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I have a serious soft spot for these Chocolate Chip Macaroons. Whenever I want something sweet, chewy, and completely gluten-free and flourless these are my go-to recipe. They bake up golden and toasty on the outside while staying soft and tender in the center, exactly how a macaroon should be. Whether you need a simple Passover Macaroon Recipe or just have a craving for something coconutty, these come together in minutes.
I’ve tested this chocolate chip coconut macarons recipe dozens of times to know exactly how to get them just right. It comes down to two things: the brand of sweetened condensed milk you use and how hard you pack the cookies. I realized that generic brands tend to be thinner, causing them to spread, and if you don’t squeeze the ball tightly before baking, they lose their shape. Even without a speck of flour, these macaroons come out soft, chewy, and perfectly shaped; nothing like the dry, crumbly cookies you get from a can.
If you love coconut desserts as much as I do, don’t stop here! Try my Chocolate Coconut Balls or cute little Coconut Cream Pie Bites for another sweet coconut treat you can whip up in no time.
Key Ingredients and Why They Work
Take a look at the key ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe. You can find all the exact measurements in the recipe card below.
- Sweetened shredded coconut: This is the heart of the macaroons. Stick with sweetened coconut for the perfect chewy, sweet texture. Unsweetened coconut will make them a little drier and less sweet.
- Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and flavor. You can swap in almond extract for a stronger nutty note, but use a smaller amount since it’s more concentrated.
- Sweetened condensed milk: This binds everything together while adding sweetness. Don’t try evaporated milk as it won’t hold the cookies properly. Important: Through my testing, I found that Eagle Brand works best. Generic brands tend to be a bit runnier, which can cause the milk to leak out during baking.
- Chocolate chips: I usually toss in semi-sweet chips to balance the sweetness of the coconut and milk, but milk chocolate chips work great if you have a major sweet tooth.
- Melting chocolate (optional): Perfect for dipping the bottoms or drizzling over the tops for a bakery-style finish.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Macaroons
Step 1: Prep the Mixture
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grab a large mixing bowl and stir together the coconut, vanilla, and sweetened condensed milk until it is fully combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Step 2: Scoop and Squeeze
This is the most important step! Scoop about a tablespoon of the mixture (a cookie scoop works great here). Using your hands, squeeze the mixture tightly as you roll it into a ball. If the mixture feels too sticky, pop the bowl in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to firm up. Place them on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper, leaving a little space between them.
Step 3: Bake until Golden
Bake for 15-20 minutes. You want the tops and edges to be a nice golden brown. Keep an eye on them towards the end because every oven is different, and coconut can burn quickly if you aren’t careful!
Step 4: Cool and Dip
Let the macaroons cool on the baking sheet for a bit before moving them to a wire rack. Do not move them while hot, or they will fall apart. Once they are totally cool, you can dip the bottoms in melted chocolate and pop them in the fridge for 15 minutes to set.
Make Ahead & Storage Instructions
- Make ahead: You can mix the macaroon batter and keep in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before baking. Baked macaroons can be made 2 to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container.
- Store: These keep really well! Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. If it’s really warm in your kitchen, the chocolate might get soft, so you can keep them in the fridge.
- Freeze: These freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. I recommend placing a sheet of parchment paper between the layers so they don’t stick together. When you are ready to eat them, just pull them out of the freezer and let them come to room temperature on the counter.
More Desserts You May Enjoy
If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it turned out in the comments below.
Chocolate Dipped Macaroons
Ingredients
- 1 14 oz. bag sweetened coconut
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 14 oz. can condensed sweetened milk
- 1-2 cups chocolate chips
- melting chocolate (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheet or baking sheet with a silicon baking mat or non-stick foil or parchment paper
- Mix coconut, vanilla, condensed milk together in large mixing bowl. Add in the chocolate chips.1 14 oz. bag sweetened coconut, 2 tsp vanilla, 1 14 oz. can condensed sweetened milk, 1-2 cups chocolate chips
- Take a tablespoon size of the mixture (a cookie scooper works great for this) and roll it in a ball with your hands (see tips above recipe!) You want the balls really tight, so squeeze the mixture in your hands!
- Place each on the cookie sheet spaced apart (they will spread a bit)
- Bake about 15-20 minutes until golden brown (the baking time really depends on your oven, you don’t want them to burn, so watch them carefully)
- Cool on a wire rack
- When totally cool – melt candy chocolate in a double boiler (follow your chocolates instructions) and dip the bottom and roll the bottom sides in the chocolate. Let cool for about 15 minutes in the refrigeratormelting chocolate
- Serve and enjoy!!
Jenn’s Notes
- Make ahead: You can prepare the macaroon batter and store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before baking. The baked macaroons can also be made 2–3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container.
