Coconut Macaroons without Condensed Milk

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Make delicious, moist Coconut Macaroons without condensed milk! This ultimate coconut treat has slight crispness on the outside and chewy coconut centers. A quick and easy gluten free recipe that's also great for Passover.

Round coconut macaroons plain and with chocolate drizzle.

Why you'll love this recipe

The best coconut macaroons are soft, moist, and chewy with intense coconut flavor. The main difference between macaroon recipes is the ingredients used to achieve that perfect taste and texture.

Many homemade macaroon recipes, like this one, are flour and grain free, but the biggest difference is whether or not the recipe uses sweetened condensed milk.

Using condensed milk results in a consistently moist and chewy cookie, but they also tend to be cloyingly sweet and aren't dairy free.

Instead of depending on super sweet condensed milk, this recipe uses potato starch (or corn starch. It works as a binding ingredient that keeps the cookie from crumbling, and adds a chewy texture.

I added another unique ingredient, Lyle’s Golden Syrup, which adds extra moisture and a slight caramel flavor accent. You can substitute honey or corn syrup if you prefer.

Macaroons are fast and easy to make with simple ingredients any time the tropical flavor of coconut beckons. For eating at home or shipping in cool weather, I suggest dipping the bottoms in chocolate. The bitter-sweetness of dark chocolate pairs beautifully with the light sweetness of this cookie.

Ingredients

Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.

In a large bowl, mix together unsweetened coconut, starch, sugar and salt.
In a small bowl, whisk egg whites and vanilla until foamy (about 2 minutes).
Combine the wet and dry mixtures and stir to fully combine. Allow to sit for 20-30 minutes to rehydrate the coconut.
After the 20-30 minute rehydrating, stir the batter and use a medium (2 ½ tablespoon) cookie scoop to portion the batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet about 1” apart. Bake at 325 degrees F for 15-17 minutes, just until the bottom edges turn golden brown. Cool completely on the baking sheet.

Instructions: dip macaroons in melted chocolate, drizzle melted chocolate on top.

To decorate with melted chocolate: In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate pieces in the microwave for 1 minute at 50% power. then dip the bottoms of the macaroons into the melted dark chocolate and place on a wax paper lined baking sheet to set.
Spoon remaining melted chocolate into a small plastic ziplock bag (or piping bag), cut off a tiny piece of one corner, and drizzle over the macaroons.

Storage

Store homemade macaroons at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

Tips and variations

Use unsweetened, finely shredded coconut for a lightly sweet flavor and a compact shape. You can substitute regular shredded, sweetened coconut for a sweeter cookie with a more textured shape.
The golden syrup in this recipe adds moisture and a bit of flavor to the chewy interior of these coconut cookies. Honey or corn syrup can be substituted with excellent results. You can also omit this ingredient completely.
Use ½ cup of add-in ingredients for variations in flavor and texture. Try chopped dried fruit,nuts or mini chocolate chips.
For macaroons that taste like Almond Joy candy bars, place an almond at the center of each dough ball before baking. For even more almond flavor add ¼ teaspoon of almond extract.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between a coconut macaroon and a macaron?

Macaroons are dense, chewy cookies with shredded coconut as the main ingredient. French macaron are light, crunchy cookies, often sandwiched with filling, with almond flour as the main ingredient.

Why are coconut macaroons used for Passover?

Coconut macaroons originated as a flourless Italian cookie made with almonds. The lack of flour made it popular with Italian Jews for use during Passover. When European Jews brought the recipe to the United States, macaroon were made with coconut which was a more readily available ingredient.

Can you freeze Passover macaroons?

Freeze macaroons for up to 3 months, either individually wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container in layers separated by wax paper.

Plain coconut macaroons on a white plate.

Use these flourless recipes for Passover or any other time of year!

Gluten Free Brownie Brittle is like a thin and crunchy brownie packed with chocolate fudge flavor!

Marzipan Cookies, made with just a handful of ingredients, have a crunchy, almond encrusted exterior and are soft and chewy inside!

Almond Flour Cookie Bars are soft, tender cookie bars swirled with melted chocolate chips.

Gluten Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are chewy and super chocolaty just like regular crinkle cookies, but this cookie recipe is made without flour!

S'mores Peanut Butter Cookies take plain peanut butter cookies to a gourmet level with lots of marshmallows and chocolate chunks.

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