You’ll find this Coconut Macaroons recipe, among may of my other favorite cookies, in Zoë Bakes Cookies.
I know, the whole macaroon/macaron thing is rather confusing. It’s helpful to think of both as derivatives of a cookie that has evolved over hundreds of years with each version maintaining that base of egg whites and sugar.
These are one of my favorite Passover cookies. I find the commercially made ones dense and too sweet, but the homemade ones are delightful, chewy treats that are so easy to make.
Tom Gumpel, my former professor at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), inspired these cookies. He added all kinds of dried fruits—raisins, cranberries, apricots, and cherries—for added sweetness and extra chew. Over the years, I’ve experimented with various flavors, such as jaggery, ground cardamom, and chocolate to satisfy whatever cravings I have.
Coconut Macaroons (Haystack Cookies) Step-By-Step
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line two doubled-up baking sheets or insulated cookie sheets with lightly greased parchment paper or silicone mats. The doubled- up baking sheets will protect the bottoms from getting too dark.
In a large stainless steel bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and egg whites.
Fill the bottom of a double boiler or a medium sauce-pan with 1 inch / 2.5cm of water and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Place the bowl with the sugar mixture over the double boiler and stir the mixture with a rubber spatula until the sugar is completely melted.
This can take about 5 minutes. Brush down the sides of the bowl with the spatula to make sure all the sugar is melted and no grains are clinging to the side. Feel the mixture between your fingers to check for graininess.
Remove the sugar mixture from the heat and add the vanilla, salt, coconut, cinnamon, raisins, dried fruit, and nuts. Stir well to incorporate. Allow it to sit for 30 minutes. It can also be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 48 hours.
Stir before portioning out the haystacks using an ice cream scoop. Be sure that the batter is tightly packed in the scoop before releasing it onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies about two inches apart. If you are using a #40 (1 1/2 tablespoon) portion scoop, you will get about 15 per sheet.
Bake, with racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven, for about 20 minutes until golden brown on the top and bottom, rotating the trays and switching from top to bottom halfway through baking.
Allow to cool completely on parchment paper, lift the cookies to unstick them from the paper, and then dust with confectioners’ sugar.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (120g) egg whites about 4 large
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3 cups (320g) loosely packed sweetened angel flake coconut and/or shreds
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (70g) raisins chopped or whole
- 1 cup (150g) chopped dried fruit raisins, apricots, cherries, and/or craisins
- 1/2 cup (60g) finely chopped pecans or walnuts
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line two doubled-up baking sheets or insulated cookie sheets with lightly greased parchment paper or silicone mats. The doubled- up baking sheets will protect the bottoms from getting too dark.
- In a large stainless steel bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and egg whites.
- Fill the bottom of a double boiler or a medium sauce-pan with 1 inch / 2.5cm of water and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Place the bowl with the sugar mixture over the double boiler and stir the mixture with a rubber spatula until the sugar is completely melted. This can take about 5 minutes. Brush down the sides of the bowl with the spatula to make sure all the sugar is melted and no grains are clinging to the side. Feel the mixture between your fingers to check for graininess.
- Remove the sugar mixture from the heat and add the vanilla, salt, coconut, cinnamon, raisins, dried fruit, and nuts. Stir well to incorporate. Allow it to sit for 30 minutes. It can also be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 48 hours.
- Stir before portioning out the haystacks using an ice cream scoop. Be sure that the batter is tightly packed in the scoop before releasing it onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies about two inches apart. If you are using a #40 (1 1/2 tablespoon) portion scoop, you will get about 15 per sheet.
- Bake, with racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven, for about 20 minutes until golden brown on the top and bottom, rotating the trays and switching from top to bottom halfway through baking.
- Allow to cool completely on parchment paper, lift the cookies to unstick them from the paper, and then dust with confectioners’ sugar.
my Mom was a big fan of anything lemon – I would consider a lemon mousse with fresh lemon curd (oh I could do that easily with all the lemon juice I have stored!) or a lemon chiffon cake. Both would be lovely for Mother’s Day.
