Google search optimization dictates that I use the phrase Coconut Macaroons with Unsweetened Coconut immediately to help my rankings. Boom - done. Now let's talk about what has been all of our minds recently: Covid. I have been avoiding discussing it here - head in the sand much? No. I avoided it because I had convinced myself that that wasn't what the blog was for. But then I imagined coming back to this post years from now and wondering how I could have ignored something so big.
It is Big. It is overwhelming and I am currently (MashAllah) blessed to be in a country where we didn't wait for things to get bad to start being cautious. I am also blessed to be living in a time where even on the bleakest days at least three memes will make me smile.
Now that we have acknowledged our feelings and counted our blessings (two key parts of life these days), let's talk about the cookies.
Why Use Unsweetened Coconut
Sweetened coconut is delicious. So delicious that I could toast it and snack on it and be happy. I put it on cakes and love it, would top a tart lemon bar with it in a heartbeat. But mix it with condensed milk and then eat it? Pass.
I am not saying that isn't yummy, but it just gets to be too much for me. As a kid I loved those slightly pink bakery macaroons that were so moist and full of sweetness, but now my tastes have changed. Also - and I am being entirely honest here - I am far more likely to have unsweetened coconut in my pantry than sweetened. And in these times I am keen to use it up in these Coconut Macaroons with Unsweetened Coconut.
In terms of texture you can see below that they've got the crunchy exterior and soft coconutty exterior. It not gooey like some, but still decidedly sweet. For a more sophisticated take I would dip the bottoms in bittersweet chocolate (approx ¼ cup or 2 oz).
Storing Coconut Macaroons
You can store these coconut macaroons in an air tight jar for a week or freeze them for up to three months. To thaw them just take them out from them freezer and leave at room temperature for a few hours.
If you try this recipe then I'd love to hear your feedback! Share it with me below - in the comments or the recipe rating. You can also tag me on Instagram @flourandspiceblog
Happy Baking!
Coconut Macaroons w/ Unsweetened Coconut
Ingredients
- 2 Egg Whites
- 3 ½ cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
- 300 ml Condensed Milk (1 can)
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Whip the two egg whites in a bowl on medium speed till soft peaks form - that means when you lift the whisks out from the batter it will form peaks
- Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix in the egg whites. The batter will be thick and very heavy on the coconut
- Scoop 1 inch balls onto a cookie sheet placing them 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until they are a golden colour - mine were done at 23 minutes. You can also freeze these cookies after they have been baked and defrost for a few hours at room temperature whenever you want to eat them.
Notes
A Sid says
I was looking for a recipe to use up my big bag of sweetened coconut. Can i use it in this recipe? Or do you have another recipe with sweetened coconut?
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi! I wish I did but I am blanking right now. I am SO sorry!
Elaine says
Hi Sarah, I made your macaroons a couple of days ago ( my first time making them with condensed milk ).They are amazing. Thank you for the recipe. Will be bringing some to my work place for Christmas. 2023.
Sarah Mir says
I am so so very glad to hear that! thank you!!!!
Elaine says
If you use sweetened coconut, use 14 ounces and 14 ounce can of condensed milk
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
thanks Elaine!
Deb says
why is batter loose - putting in fridge over night - hopefully will be more solid tomorrow
Sarah Mir says
Hi! My guess is that the egg whites weren’t properly whipped or that the end mix was over mixed!
Yvonne says
I just made a batch. They are runny. Is there supposed to be flour in this recipe? I did beat the white until peaks formed..
Yvonne
Sarah Mir says
Hey Yvonne - Hmm I can't say mine have ever been runny. Could you have possibly over mixed at the end and deflated the egg whites?
SM says
We love these macaroons. They are perfect!! We make them as is and dip them in a combination of melted dark/ unsweetened chocolate. I have to try to limit making them because I can’t resist them once we do. The sweetness is just right!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
ohmigod the dark chocolate sounds absolutely DIVINE!
farah says
you dip it in the chocolate after baking ?
Sarah Mir says
Yes!
Mary says
Worst coconut macaroon recipe ever.
