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Classic Coconut Macaroons Recipe

posted by Liz Berg on March 30, 2026 (updated 5/4/26)

This Classic Coconut Macaroons Recipe is absolutely the best! These cookies are perfect with your cup of afternoon tea or to bake for the holidays.

Coconut Cookies are some of my favorites, but unfortunately, my family does not share my passion for coconut. This Alice Medrich recipe got rave reviews from my friends, and now is the gold standard for the Best Macaroon Recipe.

Coconut Macaroons on a square white plate.

Table of Contents hide

1 Why You Must Make

2 Ingredient Notes

3 Expert Tips

4 Frequently Asked Questions

5 You May Also Like:

6 Classic Coconut Macaroons Recipe

Why You Must Make

The recipe comes from Alice Medrich, the baking guru and cookbook author.
These macaroons are perfectly sweet and chewy.
This is a classic recipe, made without sweetened condensed milk.

Ingredient Notes

There are only five simple ingredients in this recipe!

Kitchen Staples – Sugar, Salt, Real Vanilla Extract (affiliate link)
Egg Whites – Separate your eggs when they are cold. The yolks are less likely to break.
Sweetened Coconut – Like Baker’s Angel Flake Coconut (affiliate link).

Classic Macaroon Cookies on a round white plate.

Expert Tips

If you’re used to making a macaroon recipe with sweetened condensed milk, this recipe has an extra step. But, I promise you, it’s worth the extra time to make Macaroons from Scratch.

PRO-Tip: If you don’t have a double boiler, you can create a makeshift version by boiling water in a saucepan and placing a heatproof bowl in the pan. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water.
The mixture must be stirred frequently while being heated until it thickens and becomes opaque, or loses its transparency. At that point, the mixture can be taken out of the water and cooled.
Use a cookie scoop to place rounds of the batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
To bake, the macaroons start at a higher oven temperature first, then decrease after 5 minutes in the oven.

I will never make Macaroon Cookies with a can of sweetened condensed milk again. This is the ultimate recipe. They’re sweet, moist, chewy. Just spectacular!!! One of my local foodie friends told me these were the best macaroons she’s ever eaten. Go ahead, coconut lovers, give this recipe a try!

Coconut Macaroons on a round white plate.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Do Coconut Macaroons Last?

These coconut cookies will last up to a week if stored in an air-tight container at room temperature. They can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Why Are My Macaroons Sticky?

There are a number of reasons your macaroons can be sticky. First, if they’re stored in a humid location, they can easily get sticky. Other possibilities include over-whipping the egg whites or not baking long enough. But don’t worry, even sticky macaroons are delicious!

What’s The Difference Between Macaroons and Macarons?

Macaroons are made with egg whites, sugar, and coconut. Coconut is key as it’s not a macaroon without coconut. Many versions are made with a can of sweetened condensed milk, which definitely makes for an easy recipe. But to taste the real classic, old-fashioned macaroons, make a batch with egg whites. The texture of a macaroon is chewy.

Macarons are French sandwich cookies. Best made with older egg whites, macarons also contain almond meal. Macaroons are always coconut-flavored, and macarons can be made in numerous flavors and filled with just as many flavor alternatives. Macaroons (with the double “o”) are super easy to make, whereas Macarons (use your best French accent and roll your “R”) are fussy. The goal when baking your macarons is for each “cookie” to have a “foot” or base that has a slightly different texture. The resulting macarons are not chewy but crisp like a baked meringue.