The Ultimate Healthy Coconut Macaroons
These classic cookies are perfect for coconut lovers! They’re light, fluffy, and soft on the inside with lovely crisp, slightly crunchy exteriors. Plenty of coconut flavor fills every bite, along with hints of caramel from the toasted coconut on the outside. They’re delicious any time of year, but I especially love making and sharing them during the holidays!
Ingredients
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ¼ cup (48g) granulated monk fruit sweetener (see Notes!)
- 2 tbsp (30mL) water, room temperature
- 1 cup (80g) shredded unsweetened coconut (see Notes!)
- optional: dark chocolate, for dipping (see Notes!)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white until it just barely starts to turn frothy. Whisk in the vanilla and salt. Thoroughly stir in the monk fruit sweetener and water. Stir in the coconut until thoroughly and evenly coated.
- Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop, drop rounded mounds of the coconut mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. (See Notes!) After forming all of the cookies with the cookie scoop, dip your fingers into water (to help prevent the coconut mixture from sticking to your skin), and gently reshape each mound into a more evenly rounded hemisphere.
- Bake at 325°F for 21-26 minutes, or until the outsides are firm and the coconut is as golden and toasted as you prefer. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
IMPORTANT COCONUT NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Shredded coconut is very small and thin. It has a little more moisture than desiccated coconut. I really like the shredded unsweetened coconut from Bob’s Red Mill, Let’s Do…Organic, and O Organics.
Shredded coconut is not the same thing as flaked coconut or coconut flakes! Flaked coconut (aka coconut flakes) is thicker and stiffer. I do not recommend substituting it, if at all possible! If you try to use flaked coconut, the coconut mixture is much harder to work with, and your macaroons won’t hold together as well and may fall apart after baking.
However, if you can only find unsweetened flaked coconut, then blitz it in a food processor or blender until it’s ⅛ to ¼ of its original size (so it’s closer in thickness and size to shredded coconut!). Your macaroons won’t have quite the same texture, but they’ll be closer — and the mixture will be much easier to work with!
I haven’t had a chance to try substituting shredded sweetened coconut in place of the unsweetened, but I think it should work fairly well. If you do try this, would you leave me a comment underneath this recipe? I’d love to hear how it turns out!
I haven’t had a chance to try substituting unsweetened desiccated coconut either. If you do try this, would you leave me a comment underneath this recipe? I’d love to hear how it turns out!
MEASURING THE SHREDDED COCONUT: If possible, measure the coconut by weight for the best results — not volume! (Not all brands of shredded coconut are the same weight per tablespoon.) This is the kitchen scale that I use!
SWEETENER NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: The monk fruit sweetener should sweeten cup-for-cup like granulated sugar. I love Lakanto’s classic monk fruit sweetener.
If you prefer, granulated sugar may be substituted for the monk fruit sweetener. If using granulated sugar, then omit the water. (← This is really important!!) Your macaroons will turn out a little moister and chewier, and they’ll brown more quickly — but they’ll still have almost exactly the same flavor! (See the photos in my blog post above!)
I do not recommend using liquid sweeteners like honey, pure maple syrup, or agave. These add too much moisture to the coconut mixture. They also yield a much moister and chewier texture, and they turn a really deep brown color.
I also don’t recommend using liquid or powdered stevia.
COOKIE SCOOP NOTES: Although the one I own doesn’t seem to be sold in stores anymore, this cookie scoop is the same size and really similar!
If using the monk fruit sweetener option, then you should need about 1 level scoop per cookie. If using granulated sugar, you’ll use a little less than 1 scoop per cookie.
Regardless of the sweetener, I like to firmly press the coconut mixture into the cookie scoop with a mini spatula before dropping it onto the baking sheet. I’ve found this helps the mixture hold together better!
DIPPING IN DARK CHOCOLATE: Once the macaroons have fully cooled to room temperature, I like dipping the bottoms in dark chocolate. I use the same process I’ve described for dipping homemade truffles here (include the panini press trick for keeping the melted chocolate warm!).
For the best results, use high quality bars of dark chocolate. They melt better and have a smoother consistency than chocolate chips. I really like Ghirardelli and Lindt.
HOW TO STORE: Store leftover macaroons in an airtight container. If stored like this, they’ll keep for at least 5 days at room temperature or at least 8 days if stored in the refrigerator.
GLUTEN FREE + DAIRY FREE VERSION: No modifications necessary!
EGG FREE VERSION: I haven’t had a chance to test an eggless version, so I’m not sure the best way to substitute the egg to make these vegan just yet. As soon as I do, I’ll update this recipe note!
DOUBLING THE RECIPE: This recipe can easily be doubled!
{gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, clean eating, paleo, keto, low carb}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.