Coconut Macaroon

A coconut macaroon is a small, chewy confection made from shredded coconut, sweetened condensed milk or sugar, and egg whites, baked into a bite-sized mound.

Macaroons began as an almond-based confection, most accounts placing their origin in Italian monasteries around the 8th or 9th century, later adapted by Italian Jewish cooks as a Passover-friendly cookie made without flour. The coconut version is much more recent: shredded coconut largely replaced almond paste in the late 19th century, and the coconut macaroon became a fixture of Jewish, Italian, and American baking.

Coconut macaroons are eaten on their own or used to top tarts, parfaits, and ice cream. They are often dipped or drizzled in dark chocolate, and pair well with citrus zest, almonds or pecans, and flavorings like vanilla or coffee.

Their texture is chewy and dense rather than light, since the shredded coconut and condensed milk bind into a moist mound rather than the airy meringue-like structure of a French macaron, a different, delicately-shelled sandwich cookie that is often confused with the macaroon despite the similar name.