Coconut Almond Macaroons

By Samantha Seneviratne

Updated February 10, 2026

  • Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
About 3½ hr
(About 55 min baking; 2½ hr cooling and setting)
Rating
5(78)
Comments
Read comments

Not to be confused with macarons, macaroons are chewy coconut cookies that are super simple to make and naturally gluten-free. This version uses a bit of condensed milk to make them creamy and rich as well as some whipped egg whites to lighten them up. The result is a perfectly chewy and fluffy macaroon. A little almond extract and some toasted nuts make them reminiscent of Almond Joy candy bars and take them to new heights. If you’re short on time, skip the chocolate dipping step and simply drizzle them with the melted chocolate and sprinkle with nuts.

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:About 30 macaroons

  • 4½ cups/397 grams sweetened shredded coconut 

  • ⅔ cup/227 grams sweetened condensed milk 

  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

  • ½ teaspoon almond extract

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal

  • 3 large egg whites, at room temperature

  • 1 cup/167 grams semisweet chocolate chips, melted

  • ½ cup/75 grams roasted salted almonds, finely chopped

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

15 grams carbs; 3 milligrams cholesterol; 135 calories; 2 grams monosaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 8 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 76 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein; 13 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, stir together the coconut, condensed milk, vanilla and almond extracts, and salt. 

  2. Step 2

    In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed until medium stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture with a rubber spatula.

  3. Step 3

    Scoop the mixture into 1½-tablespoon mounds onto the prepared sheets, about 1 ½ inches apart. Bake until puffed, set and golden brown, rotating halfway through, about 20 minutes. Let cool on the sheets on racks. 

  4. Step 4

    Melt the chocolate in short burst in the microwave or over a double boiler. Dip half of each cookie into the chocolate, scraping off any excess, and transfer back to the sheets. Immediately sprinkle with almonds. Repeat with the remaining cookies. 

  5. Step 5

    Let stand at room temperature until set, about 2 hours. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. (If freezing the macaroons, let them thaw before serving.)

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
78 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Natasha

Make your own sweetened coconut by hydrating unsweetened coconut shreds in sugar syrup overnight. No preservatives!

peter brennan

The Almond Joy reference hooked me in. Made as instructed. Used a medium ice cream scoop so ended with 16 larger cookies. Kept to the 20 min cooking time. Still bit moist inside, worried I may have underbaked but then remembered Almond Joy candies are moist so all good! Recommend using bit more chocolate as 1 cup wasn’t enough. Otherwise…9.5 out of 10!

Leslie Patino

I was pleased with the results. Maybe, in Step 3, clarify that’s 20 mins total cooking time. I was confused if I should rotate the sheets at 20 and bake for 40, or rotate at 10 and bake for 20. The macaroons gave me the answer with their appearance at 20.

RebeccaT

I agree about the confusion regarding the mention of 20 minutes cooking in the instructions. Especially since the header indicates 45 minutes cooking time. I'm going to go for 30 minutes total. Clarification from NYT Cooking would be helpful!

RebeccaT

@RebeccaT replying to myself. 30 minutes yielded close to burned cookies. Maybe 25 minutes total or at a lower baking temperature?

Maggie

OMG, these were amazingly good, even addictive. Also easy: I appreciate that the recipe calls for exactly one bag of sweetened coconut (14 oz bag is about ~390g), one snack size bag of almonds, and the condensed milk lets you avoid cooking the coconut and sugar, etc. I made a little bit of a mess with the chocolate, but sprinkling on the almonds hides a lot of sins. This might be the first time that I'm giving a recipe 5 stars and it is now my go-to macaroon recipe.

Dean

Macaroons were beautiful! However, the melted chocolate chips are like sludge. No way 30 macaroons could be dipped in that. As it was, the melted chocolate was not usable. I added 2 TBSPs unsalted butter + at least 1/3 cup heavy cream to make a sort of ganache. That mixture was easier for dipping or to drizzle over the macaroons.

RebeccaT

@Dean thanks for your comment. It encouraged me to look further for melting instructions. If you follow google instructions for microwave melting, the chocolate is perfect (it's finicky) It sounds like yours might have seized, from too much heat.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.