- Store: These store really well! Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for about 4–5 days. If your kitchen is very warm, the chocolate may soften, so storing them in the fridge is a good option.
- Freeze: These macaroons freeze nicely for up to 3 months. Place a sheet of parchment paper between layers to keep them from sticking together. When you’re ready to enjoy them, simply let them sit on the counter until they come to room temperature.
- Not packing the balls tightly enough: If you just gently roll the mixture into a ball, the heat in the oven can cause it to collapse, leaving you with a flat, spread-out cookie. Make sure to press and squeeze the mixture firmly between your hands so it holds its shape.
- Using the wrong milk: As mentioned in the testing notes, it’s best to use Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk. Some store brands contain more water, which can cause the milk to seep out and pool on the baking sheet while baking.
- Moving them while they’re hot: These cookies are very delicate right after they come out of the oven. If you try to move them to a wire rack too soon, they can fall apart. Let them rest on the baking sheet until they’ve cooled and firmed up.
Nutrition Info
Originally posted April 2014
Can you freeze them?
I haven’t tried! But I think you should be able to.
Is desiccated coconut different to sweetened coconut? Thereās no sweetened coconut in supermarkets. I have no idea about sweetened coconut. Waiting for your reply. Thanks
Yes, they are different. Sweetened coconunt has, well, a sweeter taste. You can see how to make it here https://www.livestrong.com/article/480109-make-sweetened-coconut-dehydrated-coconut/ or you can use regular coconut flakes, just know that the finished product will not be as sweet.
So easy and delicious
Made these and they were amazing!!! Tricky to get into a ball, but even if they fell apart a little in the oven I was able to carefully mush them back together once they started cooling a little. I wonder if it would work better if the ābatterā was refrigerated first? I found it was harder to get into balls as time went on and mixture got warmer. Definitely making these MANY more times!
so I just made these using unsweetened coconut and they are plenty sweet! With the sweetened condensed milk having 22 g of sugar per 2 TBSP I definitely don’t need the sweetened coconut. I would love to cut out more of the sweetness if I have time in the future to play around with the recipe. I had a really hard time getting them to stick together as balls. I first tried my large cookie scoop. they turned out ok, but they were a bit tricky to get to stick into a ball. I also tried my smaller cookie scoop, that was a bit easier, but still tricky. The more I handled them the more they seemed to not want to stick. (except to my hands!) I weighed out the 14oz of coconut and it seemed like a LOT compared to the tiny 14oz can of condensed milk. I gave it a whirl anyway. I used 1 cup of mini chocolate chips and 1 cup of sliced almonds as well. perhaps the unsweetend coconut is dryer thus absorbing more of the liquid?? anyway…I enjoyed eating the “dough” while trying different things. The cookies did turn out, although I only needed to bake them about 12 minutes. Because I was getting short on time I decided to toss the remaining batter on parchment paper in my cookie sheet and make a big cookie, which I then cut into squares…you could also cut into bars. That worked pretty well. So…if you want the cookies I would go with smaller sized balls….if you want really easy put it all in a lined 9×13 dish or a cookie sheet and bake and cut. (let them cool first) All of it’s yummy for sure! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Hello i canāt wait to make both the Coconut Macaroons and Smore Bites my girls would love both. Quick question could these be frozen like if i made in bulk batches as prep for school lunch/snacks
I have never tried to freeze them, but it would for sure be worth trying!
I froze them and they turned out great!
I wonder, if you use unsweetened coconut, would there be less carbs and therefore make these a little more keto friendly? More importantly, would it affect the taste too much? I sometimes find macaroons a little too sweet, anyway.
I haven’t tried that, but let me know how it works for you!!!
This is really amazing! My kids will surely love this!
I hope so – they are my kids favorite!
When I tried to make them, they wouldn’t stay together. Could not form into a ball. I tried, and tried to no avail. So what I ended up doing is putting it all together in a baking pan. It tasted good but I’m just wondering what I did wrong with the cookies. After baking, I melted chocolate chips with Kahlua and it was even better.
Hi Kathie – I grab a spoonful of the batter and first squeeze it in my fist tightly together. I kind of toss it from one hand to the other until it is tightly together and then I form it into a ball. I really squeeze them. I also found that using Eagle Brand condensed milk seems to work best for me. I have no idea why, but that is my go-to.
Hi
Didnāt know that sweetened condensed milk was kosher for Passover
What else an you use instead
I haven’t tried this, but I heard you can use use 1 cup instant nonfat dry milk, ā cup sugar, ā cup boiling water and 3 tablespoons margarine. To thicken, let set in the refrigerator for 24 hours. I have no idea how this will work, but worth a try.