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hey Mary! SO sorry to hear that you didn't like it - I would love to hear why so I can revisit the recipe! Thanks!
Maxine says
I just made these (half recipe, to use up some leftover condensed milk). They are fantastic! I haven't made other macaroons before, so the only thing I can compare them to is store-bought ones. These are a million times better. Exactly the right sweetness. I wouldn't change a thing. Thanks for a great recipe!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Thank you SO SO very much Maxine! I am so happy to hear that!
Rhonda says
I'm back here to write down the wonderful recipe. I already commented, but I don't see it on here so I'll say it again: These are wonderful! They are addictively wonderful. Don't change a thing about the recipe.
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Thank you SO SO much Rhonda!!!! I appreciate that so very much!
Marj says
Can i use sweetened condensed milk?
Sarah Mir says
yes absolutely! condensed milk here in Canada is sweetened (vs evaporated milk which isn't) - let me know how it goes!
Tracey says
I'm in the comments searching for clarification on the milk ingredient.
In the US there are two types of canned milk, each very different from each other. Sweetened condensed milk is almost all sugar and is very thick. Evaporated milk is milk with the water taken out, so technically I guess it is condensed as well, but has no sugar added. It is a very strong tasting milk and much thinner than "sweetened condensed milk".
I'm guessing the people who said this was the worst recipe ever, probably used the evaporated can of milk.
The recipe should be changed, for those of us south of your border, to include the word "sweetened" even if that is a given in Canda. I'm glad I read on and did not take a guess at what you meant. Will give it a try!
Sarah Mir says
Thank you for this Tracey! That's super helpful
Jason says
I made these and now I must have them on hand at all times, dipped in chocolate (Valrhona!), of course. I was looking for a recipe that used unsweetened coconut because, well, have you read what’s in those bags of sweetened coconut? It’s not just coconut and sugar. Anyway, this fit the bill perfectly. Thank you!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
what a fantastic combination! thank you for sharing it and leaving a comment!
Deb says
Hi Sarah,
Making these right now! They look and taste (the batter) perfect and delicious! Next bath will be with drizzled dark chocolate on them
Thank you for the recipe.
Cheers from the desert.
Deb
Deb says
Hello,
I've made this recipe many times and always taste delish! However, no mention of cooling completely before taking off parchment lined baking sheets. Do this and they come off much easier!
Thank you!
My best,
Deborah
Sarah Mir says
Ohmigoodness! What a good catch Deb! you're right there
Luke says
Would the condensed milk be what we call here "sweetened" condensed milk? We also have a product called condensed (or evaporated) milk that isn't sweetened.
Thanks!
Sarah Mir says
Hi Luke! you are right that it's sweetened condensed milk!
Berni Saksenberg says
That’s exactly what I need that answer please
Sarah Mir says
yes sweetened 🙂 Happy baking!
Laura Blaylock says
These are fantastic. I found a crazy amount of bulk unsweetened coconut at a discount grocery and this recipe fits the bill. I want to try them with preserved lemons, what do you think?
Sarah Mir says
woohoo! glad to hear it! also woah you just blew my mind with the preserved lemons. Id love for you to keep me posted, it sounds YUM
Babs says
In America, cans are 14oz which is more than 300ml.
Sarah Mir says
Yes they are - I am based in Canada and our cans are 300ml!
JoPro says
I used the American can size, and they turned out great!
Sarah Mir says
Okay that's so good to know thank you!!!!
J. Selig says
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I substituted cream of coconut for the condensed milk. Also added a half teaspoon of almond extract. It adds to the depth of flavor. But again, thank you! Your recipe was a great jumping off point. It will be a wonderful addition to my Passover table tomorrow and the end to store bought macaroons!
Sarah Mir says
What a clever clever idea to use cream of coconut! I will try this too - thanks for sharing and Happy Passover 🙂
Jennifer Jackson says
I had a bunch of unsweet coconut that I didn’t know what to do with. I make a cake before but it wasn’t great. It really needed sweet coconut. I found your recipe and make it. Super easy, super delicious and already shared recipe with 4 friends. Thank you.
