Coconut Macaroons with dried fruit and nuts is a delicious cookie recipe with a light and chewy texture. This simple cookie comes together in minutes and is great for any occasion!
One bite and you’ll agree this is the tastiest macaroon cookie every! While traditional macaroons are delicious in their own way, these Coconut Macaroons are filled with dried cranberries, apricots, and pecans, giving them a delicious flavor and texture.
If you love coconut cookies, be sure to try my No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Cookies. And if you love the tart flavor of cranberries, then you’ll love this simple Cranberry Ricotta Cake.
Why This Recipe Works
These cookies are crispy and golden on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside. Plus, the added dried fruit and nuts give them the perfect additional crunch and flavor.
If you are a coconut fan, you are going to love these cookies. After trying many variations of macaroons, I can promise you that these are the best.
To make a good macaroon you really just need three things: sweetened shredded coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and egg whites. However, here I add flour to help the cookies keep their shape, as well as dried fruits and nut as flavor enhancers.
Coconut Macaroons are a great cookie to have on hand because they are not overly sweet and they keep well. Plus, this recipe acts as a base allowing you to substitute or omit ingredients you like or happen to have on hand.
Ingredients Needed to Make Coconut Macaroons
The two main necessary ingredients for macaroons are shredded coconut and sweetened condensed milk. The eggs and flour will help keep the recipe together and avoid any excess puddles of condensed milk at the bottom of the cookie.
While traditional coconut macaroons are delicious, I find that a huge batch of them can get boring. That’s why I like to add ingredients to the macaroons to give them the flavor and texture I crave in a cookie.
- Dried Fruit: Adding a cup of dried fruit to your macaroons will give it a boost of flavor and texture. Here I use cranberries and apricots, but dates, raisins, dried cherries, or dried pineapple would be excellent substitutions.
- Nuts: When it comes to baking, I love to use pecans. However, in this recipe you could substitute walnuts, blanched almonds, or pistachios for the nuts.
- Vanilla: the vanilla is another flavor component to this recipe. But you could omit it altogether or substitute ½ a teaspoon of your favorite extract like peppermint, coconut, or almond.
- Eggs: nearly all recipes for macaroons call for egg whites. However, if you have an egg allergy or just don’t want to use them, leave them out. They help the macaroons to keep their shape, however, they are not necessary.
This recipe calls for flour to help bind the ingredients. However, if you have a gluten allergy or just don’t want to use flour, you are more than free to leave it out altogether. Or, you could substitute gluten-free flour in it’s place.
Read on to see how simple this recipe is and bake up a batch today!
How to make coconut macaroons with dried fruit and nuts
Make this recipe once, and I guarantee you’ll be making it forever! Simple to put together and totally customizable, you’ll love the chewy crunchy texture of this coconut macaroon.
To start, you will need a large mixing bowl for the ingredients. To the bowl add shredded sweetened coconut, pecans, dried fruit, vanilla, and flour. Toss to combine then stir in the can of sweetened condensed milk (step 1).
In a separate bowl, use a hand mixer to whip the egg whites into firm peaks. Pour the egg whites into the coconut mixture (step 2). Use a rubber spatula to fold the egg whites into the batter (step 3).
Lastly, use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to spoon batter onto parchment-lined baking sheets (step 4). No need to leave much room around the cookies as they won’t spread.
Bake the cookies in a preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until the tops of the macaroons start to brown. Let cool completely before eating or storing.
Recipe Tips and FAQs
Check out my expert tips and FAQs on how to make the best coconut macaroons!
- Mix together the coconut, fruit, nuts, vanilla, and flour before adding the sweetened condensed milk. It will help to combine the ingredients more evenly.
- Beat the egg whites into a stiff peak. This means that when you pull a spoon through the eggs whites, they should stand straight up without collapsing.
- Don’t worry about being too gentle when folding in the egg whites.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the batter on to the baking pan. The cookies are meant to look like a haystack, so don’t worry about making them look perfect.
- Bake just until the tops start to brown. Be careful not to over bake.
- Let cool completely before storing.
- To dress these up, you can dip the bottoms of the coconut macaroons in melted chocolate, or drizzle melted chocolate over the tops of them.
You can easily make macaroons gluten free by simply omitting the flour called for in the recipe. The end result may be a softer cookie, but the flavor will be the same. You could also add gluten-free flour in place of the flour in the recipe.
You can easily change up the flavors of macaroons by adding dried fruit, nuts, or different extracts. To make almond macaroons, add ½ teaspoon of almond extract to the recipe. Or make the macaroons festive with peppermint extract and dip in white chocolate. Dried fruit like cranberries, dates, and apricots are delicious additions to macaroons as well.
Coconut macaroons can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze in an airtight container for up to a month.
Related recipes
For more fun and easy cookie recipes, check out some of my fan-favorites!
Coconut Macaroons
Equipment
- baking sheet
Ingredients
- 14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup pecans, chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup dried apricots, diced
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large egg whites
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a parchment or a baking mat; set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the coconut, pecans, cranberries, apricots, flour, and vanilla. Pour in the sweetened condensed milk and mix together until combined.
- In a separate bowl, use a handheld mixer to whisk the egg whites and salt until they reach stiff peaks, about 3 minutes. Pour the egg whites into the coconut mixture and gently fold until combined.
- Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, scoop about a tablespoon of the macaroon mixture on the baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until the tops are golden. Let cool on baking sheet or cooling rack completely.
Notes
- Mix together the coconut, fruit, nuts, vanilla, and flour before adding the sweetened condensed milk. It will help to combine the ingredients more evenly.
- Beat the egg whites into a stiff peak. This means that when you pull a spoon through the eggs whites, they should stand straight up without collapsing.
- Don’t worry about being too gentle when folding in the egg whites.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the batter on to the baking pan. The cookies are meant to look like a haystack, so don’t worry about making them look perfect.
- Bake just until the tops start to brown. Be careful not to over bake.
- Let cool completely before storing. Coconut macaroons can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze in an airtight container for up to a month.
- To dress these up, you can dip the bottoms of the coconut macaroons in melted chocolate, or drizzle melted chocolate over the tops of them.
Nutrition
Tena
I’ve never had fruit and nuts in a coconut macaroon. These are delicious and so very easy to make.
Angela Allison
So happy you loved them! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
This is absolutely delicious! I love that it’s such a crowd pleaser for the whole family
Vicky
I have never made these before, but I love coconut and dried fruits and nuts so I think it would be right up my alley. Do you think raisins would work in this recipe as well?
Angela Allison
Yes! I think raisins would be perfect. Enjoy!
Angela
Loved the dried fruit in this recipe. Delicious cookies that I will make again and again.
Beth Sachs
Such a nostalgic recipe. My grandma used to make a batch every weekend!
Sisley White - Sew White
You can never go wrong with a coconut macaroon. Pass me the plate
Bianca
I love that this recipe adds a twist to the classic one using the dried fruits and nuts! Great recipe
Angela Allison
Thanks! I love the texture the dried fruit and nuts bring.