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Are you looking for a delicious coconut cookie that you can make with just a few ingredients? Our family loves this little easy chewy Coconut Macaroons recipe because it’s something we can all enjoy, and it’s gluten-free and dairy-free!
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Easy Chewy Coconut Macaroons Recipe
Something you may or may not know about our family is that before we moved to our current home, we started and were running a successful coffee shop and a small bakery. Even though I’ve been baking delicious treats my entire life, I learned so much about tastes, textures, and what people enjoy.
This easy old-fashioned macaroons recipe was one of the most popular treats (if not THE most popular!) that I made for our little coffee shop.
Once word got out that I had a fresh batch out of the oven, they were usually gone within the first hour of business. I’ve been wanting to share this recipe with you for a long time, and now I finally have a chance to do so today!
This recipe doesn’t use expensive items like sweetened condensed milk and doesn’t need any special equipment like a mixer to stir it together. It’s very basic and delicious!
Ingredients in Easy Chewy Gluten Free Coconut Macaroons Recipe
Shredded Coconut. You can use Sweetened shredded coconut or Unsweetened, but I prefer the unsweetened because we still add sugar to this recipe. Do not use coconut flakes.
Sugar. You just need plain white sugar for this recipe.
All Purpose Flour or All Purpose Gluten Free Flour. These cookies can be made with either type of flour, depending on what you need. The amount of flour is very small.
Egg Whites. You will only use the egg whites in this recipe, not the yolks. I save those for another recipe or cook them up and feed them to animals.
Vanilla Extract. This can be Homemade Vanilla Extract or store-bought.
Salt. Only a pinch is needed to give it a little flavor boost! Whatever kind of salt you have in your pantry will work fine.
Step by Step Instructions for How to Make Chewy Coconut Macaroons
Here are all the ingredients that you need. This is a very simple recipe! I usually use unsweetened coconut, but you can use either sweetened or unsweetened, depending on what you have on hand and how sweet you want your cookies to be.
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla, and pinch of salt. Try to incorporate the vanilla as much as possible into the sugar. Otherwise, it tends to clump into the coconut. A rubber spatula works best for this recipe so the batter doesn’t stick to it.
Add in the coconut and the flour.
Tip: Make Gluten Free Coconut Macaroons by usingGluten Free All Purpose Flour
Add in the egg whites. Mix everything until it’s well combined, and no dry spots remain. If your eggs are large, this shouldn’t be a problem. If you use smaller eggs, you may need to mix with your hands to be sure all is combined.
Use a small cookie scoop to scoop out the batter onto a greased or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Press each ball down slightly. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Do not take the cookies out too early; you want them to be brown around the bottoms, at least to give them a good outside crunch. The inside will be a soft and chewy texture! Cool the cookies on a wire rack.
One batch makes about 16 small cookies, so if you have a large family, you may want to double this recipe. I’ve also made larger batches and frozen some for later with good success.
The cookies are best after they’ve had a chance to cool off and firm up a bit, so don’t place them in a container or bag right after cooking, or they will lose their crispiness.
When you are ready to store the leftovers, place them in an airtight container on the countertop (not in the fridge) so they don’t get overly moist and keep their texture. Eat within a week.
I’m making these today to go into my gift tins. Thank you and Merry Christmas.
Sherry, Little House Living reader
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Chewy Coconut Macaroons Recipe
These chewy and soft cookies are super easy to make with only a few ingredients and they can easily be made gluten free.
2tablespoonsAll Purpose Flour or All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
2Egg Whites
1/2teaspoonVanilla Extract
PinchSalt
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla, and pinch of salt. Try and incorporate the vanilla as much as possible into the sugar, otherwise, it tends to clump into the coconut.
Add in the coconut and the flour.
Add in the egg whites. Mix everything until it’s well combined and no dry spots remain. If your eggs are large, this shouldn’t be a problem. If you used smaller eggs, you may need to mix with your hands to be sure all is combined.
Use a small cookie scoop to scoop out the batter onto a greased or lined baking sheet. Press each ball down slightly. Bake at 350F degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Do not take the cookies out too early, you want them to at least be brown around the bottoms to give them a good outside crunch. The inside will be soft!
Nutrition Facts
Chewy Coconut Macaroons Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 79Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.04g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.2g
Sodium 35mg2%
Potassium 44mg1%
Carbohydrates 11g4%
Fiber 0.5g2%
Sugar 10g11%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin C 0.1mg0%
Calcium 2mg0%
Iron 0.3mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
How long do coconut macaroons last?
This recipe makes a rather small batch (about 15 cookies) so we’ve never had them last long, but I would say that they will keep their freshness for about a week.
How to store coconut macaroons?
