These macaroons can be prepared in less than 20 minutes and require only four ingredients. When the macaroons have cooled, you can dip them in semisweet chocolate and place them in the fridge to set the chocolate.
Yield: Makes about 1 dozen
Ingredients
Ingredient Checklist
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
- 3 to 4 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Directions
Instructions Checklist
- Step 1Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Step 2In a large bowl, combine sugar, coconut, 3 egg whites, vanilla, and salt. Using your hands, mix well, completely combining ingredients. The additional egg white may be added, a little at a time, if the mixture is dry and doesn’t hold together.
- Step 3Use a small ice cream scoop or 2 tablespoons to form mounds; place on prepared baking sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart. Dampen your hands with water if necessary, and pinch mounds to create a pyramid shape.
- Step 4Bake until golden brown, rotating halfway through, 16 to 17 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.
Cook’s Notes
You can also use sweetened shredded coconut as long as you reduce the sugar in the recipe from 3/4 cup to 1 tablespoon.
Variations
Chocolate-Chunk Macaroons
Follow the recipe for Coconut Macaroons, adding 1/2 cup coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate to the other ingredients. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
Chocolate Macaroons
Place 4 ounces finely chopped semisweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until chocolate has melted; set aside to cool. Follow instructions for Coconut Macaroons, increasing coconut to 2 2/3 cups and combining all ingredients with cooled chocolate and 1/4 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder. The baking time should be about the same; you will know the cookies are done when they are just firm to the touch but still soft in the middle.
