These coconut macaroons dipped in chocolate are like the cookie incarnation of an Almond Joy. They’re incredibly simple yet definitely satisfying, despite being made with just 5 ingredients and being gluten-free and Passover-friendly. As our testers said, “Everyone went wild over these.” and “They’re really, really good and really, really easy. Like, one-bowl-and-take-care-of-a-craving-in-30-minutes easy.”  And “My heavens, who knew coconut macaroons were so easy?”–Renee Schettler

What Is Coating Chocolate?

Let’s talk about a chocolate cheat. No, not like when you promise not to have more than one teensy square of dark chocolate a day and you cheat. We’re talking about something called “coating chocolate,” also known as “dipping chocolate” or “enrobing chocolate,” and it’s a different sort of chocolate cheat. It’s an easy peasy chocolate to use when dipping, dunking, or otherwise dousing candies, cookies, fruits, and nuts in melted chocolate. Coating chocolate sets up quickly with a great shine, per authors Cheryl Day and Griffith Day, which means there’s no need to temper the chocolate, as perfectionistic candy makers oft do. This makes it obscenely easy to melt and immediately dip, dunk, or otherwise douse to your heart’s content. Of course, in a desperate moment, any chocolate will do. But that’s just us.

Five coconut macaroons dipped in chocolate arranged on a floral-patterned china plate.

Coconut Macaroons Dipped in Chocolate

4.75 / 4 votes
If an Almond Joy appeared in cookie form, this would be it. And with only five ingredients, you might have everything you need on hand to be eating these little beauties an hour from now.
David Leite
CourseDessert
CuisineAmerican
Servings48 cookies
Calories92 kcal
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time1 hour

Ingredients 

  • 8 lightly packed cups sweetened flaked coconut
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup egg whites, (about 8 large whites)
  • 2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 2 cups chopped coating chocolate* (see NOTE above) or regular everyday chocolate, either dark or milk

Instructions 

  • Position an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 350˚F (176˚C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, toss the coconut and sugar until thoroughly combined. Add the egg whites and almond extract and mix by hand until the coconut is completely moistened.


  • Use a small ice cream scoop to form the macaroons, about 1 rounded tablespoon each, and place them on the prepared sheets, leaving about 1 inch between the macaroons to allow for spreading. Slightly flatten each macaroon with the palm of your hand.
  • Bake the macaroons, 1 sheet at a time, for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly golden. (If you prefer your macaroons with an exceptionally crisp, browned outside in contrast to the moist, pale inside, bake for up to 18 minutes.) Cool the macaroons completely on wire racks.
  • Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan filled with simmering water (do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water), put the chocolate in the bowl, and let it melt, stirring occasionally. The end result ought to be exceptionallyl smooth.


  • Dip the cooled macaroons into the chocolate, coating each halfway, and place the dipped macaroons back on the parchment-lined baking sheets. Let the chocolate set. Store the macaroons in an airtight container for up to 1 week at room temperature. (Hah! As if they'll last….)
The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook

Adapted From

The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook

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Nutrition

Serving: 1 macaroonCalories: 92 kcalCarbohydrates: 15 gProtein: 1 gFat: 3 gSaturated Fat: 3 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0 gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.002 gSodium: 12 mgPotassium: 9 mgFiber: 0.02 gSugar: 15 gCalcium: 0.5 mgIron: 0.01 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 2012 Cheryl Day | Griffith Day. Photo © 2012 Squire Fox. All rights reserved.

Recipe Testers’ Reviews

These macaroons are deadly. They’re really, really good and really, really easy. Like, one-bowl-and-take-care-of-a-craving-in-30-minutes easy. These macaroons are everything they’re supposed to be—sweet, moist, and tender. Plus they’re gluten- and dairy-free, so everybody is happy!

I did think I was being smart when I made them. I cut the recipe in half, thinking I’d only have 12 cookies in the house. The recipe still yielded 24 using my trusty tablespoon-sized scoop! I had to give the rest away so I wouldn’t eat them. I regret that now.

My heavens, who knew coconut macaroons were so easy? This recipe took hardly any time at all and produced bakery-worthy results. The chocolate was a nice addition, but the macaroons are pretty delicious on their own. The almond was a wonderful idea and gave the macaroons a lovely nutty flavor. This is a new cookie staple in our household.

WOW! So simple and so delicious. Chewy and just the right amount of sweetness. When I first read the recipe, it seemed like a lot of sugar to add to sweetened coconut, but the cookies really were perfectly balanced. I chose to dip half of the macaroon bottoms in melted dark chocolate and the other half I chose to leave plain. I can’t decide which ones I like better! These are also beautiful and can be packaged nicely to make a wonderful hostess gift, especially for the holidays. You WANT to make these!

Incredibly delicious recipe! I make macaroons every year for Passover, and while all the recipes I’ve tried are good, people never swoon over them. Get ready for rave reviews when you make these. I had about 20 different people try them, and everyone went wild over these delightful macaroons.

