Paleo Honey Coconut Macaroons (Dairy-Free)

These paleo coconut macaroons are lightly golden on the the outside and chewy on the inside with the sweet taste of honey.

Honey Coconut Macaroons in Paper Cups

I think we’ve probably all had at least one bad experience with those misshapen, heavy and tooth-achingly sweet confections that pass for coconut macaroons at least once.  You know the kind whose cloying sweetness hits you over the head at first bite and whose flavor is barely reminiscent of coconut.

A good macaroon however is quite the opposite.

Honey Coconut Macaroons Close Up

The French call their coconut macaroons rochers à la noix de coco or congolais and they are an altogether different breed from the toothaching varieties.  Baked until lightly golden on the outside, but still creamy white on the inside they are bites of pure coconut goodness.

A good coconut macaroon stricks a fine balance; it’s at once light but chewy , a little crispy around the edges, but with a soft, tender interior.  It has a pure clean taste that’s all coconut and  just lightly sweet and only takes a matter of minutes to make.  Made up of a few kitchen staples, the difference lies mainly in the technique.

Paleo Honey Coconut Macaroons on Board

While coconut, egg whites and sugar makes up the base of most coconut macaroons I’ve used honey instead for a naturally sweetened version and for it’s mild almost floral taste.  The key to these however is to gently heat the egg whites, honey and coconut mixture over simmering water prior to baking it. This allows the mixture to partially cook and the coconut to fully hydrate before it goes in the oven allowing for a shorter cooking time at a high heat.

The short baking time in a hot oven ensures that these paleo coconut macaroons get crispy and golden on the outside while keeping the centers nice and moist, and that is what makes all the difference.

Since the combination of chocolate and coconut makes for an extra special treat, you can also dip the bottom of each in chocolate and let them set or just drizzle some across the top if you so feel inspired.

Serves 10

Honey Coconut Macaroons (Dairy-Free, Paleo)

Yields 10-12

These paleo coconut macaroons are lightly golden on the the outside and chewy on the inside with the sweet taste of honey.

15 minPrep Time

10 minCook Time

25 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1/4 cup/84g light colored honey
  • 1/8 th teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 cups/200g finely shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 6oz/170g dark chocolate, finely chopped (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Combine all of the ingredients except chocolate in a large heatproof mixing bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir the mixture for 6- 8 minutes until very hot to the touch and has thickened.
  3. Using a small cookie scoop, place mounds of batter on parchment lined baking sheet a few inches apart. Bake until lightly golden around the edges,(about 7-10 minutes) roating sheet halfway through (if tips are browning too fast, lower the heat 25 degrees).
  4. Let cool completely on wire racks. The cookies are best on the day they are baked, the crispy exterior will soften but they can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
  5. If making chocolate dipping sauce, place half the chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until melted. Remove bowl from heat, let stand for a few minutes to cool then stir occasionally the remaining half of chocolate until smooth.
  6. Dip the bottoms of each macaroon into chocolate, let excess drip off, and place on parchment to set (about 1 hour). Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Tags

Diet
vegetarian
ovo vegetarian
pescetarian
Paleo
Allergy
gluten free
dairy free
soy free
wheat free
seafood free
treenut free
sesame free
mustard free
Courses
Dessert
Cuisines
French
Occasions
Easter
Cooking
Baking
7.8.1.2
269
https://gourmandeinthekitchen.com/honey-coconut-macaroons-chocolate-sauce-recipe/

(This post originally appeared on Jan 30, 2012; photos, post and recipe have been updated.)

(Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Find out what that means for you here.)

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  1. tried making these today. Recipe sounds delish. So does the chocolate sauce. I made both... The chocolate sauce was good, but I did have to add a little bit of powdered sugar to make it sweeter. Before the powdered sugar, it was kind of bland. I'm thinking this maybe the cocoa powder I used, but I'm not sure. As for the macaroons....I'm not entirely sure where I went wrong with the recipe. I followed it to a T, and also redid it with another type of honey. The macaroons fell apart, I could not get them to roll into a ball at all. I used bob's red mill unsweetened coconut. They did not stick together at all, instead I had a coconutty mess on my cookie sheets. Last gripe....baking at 400F. They began to burn after 5 minutes. I took them out and decided to try another recipe for my passover meal. Any suggestions to what happened with all these missteps?
    Reply

    • Hi Michelle, I'm sorry you had problems with the recipe. The chocolate sauce is very lightly sweetened so the quality of the cocoa powder does make a difference and some brands maybe more bitter tasting than others. If you didn't find it sweet enough then you might want to increase the amount of sweetener to your taste. As for the macaroons the type of coconut may be a factor as some brands have more or less moisture. I have not tested these with the Bob's Red Mill coconut before so I can't say whether that would be the issue or not. If the coconut is on the dry side it will absorb more of the liquid making it hard to form balls. The process of forming balls with the coconut mixture can be a little tricky, they don't roll easily until you've given them a good squeeze in the palm of your hand. So I would place a small amount of coconut mixture in the palm of your lightly moistened or greased hand and squeeze it to bring together into a small lump which can then be gently rolled in your hand. If you are finding that the macaroons are browning too quickly you may want to lower the temperature to 375. Not all oven are equally calibrated and 400 in my oven may not be equal to 400 in your oven. The macaroons are baked for a short time at a higher temperature in order to create a lightly browned exterior while keeping the interior nice and soft. Hope that helps! -Sylvie
      Reply

  2. sylvie, i just found these via another blog, how could I have missed this??? so gorgeous. so making these - just what we need as we are just starting a week of Passover! x
    Reply

  4. I made coconut macarons from Dorie Greenspans's recipe once and they were gorgeous too! With silky caps of chocolate. Your look so petite and perfect for tea!
    Reply

  7. Delicious! I've tried a rather huge egyption-like pyramid of these before and it was golden on the outside and creamy white inside, my only critism was that it was soooo huge that I was a little 'over' the coconut flavour by the end. Yours delightful balls of coconut deliciousness look like just the answer thought with their bite size, well, size and I am looking forward to trying them.
    Reply

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