Store the cookies in an air-tight container in the fridge or in a cool dark place in your kitchen to prevent them from drying out.
How to make coconut macaroons with chocolate?
You could add mini chocolate chips to this coconut macaroon recipe to give it a little chocolate flavor! You could also dip half of the cookie into melted chocolate to make a really decadent treat.
Why are my coconut macaroons sticky?
The batter is supposed to be sticky; they are made with eggs! If your cookies are sticky after baking, it’s possible that you didn’t bake them for quite long enough.
Why are my coconut macaroons runny?
If the batter seems too runny, it’s possible that your eggs were extra large and added a little too much moisture to the batter. Try adding in a little more shredded coconut to see if that will help.
How to Use Extra Egg Yolks
Since this recipe only uses egg whites, you will have several egg yolks left. Here are some recipes that you can use them in so that they won’t go to waste:
Homemade Mayo Recipe
Homemade Egg Nog
Old Fashioned Cheese Squares
More Cookie Recipes
Easy Chocolate Cookies Recipe
Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cookies Recipe
Easy Pumpkin Cookies
Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Are you making cookies this week? What kind of cookies are you making? Do you think your family would enjoy these chewy Coconut Macaroons?
Merissa Alink
Merissa has been blogging about andliving the simple and frugal life on Little House Living since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from theContact Page.
This coconut macaroon recipe was originally published on Little House Living in December 2018. It has been updated as of December 2023.
Coconut macaroons are not always gluten free. They often have a little flour in them to stiffen them up. Fortunately, it's not difficult to make them gluten free. I use white rice flour in mine.
In short, Yes Traditional macarons are gluten free, but not necessarily dairy free. But beware! Even if traditional French bakeries like Pastreez stick to the authentic recipe, most bakers in the US don't. You might be surprised with what you find in recipes sometimes.
Macaroons are larger, denser and chewier that macarons, and definitely easier to make. Coconut macaroons are flavored with sugar and vanilla, but their main flavor is the coconut itself.
French macarons are softer with chewy shells and more subtly sweet taste, giving you more of that distinct almond flavour. Whereas Italian macarons are more crisp, even powdery at times and have a more pronounced sweet taste. A trained eye may even be able to tell the difference simply by looking at them.
Mix coconut, sugar, flour and salt in a large bowl. Stir in egg whites (not whipped) and almond extract until well blended. Drop by tablespoonful onto greased and floured cookie sheets. Bake 325F for 20 minutes or until edges of cookies are golden brown.
Almond flour is the key ingredient to creating a macaron shell. It's made by boiling the almonds in water to remove the skins before grinding them down into a fine, powdery flour. As almonds are the only ingredient, the flour produced with them is 100% gluten free.
Yes, coconut is gluten-free. Despite its name, the coconut is not a nut but a fruit. It comes from the coconut palm tree and is an excellent source of fat, fiber and protein. All raw, unflavored derivatives of coconut, including coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut water and coconut flour are also gluten-free.
Coconut flour is high in fiber, protein, low-glycemic, and since coconut is a fruit and not actually a grain-based flour, it is naturally gluten-free, grain-free, and nut-free!
Popcorn is naturally gluten-free and suitable for most people with gluten sensitivities or celiac disease. Still, some individuals who react to gluten may also be sensitive to certain proteins in corn. What's more, some commercial products may be cross-contaminated with gluten or include glutenous ingredients.
The following Mars candies have no gluten-containg ingredients: M&Ms (except pretzel, crispy, and potentially seasonal items) Milky Way Caramel Bars (not the original Milky Way Bar) Snickers Bars.
Baked goods made with whole wheat flour, almond flour, or other low-GI ingredients and less added sugar are fine for diabetics. Some good choices are sugar-free carrot cake, keto chocolate cake, and low-carb coconut macaroons.
There isn't any research to support the benefits, but eating a couple of macaroons per day as a test is unlikely to be harmful, either. It's important to note that because there isn't evidence to support eating these cookies, there is also no known amount that may or may not be helpful.
The tasty treats were eventually introduced to French royalty in 1533 when Queen Catherine de Medici of Italy married King Henry II of France. Most historians believe that macaroons and coconut macaroons both date back to Italy, likely in the Venice region, before they were transported to other parts of the world.
Coconut macaroons: Think of the coconut macaroon as a cousin to the above macaroons. These tasty goodies are made with shredded coconut, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, vanilla, and salt. More importantly, they look different from the above two – they often look a little more round and a little lumpier.
There are two different styles of coconut macaroons—those made with unsweetened, desiccated coconut (which is the kind that has been fully dried and contains no additives) and those made with moist, sweetened, shredded ribbons of coconut.
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