Unlocking the Secrets of Coconut Macaroons

Published January 1, 2000.

Most coconut macaroons are achingly sweet, sticky mounds of semicooked dough that don't taste much like coconut. To solve these problems, we used three kinds of coconut.

The Problem

When we began looking at recipes for modern coconut macaroons, we found that they varied widely. In addition to different kinds of coconut and sweeteners, they often called for one or more of a wide range of ingredients, including extracts such as vanilla or almond, salt, flour, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and even an egg or two.

The Goal

A great coconut macaroon with a pleasing texture and a real, honest coconut flavor.

The Solution

Early on, our tests showed that our choice of coconut would make a big difference in both taste and texture. Unsweetened shredded coconut resulted in a less sticky, more appealing texture. Sweetened shredded coconut packed more flavor than the unsweetened, and together they worked very well in the cookie. To add one more layer of coconut flavor, we tried cream of coconut and hit the jackpot. The flavor was superior to any of the cookies we had tasted to date.

list of recipes

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