I love eating coconut macaroons and love making them. It took me awhile to find the perfect recipe. With so few ingredients, you'd think it would be simple, but it wasn't. After testing different recipes, I knew I really didn't like them too gummy or too sweet. The recipes that call for sweetened coconut (which I never seem to have, I buy unsweetened in bulk) and/or sweetened condensed milk just never crisp up enough for me and are too sweet and gummy. This recipe I have been using for a few years now and it works perfect. I like them a little more toasted than normal, so you might want to check them at 15 minutes, depending on your preference. Bonus—these are so nice to have for the gluten-free/dairy free people in my life.
For the cookies:
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
- 3 egg whites*
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
I whip the sugar and egg whites until they are almost a meringue. This is a crucial step that I think makes a huge difference. Then I add the other ingredients and bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes, checking for browness at about 18 minutes. I use a small cookie dough scoop for these. Delicious!
*Sometimes this seems like too much liquid, depending on the size of the eggs. When this happens, I add 1/4 cup more coconut. Conversely, if I only have two eggs left in the house, I add less coconut, more like 2 1/4 cups.
