High Altitude Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons (GF)
An easy high altitude recipe for chewy coconut macaroons dipped in chocolate. These coconut cookies are made with natural unsweetened coconut and no sweetened condensed milk, making them gluten free as well as dairy free.
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
- ⅓ 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.
Notes
Store leftover macaroons in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3-6 months.
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