Sarah Mir says
Aww thank you Jennifer! I am thrilled to hear itworked for you and thank you extra for sharing it with your friends!
Jo says
These were a hit with the family. Light and airy, they spread quite a bit more like a cookie than a macaroon mound. I liked the texture with a more medium/fine ground coconut (bob mills unsweetened shredded coconut). I may add 1/2-1 cup more of coconut for a firmer texture next time.
Sarah Mir says
Hi Jo! Thanks so much for sharing this - glad these were a hit!
Rachel T says
Tried these for the first time yesterday. Approved by my whole family. The container is pretty much empty (It was full yesterday 😂) Planning on making more today. Recipe is very simple to follow, my 10 year old daughter and I enjoyed making these. My husband said today that if he didn’t know any better, he would have thought they were bought from a store. They’re that good! Glad I found this recipe of yours and it is a keeper!
Sarah Mir says
That is fantastic to hear! Thank you so so much Rachel for sharing that!
Beth says
These look delicious, and I would like to make them for Passover. Could you please clarify if your recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk or unsweetened condensed milk? Thank you!
Sarah Mir says
Hi Beth! Sweetened condensed milk - thank you!
Beth says
Thank you so much!
Lucy says
Okay, currently they are in the oven, I’ve been trying to make macaroons for like forever and they always end up melting at the bottom. Is that normal? Or am I doing something wrong? Also I’m going to make two batches one (the one that is in the oven) is the recipe followed exactly. And the second one has 4 cups of coconut instead, hopefully this will reduce the “melting” haha
Sarah Mir says
Hmm melting as in spreading? A little spread is totally normal, but if it's a lot I suspect that the egg whites may not be quite stiff enough and/or a gentler hand could be used when mixing the coconut in to keep them stiff! How did the 4 cups coconut ones turn out?
pj says
I made these the other night and they were a hit!!! we ate them all within two days. I also dipped them in dark chocolate and placed almonds on top which made them look fancy:)
Sarah Mir says
I loveeeee that you added almond! thank you so much for sharing this review!
Laurel says
I also had an issue with them being runny. Since they were tasty, despite the gross deformity, I gave the recipe a second go and stopped adding condensed milk when the coconut was fully coated. I had about 1/8 cup left in the can. This batch turned out much better. I think if I make them again, I'll try using all the condensed milk and add coconut until it's the right not-runny consistency, so there's less waste. I really the sweetness level.
Sarah Mir says
Quick question: is your condensed milk can 350
Or 300 ml?
Laurel says
Oddly, the can is labeled in grams - 395 g. (I'm in NZ.) I measured it before using it and it came out to be just under 300ml in volume.
Sarah Mir says
Laurel thank you for sharing that - I think it's time for a revisit on this one! Appreciate the feedback!
Brian Hall says
This came out AMAZING! I made sure to whip to between soft and firm. Maybe medium peaks. Used the standard US 500ml can of sweetened condensed milk. Folded all but the meringue together first and folded the meringue in last. All organic ingredients. 24 minutes. Perfect. Will be making these again and again. Thank you!
Sarah Mir says
How wonderful! Thank you SO much Brian!
Miriam Nickerson says
These macaroons surpass any I’ve ever eaten or bought - and I’m 77, so that’s a lot of macaroons! They were light and airy look beautiful. As well! They are magical in the same way meringue is in a Pavlova for instance. So delighted to have stumbled on this recipe. Thank you! I’m sending them to family all over the country for Passover!
Sarah Mir says
I am absolutely delighted to hear that! Happy Passover!
Dana says
I thought the taste was good but the base did turn out runny for me even though I didn’t over mix. I might try to chill them before baking if I try this again as the egg whites spread. I give this about a 5 for taste (I added almond extract)but the presentation would be lower.
Sarah Mir says
Hi Dana! Thanks for the detailed review. I do think I have finally figured out what the issue is with the recipe ad that seems to be the immense variation in the actual coconut shape for lack of better work. It's on my list to test and fix to make sure it holds shape so I absolutely appreciate the feedback!