My mom loves anything lemon flavored so I need a good lemon idea!
My husband, on the other hand, doesn’t care for lemony treats so I don’t make them very often. I guess I could make him the haystacks you posted here and he could eat them while we eat lemon dessert!
I love those little ramekins! Wish I had one!
What heavenly morsels of wonderfulness! You come up with the most fabulous ideas…
The haystacks look so tasty! I can’t wait to make them! I think I will make a lemon trifle with berries! Love the heart dishes!
Those look simply mouthwatering! I want to check out the caramel covered matzo too.
My Mother enjoys Spice Cake with a Cream Cheese Icing (and so do I!)
Mom isn’t living near us, but if she was I would make her the White Chocolate Lemon Pudding I made this week. I think she would really enjoy it.
My mom is not a big dessert fan (something I’ll never understand), but her one weakness is chocolate mousse!
My mom’s favorite dessert is Apple Crisp, and she’s been craving Dulce de Leche for a while now, so I’m thinking I’ll make a sinful Dulce de Leche Apple Crisp for her–which would look terrific if baked in this adorable heart-shaped dish!
My mom loves chocolate, hazelnut, and simple desserts. I am going to make her a Nutella mousse with fresh raspberries! As for passover, these macaroons look wonderful. I have found a use for those store bought macaroons though, and I’m curious if it would work with these too… I use the macaroons as a crust for a cheesecake. It turns out so delicious and is a fantastic change from “fruit slices”!
Lemon! Something lemony and light and cakey and mousse-y.
My mom loves chocolate cake. I think this year I want to try making some of the cute cake balls that Bakerella makes on her blog to look like chocolate candies and put them into a cute box.
I would make my mom a molton lava cake! In fact, thats exactly what I’ll be making! Love the macaroons!
Wow – these Coconut Macaroons are my for my mother-in-law, she’ll be so happy! For my mom – i would love to make a creme brulee. My mom owns a bakery – and rarely gets to play with a stove top.
For Mother’s Day, I would love for my son to bake me a tart homemade apple pie, which is my all time favourite comfort dessert. Perhaps he could make it in a heart shaped Le Creuset pot for next Mother’s Day?
For mothers day I will make my mom a Blueberry Pie, because she loves it! And hopefully I can make a heart-shaped one, using that wonderful pot from Le Creuset. Is beautiful!!
Thanks for the giveaway, is really nice of you.
I got my love of chocolate from my mom! I might try making her a chocolate mousse pie.
I want to make something special for Mom…perhaps Creme Brulee, or a strawberry tart. Or maybe stuffed French toast, too, since her birthday is on Mother’s Day!!!!
I’m a new mom and for my first mother’s day I’d love to have something chocolate (not very original)
cute! I’d make my mom a berry tart. She LOVES fruit!
for mother’s day, id make my mom bread pudding with lemon sauce. its her favorite! a cute ramekin like that would be perfect for individual portions 🙂
I love Passover–the food is the absolute best, that is, the food is the best EXCEPT for the desserts. Popping open a can of macaroons just doesn’t satisfy my sweet craving. So, I can’t wait to make these heavenly looking macaroons, and of course, I love a great caramel and chocolate dipped matzoh!
Wish I could make those macaroons, but coconut makes me swell & itch 🙁
When I see those Le Creusets, all I can think of is a pot of lentils & greens, with or w/o some sort of pork.
hm…I’d probably make something lemony. maybe a cheesecake?
oooh! oooh! i want it this time please! oh i just came across a recipe that combined my mother’s two loves… lemon and ginger. and it was a little pudding cake that could even be made in the le creuset! i think i will have to make it in her honor since not for her. :O)
Sadly my mom is not with us anymore (and boy do I miss her) but if she were here, I’d love to make her a batch of French Toast, one of her favorites.