An easy recipe for chewy and healthy coconut macaroons, sweetened with honey. No condensed milk, no sugar! Just four wholesome ingredients.
I make these healthy coconut macaroons every year for Passover. They’re inspired by the coconut macaroons my grandma used to make. They are easy to make, delicious, and wonderfully chewy.
How I fell in love with coconut macaroons
I remember that Passover, years ago, as if it was yesterday. I was maybe ten, visiting my grandparents on Passover eve. My grandparents were Dutch, and their manners were impeccable. My younger brother and I were always under a lot of pressure to “behave” when we visited them. Sometimes we managed, sometimes not so much.
On that bright spring day, in the early eighties, it was actually time for lunch and I was hungry. My father promised lunch at home – we were just stopping for half an hour to say hello. So we sat there, in that European living room, decorated with beautiful antique wooden furniture. Grandma, oma, served good, strong Dutch coffee and cookies.
Oh, those cookies.
They were coconut macaroons (“kokosmakronen” in Dutch), made kosher for Passover with no flour, just coconut, sugar and eggs. But they were nothing like the pale store-bought macaroons that I was familiar with. These were round and fat and deep golden brown. They were fragrant and chewy and they tasted so good, and I was so hungry. I found myself reaching for one more cookie, then another, and then another.
My father looked embarrassed and sheepishly explained that we had not had our lunch yet. Grandma smiled, but she was obviously horrified at my lack of manners. Me? Delirious with coconutty sugar, I didn’t care. I was happy.
Healthy, honey-sweetened coconut macaroons
I don’t have grandma’s recipe for those amazing, chewy coconut macaroons. But the version below is pretty close, even though it’s arguably healthier. I use honey instead of sugar. Let’s just say that once again, I found myself eating way more of those than I had planned. 😳
How to store coconut macaroons
These coconut macaroons are wonderful warm or at room temperature. Once completely cool, they should keep for a couple of days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Unless I’m around to polish them off.
More coconut recipes you might enjoy
Love coconut? This gluten-free coconut cake is AMAZING! And if you don’t feel like baking, try these wonderful homemade coconut haystacks.
Coconut Macaroons
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey and vanilla.
- Add the coconut. Mix well, with a spatula, to combine.
- Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, portion out the cookies and place on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten the top a little with the back of a spoon.
- Bake 20 minutes, until the macaroons are deeply golden and your kitchen is filled with the most amazing aroma of sweet toasted coconut.
- Cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and cool 10 more minutes.
