These gluten-free coconut macaroons are a decadent dessert that you can splurge on. With only a handful of ingredients, they’re easy to whip up in nearly no time.
If you're looking for the best coconut macaroons, you've found them. With their chewy texture and chocolatey coating, they gluten-free cookies are sure to wow all your guests, from casual cookie-eaters to absolute coconut lovers.
Without flour or nuts, these little chocolate-dipped cookies omit a lot of common allergens, making them perfect for parties. And while they’re already gluten-free, you can also make them dairy-free, too, with my dairy-free sweetened condensed milk.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Easy - There are just a few simple steps to building the most swoon-worthy macaroons.
- Versatile - These little sweets are perfect for snacking on the regular, for taking to parties, or adding to a cookie spread during the holiday season.
- Customizable - With an addition or two, you can make these your own signature dessert.
What is the difference between macaroons and macarons?
With only one letter of difference in spelling, and a similar pronunciation, these two desserts can get mixed up. But they’re not interchangeable.
Macaroons are an incredible drop cookie comprised of shredded coconut. Macarons are a bit more intricate in their preparation. They are a small sandwich cookie made from meringue and (usually) almond flour that is filled in frosting.
Ingredient Notes
These basic ingredients that you can find at most grocery stores are the key to the most mouthwatering macaroons.
- Shredded sweetened coconut - The star of the show, this sweet coconut is the base of these macaroons.
- Dairy Free Sweetened condensed milk - This ingredient adds sweetness and helps to build the perfect texture. If you're not dairy free, then you can use regular sweetened condensed milk in the same measure.
- Vanilla extract - Vanilla balances coconut, sweet milk, and dark chocolate flavors.
- Egg whites - Egg white helps to bind the ingredients together.
- Salt - Salt enhances all of the other ingredients.
- Dark chocolate chips - Add just a bit of decadence with dark chocolate.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Additions: Add up to a cup of mini chocolate chips, almonds, dried fruit, or your other preferred mix-in for a customized treat.
- Chocolate: Go all in and skip the drizzle -- just dip half of the macaroon in the melted chocolate. Or, substitute milk chocolate for dark chocolate.
- Sweetness: Use unsweetened coconut flakes in place of the sweetened coconut for a less sweet cookie. Use coconut sugar for an increase in the sweet flavor.
- Nuttiness: For nutty flavor, add a dash of almond extract. Or sprinkle with ground almonds or your favorite nut.
How to Make Easy Coconut Macaroons
These sweet treats come together so quickly with minimal prep time.
STEP 1: Combine the shredded coconut, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Stir together until it's evenly mixed.
STEP 2: Add the eggs whites and salt to the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat the egg whites, starting at a low speed and slowly increasing the speed until they soft peaks form.
STEP 3: Use a rubber spatula to fold the coconut mixture into the egg whites. Be careful not to deflate the egg whites too much.
STEP 4: Using a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop, portion out the coconut macaroon batter, placing each drop of dough on the prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for the recommended time until golden brown. Allow the baked macaroons to cool briefly on the baking sheet before using a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to come to room temperature.
How to make chocolate dipped coconut macaroons
Although they may look fancy, it's quite simple to make chocolate dipped macaroons. Setup your work area with a baking sheet lined with wax paper or aluminum foil before beginning to make things as easy as possible.
STEP 1: Holding a macaroon by the sides, dip the bottom foot area into a bowl of melted chocolate. Then place the macaroon on your prepared baking sheet, chocolate side down. (The wax paper or foil will prevent the chocolate from sticking to the baking sheet)
STEP 2: Once all of the macaroons have been dipped, drizzle the remaining melted chocolate over the tops. Allow the chocolate to harden before removing the macaroons from the baking sheet.
Recipe FAQs
Some coconut macaroon recipes do include flour, so it’s important to be mindful when either preparing a recipe or buying a store-bought product. This recipe is naturally gluten free.
While all sweets should be consumed in moderation, coconut macaroons do tend toward a more healthy side of snacking. With a relatively low-calorie count and level of sugar, as well as a decent amount of fiber, coconut macaroons can be a good alternative to other desserts.
While we are not a medical website and don’t offer medical advice, we can say that some research has suggested that coconut can help to ease IBS symptoms. Coconut macaroons, in moderation, are one potential treat to try if you want a sweet treat but suffer from IBS.
More cookie recipes to consider:
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Gluten Free Coconut Macaroons
Ingredients
- 14 ounce Sweetened Shredded Coconut
- 7 ounce Dairy Free Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 3 Egg Whites
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Dairy Free Dark Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the shredded coconut, condensed milk and vanilla extract. Mix well.14 ounce Sweetened Shredded Coconut, 7 ounce Dairy Free Sweetened Condensed Milk, 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- Add the egg whites and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk the egg whites, starting at medium low speed and slowly increasing to medium high, until they reach soft peaks.3 Egg Whites, ½ teaspoon Salt
- Fold the coconut mixture into the egg whites.
- Scoop into large balls using an ice cream scoop (or a cookie scoop for small macaroons). Place on the prepared baking sheet spaced about 1 inch apart, the macaroons will not spread during the baking.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. (Bake smaller sized macaroons for 25-30 minutes). Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To dip in chocolate
- Heat the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl on 50% power for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth.1 cup Dairy Free Dark Chocolate Chips
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper or aluminum foil. Dip the bottom of each macaroon in the melted chocolate and place it on the wax paper. Once all the balls have been dipped, drizzle the remaining chocolate over the top of the macaroons. Cool until the chocolate hardens (you can place them in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process).
Notes
- Additions: Add up to a cup of mini chocolate chips, almonds, dried fruit, or your other preferred mix-in for a customized treat.
- Chocolate: Go all in and skip the drizzle -- just dip half of the macaroon in the melted chocolate. Or, substitute milk chocolate for dark chocolate.
- Sweetness: Use unsweetened coconut flakes in place of the sweetened coconut for a less sweet cookie. Use coconut sugar for an increase in the sweet flavor.
- Nuttiness: For nutty flavor, add a dash of almond extract. Or sprinkle with ground almonds or your favorite nut.
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
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