High altitude coconut macaroons dipped in chocolate are sweet, moist and chewy, and so easy to make! These coconut cookies are made with natural unsweetened coconut and no sweetened condensed milk, making them gluten free as well as dairy free.
You might also love these high altitude recipes for amaretti cookies, caramel pecan coconut shortbread bars, and chocolate coconut cake.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Allergy Friendly. These cookies are gluten free, dairy free and grain free. If dairy is a concern, be sure to also use dairy free chocolate for dipping or drizzling.
Tastes like Candy. Chocolate dipped coconut macaroons taste just like almond joy or mounds candy. They’re slightly crisp on the outside, and so moist and chewy inside.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
Macarons vs Macaroons
To be clear, today we are making coconut macaroons, not to be confused with French macarons. They are not at all the same cookie (and are not pronounced the same, either, in spite of the all-too-common mispronunciation of macaron).
Macarons are a very delicate and finicky cookie made primarily of almond flour, sugar and egg whites. They’re usually filled with a variety of cream and jam fillings. If macarons are what you’re looking for, I have high altitude tested recipes for both vanilla bean macarons and chocolate macarons.
Coconut macaroons, on the other hand, are made with coconut, sugar and egg whites, and often sweetened condensed milk. Most recipes will use a combination of sweetened condensed milk, whipped egg whites and sweetened coconut, but I’ve made mine without sweetened condensed milk or sweetened coconut. Since coconut pairs so well with chocolate, these cookies are usually dipped in or drizzled with dark chocolate.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Egg Whites. You’ll need four large egg whites, and while I didn’t test the recipe with carton egg whites, there’s no reason those shouldn’t work just as well. The egg whites are a binding agent to hold the coconut together, as well as adds moisture to the dry, unsweetened coconut.
- Sugar. Granulated sugar adds sweetness, as well as moisture to the cookies.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Vanilla + Almond Extracts. Flavor.
- Almond Flour. Adds moisture and helps to bind the cookies together.
- Coconut. While most recipes use sweetened shredded coconut, it’s an ingredient I just don’t like, and very rarely use it. I prefer natural, unsweetened coconut flakes for both taste and appearance. Be sure to chop the coconut in a food processor or ninja, as the small pieces will hold together more easily than big pieces.
- Chocolate Chips.
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In a bowl, combine the egg whites, sugar, salt, vanilla and almond extracts. With an electric mixer, beat the egg white mixture on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, just until foamy and slightly increased in volume.
- Use a spatula to stir the almond flour into the egg white mixture.
- Measure out 6 cups of natural unsweetened coconut flakes (or 13.2 oz). With a food processor or ninja, pulse the coconut until finely chopped, and there are no large pieces remaining.
- Add all but 1 cup of the chopped coconut to the egg white mixture, stirring until combined. Add the last cup of coconut only if needed; how much coconut you need to add will vary based on the size of your egg whites. The dough should be moist and sticky, but without any excess liquid pooling.
Bake the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 325 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a large baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.
- Use a medium cookie scoop with a release lever to portion the dough, which will keep the cookies uniform in size and nicely rounded. The dough is sticky, making it difficult to shape into balls with your hands. Pack the dough tightly into the cookie scoop, then drop rounded scoops onto the baking sheet, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies at 325 F for about 15 minutes, just until the coconut begins to turn golden (or if you prefer a toastier look and more crunch, continue baking for a few minutes longer).
- Let the cookies cool and set on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then gently transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely before adding the chocolate.
Add Melted Chocolate
- In a microwaveable bowl, heat the chocolate chips for 2-3 minutes on 50% power until they begin to soften and melt, then stir them until completely melted and smooth.
- Use a small icing spatula to spread a thin layer of chocolate on the bottom of each cookie (or drizzle the chocolate over the top of the cookies). Set the macaroons back onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes until the chocolate has hardened.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover coconut macaroons in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3-6 months.
I have only tested this recipe with unsweetened coconut. If you try substituting sweetened coconut instead, you’ll also need to reduce the sugar to maybe 1/3 cup.
The almond flour adds necessary moisture to make up for the lack of moisture in the unsweetened coconut flakes, so I don’t recommend omitting it.
If you over-baked your cookies, or your egg whites were on the small side and you added more coconut than needed, then your macaroons may end up a little dry and crumbly. That said, without sweetened condensed milk or sweetened coconut (which contains more moisture than unsweetened coconut), these cookies are not going to be quite as moist as ones made with those ingredients. This is why it’s important not to over-bake them.
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High Altitude Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons (GF)
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Electric Mixer (Stand or Hand-Held)
- Medium Cookie Scoop with Release Lever (1 1/2 tbsp capacity)
- Food Processor or Ninja
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- â…“ cup finely ground almond flour
- 5-6 cups (13.2 oz) unsweetened natural coconut flakes
- ¾ cup semi sweet or dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the egg whites, sugar, salt, vanilla and almond extracts. With an electric mixer, beat the egg white mixture on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, just until foamy and slightly increased in volume.
- Use a spatula to stir the almond flour into the egg white mixture.
- Measure out 6 cups of natural unsweetened coconut flakes (or 13.2 oz). With a food processor or ninja, pulse the coconut until finely chopped, and there are no large pieces remaining.
- Add all but 1 cup of the chopped coconut to the egg white mixture, stirring until combined. Add the last cup of coconut only if needed; how much coconut you need to add will vary based on the size of your egg whites. The dough should be moist and sticky, but without any excess liquid pooling.
- Preheat the oven to 325 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a large baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.
- Use a medium cookie scoop with a release lever to portion the dough, which will keep the cookies uniform in size and nicely rounded. The dough is sticky, making it difficult to shape into balls with your hands. Pack the dough tightly into the cookie scoop, then drop rounded scoops onto the baking sheet, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies at 325 F for about 15 minutes, just until the coconut begins to turn golden (or if you prefer a toastier look and more crunch, continue baking for a few minutes longer).
- Let the cookies cool and set on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then gently transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely before adding the chocolate.
- In a microwaveable bowl, heat the chocolate chips for 2-3 minutes on 50% power until they begin to soften and melt, then stir them until completely melted and smooth.
- Use a small icing spatula to spread a thin layer of chocolate on the bottom of each cookie (or drizzle the chocolate over the top of the cookies). Set the macaroons back onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes until the chocolate has hardened.
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