I actually spoke to the author of the recipe, as I was unsure how to measure the coconut. I got 72 (1) TB size macaroons and the recipe said it would make 24! So here’s how you do it: The recipe calls for 8 cups of sweetened coconut, which ended up being (2) 14 oz. bags of sweetened flaked coconut. If you measure it, place it in a dry-measure measuring cup and pat it down just a little.

I found that using 2 rounded tablespoons cookie dough yields about 30 macaroons. They are quite large, so after cooling completely, and using a serrated knife, I carefully cut the macaroons in half. I dipped the cut half in chocolate (I used ScharffenBerger semisweet dark chocolate, which was amazing), and put them in the refrigerator to harden. Not only are they bite size this way, they are absolutely elegant.

I had always been a bit intimidated by making macaroons. It just seemed to be something that was deceptively easy. But there’s no deception here, it’s just easy. Only a few ingredients (which—hint, hint—seem to be in perfect proportions to shrink or expand the batch) and a bit of mixing with your hands. Mine took closer to 18 to 20 minutes to bake, but I do like them a little more toasted.

These are sweet dollops of coconut that couldn’t be easier to make. I liked the simple list of ingredients and the quickness of whipping these up. Also a great way to use up lots of egg whites left over from making custard and other yolk-intense recipes. Given the relative sweetness of the macaroons, I’d suggest a dark chocolate coating to counterbalance the sugar. These taste great without the chocolate too.

These were the easiest coconut macaroons ever (and some of the most flavorful as well)! I love this type of recipe where you probably already have all of the ingredients in your pantry. The sweet, moist coconut center with a hint of almond extract is even more delicious in combination with the lightly browned, crisp outside layer of coconut. A wonderful afternoon pick-me-up with a cup of tea, or a simple dessert that’d go great with an espresso or maybe an after-dinner glass of port.

I actually baked my macaroons for 18 minutes, a little longer than the suggested 12 to 15 minutes, just to ensure the outside was a bit crisper than the moist center. The milk chocolate I used didn’t melt exactly how I wanted it to, so I’ll have to try it again with a better bar of chocolate…or maybe even a Hershey’s kiss? Speaking of afternoon snacks, I think I’ll head into the kitchen and have another one of these delicious treats!

This is a perfect macaroon. I always find myself with extra egg whites on hand and this is a great use for them. This recipe will be called upon over the holidays, as it comes together very quickly for unexpected company and is flourless for when gluten is unwelcome. I used an ice cream scoop to portion them out. I found the mixture needed to be firmly packed in order to maintain its shape while baking. The dense center remained chewy while the outside was crisp. Of course, coating them in chocolate only made them better, but the plain ones were perfectly delicious on their own.

A great, classic coconut macaroon recipe. Super easy, foolproof, and gluten-free!

The chocolate coating is essential in my book—plain bittersweet chocolate worked perfectly since I didn’t have coating chocolate. I like the tip of flattening the coconut mounds with your palm before baking; this way you’ve fewer coconut shreds sticking up that can get blackened before the rest of the macaroon is lightly browned. I found that the high end of the cooking time (15 minutes) was perfect in my oven.

Personally I prefer a less sugary macaroon—I made a second batch with only 1/2 cup of sugar, and that was the perfect amount for me. I added some vanilla extract, too, which was delicious.

I’ll definitely be making this recipe again since I’m always looking for more gluten-free sweets, but will stick with the lower sugar amount for my taste.

If your family is still getting gifts of macaroons that come in tins for Passover, then you have got to try these. I ended up tossing in about a cup of mini chocolate chips and opted not to dip them, but I should have, as my kids actually told me they were great but that next time they wanted me to try chocolate-dipped macaroons. (I didn’t tell them that I just got lazy!)

I love the idea of using an ice cream scoop to form them, as they were uniform and professional looking. I think that the almond extract adds a nice flavor and I like the way macaroons come out when you use sweetened coconut–they seem a bit moister and sweeter. I successfully froze these in an airtight container and didn’t notice any significant change in texture or taste when I served them. The baking time was approximately 15 minutes and produced beautiful golden shreds of coconut mixed with pale chewy ones.

First, this recipe makes more than 50 cookies. But nothin’ wrong with that if you like coconut, which is probably the reason you’d start with these in the first place. I’d prefer a bit more pronounced almond flavor, but I suggest that you start with the 2 teaspoons of almond extract and adjust to your taste. Certainly a fun way to recreate a candy bar from the past.




About David Leite

David Leite has received three James Beard Awards for his writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


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10 Comments

    1. Ashley, you could swap unsweetened coconut, although you might find that they aren’t quite sweet enough if made entirely with unsweetened coconut. Perhaps a mixture of sweetened and unsweetened?

      1. Thank you! I wasn’t sure if the sugar served as a gelling agent somehow. Maybe I’ll make this two ways- original and with unsweetened coconut.