pyramids with your fingers or the flat side of a dough scraper.

  4. Bake

    Bake for 16 to 18 minutes.

    Ready when: The tops and peaks are light golden brown and the edges have colour; the inside stays soft and chewy. Pale tops need another minute or two.

  5. Cool on the pan

    Let the macaroons cool on the parchment-lined pans. They are soft when hot and firm up as they cool.

  6. Chocolate (optional)

    Melt the 227 g (1 1/3 cups) chopped chocolate in the microwave in 10-second bursts, stirring after each, until smooth. Drizzle it over the cooled macaroons, or dip their bottoms and set them back on the parchment until the chocolate is firm.

    Ready when: The chocolate is fully melted, glossy and smooth when stirred. Stop as soon as it is smooth so it doesn't scorch.

Swaps

Don’t swap

  • evaporated milk for sweetened condensed milk

Make ahead, store & reheat

Storage
Keep the cooled macaroons, with or without chocolate, in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. Freeze them for longer storage.

If something goes wrong

  • Macaroons stuck to the pan Why: Bare or foil-lined pan, or they were pried off while still hot.
    Bake on parchment and let them cool before lifting. If you bake on foil or a bare pan, move them to a wire rack straight after baking, because they glue themselves down as they cool.

Good to know

  • A jumbo cookie scoop makes even 2-tablespoon mounds, so they all bake in the same time.
  • For Passover baking, leave out the vanilla or use one certified kosher for Passover.

Safety

  • Don't taste the mix before baking: it contains raw egg white. Wash your hands, the bowl and the scoop with warm soapy water afterwards.
  • Coconut is no longer on the US list of major tree-nut allergens, but some people are allergic to it. Tell guests it's in there.
  • The pans and the melted chocolate get hot. Use oven mitts; kids can scoop the mix while an adult handles the oven.
  • Gluten-free only if your chocolate and other packaged ingredients are labelled gluten-free; check the labels.