Chewy Coconut Macaroons
Four ingredients, crisp golden outside, dense and chewy in the middle.
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Before You Start
Condensed milk does everything here. It binds the coconut, sweetens it and caramelises at the edges. There's no flour and no butter, so they're naturally gluten free, and the whole thing takes about ten minutes of actual work.
Instructions
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Stir the coconut, condensed milk, vanilla and salt together until every strand is coated. Chill the mixture for 30 minutes so it holds its shape.
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Heat the oven to 165°C / 325°F and line two trays with baking paper. Nothing else releases these cleanly.
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Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then fold them into the coconut in two goes. They keep the middles light rather than solid.
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Scoop tightly packed mounds, about 2 tablespoons each, onto the trays. Pack them firmly or they collapse and spread.
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Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the tips and edges are deep golden but the sides are still pale.
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Cool completely on the tray. If you want, dip the bases in melted chocolate and set them on paper until firm.
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💡 Baker's tips
- Use sweetened shredded coconut for the classic chewy texture. Desiccated coconut is much drier and needs an extra 2 tablespoons of condensed milk.
- Golden tips are the flavour. Pull them at pale blonde and they taste flat and oversweet.
🔀 Make it your own
- Add the zest of a lime and a spoon of its juice for a sharper, brighter macaroon.
- Press a whole almond into each mound before baking, or fold through ⅓ cup (57 g) chocolate chips.
📦 Storing & freezing
Airtight at room temperature for 5 days, and they stay chewy right through. Freeze for 3 months.
❓ Frequently asked
How many grams is a cup of shredded coconut?
About 80 g per US cup, so the 4 cups here is roughly 320 g, near enough a standard bag.
What is the difference between a macaroon and a macaron?
Completely different things. These are coconut mounds. A macaron is the almond meringue sandwich cookie, and the two only share a name.
Baking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.
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