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We love all things coconut at our house. I have 101 ways to use coconut oil, many of which aren’t even food related. Coconut macaroons are one delicious way to get more coconut oil in your life.
I use coconut a lot in cooking. The oil is great for baking, roasting, sautéing, and frying. And I substitute coconut flour for traditional wheat flour in a lot of recipes. But I’ve always wished I had more uses for flaked and shredded coconut.
This macaroon recipe is one of my solutions to that. It’s also a great way to use the extra egg whites left over from making hollandaise sauce. I use a lot of egg yolks in my homemade mayo too.
Macaroons vs. Macarons
One little letter makes a big difference. Both types of cookies are made with large egg whites whisked into a stiff foam, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end.
Macarons are sandwich cookies made with finely ground almond flour. They’re usually colorful, crispy on the edges, and have some kind of filling between the two cookies.
Macaroons are more dense and chewy and have shredded coconut folded into the meringue. They’re usually a lovely golden brown and are frequently drizzled with or dipped in chocolate. I use 2 teaspoons vanilla extract in my recipe, but you could also try almond extract if you prefer. They’re naturally gluten-free and can easily be made healthy with a few tweaks.
My Healthier Coconut Macaroons
I’ve made a few modifications to the traditional macaroon recipe to fit more in line with the way we eat.
Sweetener: Instead of refined sugar or condensed milk, I like to use raw honey or maple syrup.
Coconut: Instead of sweetened coconut, I almost always use unsweetened coconut flakes or shreds in my recipes and coconut cookies. This adds the delicious coconut flavor we need for the perfect coconut macaroons.
Maca Powder: This one is my own add-in. The name even suggests it… “maca”roons (get it? – Ok, maybe it’s just me). Either way, maca adds some extra nutrients. It’s completely optional though and you can just leave it out if you want to.
More Coconut Lover Dessert Recipes
If these macaroons aren’t calling your name you might like one of these other coconut desserts.
Homemade Junior Mints – made with coconut oil
Coconut Macaroons Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites
- 1 dash salt
- ⅓ cup honey or maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups coconut flakes
- 1 TBSP coconut oil or melted butter
- 1 TBSP maca powder optional
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form.
- In a separate large bowl mix together the honey or maple syrup, vanilla, coconut flakes, melted coconut oil or butter, and maca.
- Carefully fold the coconut mixture into the egg whites.
- Let the mixture rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes so the coconut can soak up the liquid.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a baking sheet or cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a 1 tablespoon measure or cookie scoop to scoop the macaroon mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Leave a small amount of space between each one.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes on the lined baking sheet until just starting to brown.
- Remove to a wire rack to cool and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
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Have you ever made coconut macaroons before? What’s your favorite way to use shredded coconut? Leave a comment and let me know!
70+ Healthy School Lunch Ideas (With 2-Week Menu)
Can I use coconut sugar in place of the maple syrup? Would adding a bit of ground chia seeds in place of the Maca work?
Thanks, Katie
Yes and yes
Hi there, I tried your recipe today leaving out the Maca as I didn’t have any. After leaving it in the fridge for 30 minutes I found that there was a bit of liquid in the bottom of the bowl. I mixed it in a bit and put spoonfuls on the tray. When they cooked they had some syrupy mixture spread out from each of them. What did I do wrong? They were still yummy by the way 🙂
Hi ,
Bit confused on the Maca front .
Just read an article that says any properties the Maca has is lost once added to some thing hot .And the macaroons are baked .Mama could you please explain if this is the case why use Maca ?
Cheers !
I want to print this recipe but when I click on your “print” button the ingredient list is missing from the page. (By the way, I soooo appreciate your giving us the ability to print your recipes…thank you!)
I have the same problem – there is no ingredient list.
Should be fixed now.
Maca is very hard on the adrenal glands, just thought I’d mention that since you are trying to solve the hypo thyroid puzzle and sometimes adrenal fatigue needs to be corrected first. Maca will make adrenal fatigue worse in the long run as it is a stimulant.
these sounds wonderful, especially with maca! Love the flavor maca can give 🙂
I had the same issue with the liquid separating while in the fridge and also on the baking sheet. Could it be, that the maple syrup is too runny for this mixture and doesn’t mix well with the eggs? I am going to try this out with honey for the next batch. Will see what happens 🙂 they are in the oven now, but I am really looking forward to the end result. Your blog has been a wonderful resource for me and my family on becoming healthier and on having a house that is chemical free 🙂 Thank you Katie!
perfect! I’m doing GAPS but can’t tolerate egg whites. always looking for ideas to use up the whites for my husband!
thanks for the post
Hi there, I tried your recipe today leaving out the Maca as I didn’t have any. After leaving it in the ridge for 30 minutes I found that there was a bit of liquid in the bottom of the bowl. I mixed it in a bit and put spoonfuls on the tray. When they cooked they had some syrupy mixture spread out from each of them. What did I do wrong? They were still yummy by the way 🙂
I had the same exact thing happen to mine!
Me too, same thing happened. Still came out delicious though. I had to turn up the temp on mine to get them to cook. I live in NM so sometimes baking is trial and error. I’ll definitely make these again and will play with the amounts to see If I can eliminate the pool of liquid during baking.
Thought I would just mention that I added a teaspoon of coconut flour as I didn’t have the Maca… it absorbed the excess liquid very well, and added nicely to the overall texture of the macaroon… It has become a family favourite now!
Could you add more maca, as that’s not even the lowest recommended dose. Would it change the texture and taste too much?
You can definitely add more. It shouldn’t affect the taste much at all
The ingredients are missing from the recipe- could you please put them back in? Thanks! 🙂