Cranberry almond macaroon cookies combine the flavor of almonds, coconut, cranberries, and white chocolate for a deliciously simple cookie with a toasted coconut outside and soft, chewy inside. Easy one-bowl cookie recipe!
Coconut lovers, be sure to try Coconut Dream Bars, Chewy Coconut Macaroons, and Carrot Cake Cookie Bars.
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You’re going to love these
- Cranberry almond macaroons with toasted coconut, cranberries, almonds, and white chocolate taste like the perfect handful of trail mix!
- Easy one-bowl almond cookie recipe that stirs together quickly, no chilling necessary
- Pretty, sweet almond macaroons for the holiday season, parties, and showers -- or just to enjoy with a cup of tea
- Easy recipe to make a million different ways with your favorite mix-ins
Ingredients
Perfectly chewy almond cookies come together with simple ingredients that are easy to find in any grocery store.
Egg whites. Egg whites bind the almond macaroons together. You can use egg whites from 2-3 whole eggs (depending on the size of the eggs) or liquid egg whites. I use Costco liquid egg whites -- the carton says they won't whip, but they always work for me.
Sweetened shredded coconut. I recommend Baker’s Angel Flake sweetened coconut for macaroons because it has more moisture than the store brands I've tried. The extra moisture holds the cookies together better and results in a soft, tender macaroon with a chewy texture.
Sweetened condensed milk. I recommend Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk over store brands. Store-brand condensed milk can be thinner and result in some pooling at the bottom of the almond macaroons.
Substitutions
Almond extract. If you’d like to add even more almond flavor, you can use a tiny (tiny!) bit of almond extract. Just use a very light hand, as a little bit goes a very long way.
Fruit. Substitute any kind of dried fruit you love, like cherries, blueberries, or pineapple. You could also add maraschino cherries -- chopped into small pieces and blotted dry.
Nuts. Any kind of nut will be delicious — macadamia nuts, pistachios, walnuts, pecans
Chocolate chips. White chocolate chips are folded into the coconut mixture AND drizzled on top. Dark chocolate chips would also taste amazing in these cranberry almond macaroons. You can also use chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips.
Drizzle. For an alternative to the white chocolate drizzle, you can use a powdered sugar glaze instead.
Step by Step Instructions
Optional step: Process the coconut in a food processor for a few seconds to create more finely textured coconut and perfectly rounded macaroons.
Step 1: With a whisk, stand mixer, or hand mixer, beat the egg whites at medium speed in a large bowl until thick and foamy and soft peaks begin to form - when you lift up the beater or whisk, soft peaks barely hold their shape and curl over onto themselves.
Step 2: Beat in the salt and vanilla extract.
Add the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, cranberries, almond slices, and ½ cup white chocolate chips. Fold into the egg white mixture until completely combined.
Step 3: With a cookie scoop, portion out cookies onto a parchment-lined baking pan. Use wet fingertips to shape the macaroons and tuck in any stray coconut shreds.
Step 4: Bake cookies in preheated oven at 325 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let the macaroons cool on the cookie sheets for about 3 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 5: Melt white chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave. Place the cookies on a wire rack over a baking sheet to catch any drips and keep the melted chocolate from pooling at the base of the macaroons. Drizzle white chocolate over the almond macaroons and allow to dry.
Step 6: Allow the white chocolate drizzle to dry.
Cranberry Almond Macaroons are crispiest the day you make them and will soften over time.
Expert Tips
- For perfectly round coconut macaroons with finely textured coconut, quickly whiz the coconut in the food processor.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion out the dough for even-sized cookies, then use wet fingers to shape the dough into mounds.
- If the drizzling chocolate starts to firm up while you’re still working, just pop it back into the microwave for a few seconds.
Recipe FAQs
Usually, the reason why coconut macaroons spread is because they have too much liquid. Often, too much condensed milk is the culprit. I've never experienced spreading or pooling when I use Eagle Brand condensed milk with this almond macaroon recipe. If for some reason, your first pan of cookies spread, try chilling the dough for about an hour before baking the next pan.
Yes, you can freeze macaroons in an airtight container with wax paper or parchment paper between layers for up to three months. Defrost them at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
You can store almond macaroons at room temperature for a couple of days and in the refrigerator for up to a week. However, I find they stay the crispiest in the refrigerator, so I always store mine there.
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📖 Recipe
Cranberry Almond Macaroons
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons liquid egg whites (or 2 large egg whites)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 14 ounces sweetened coconut
- ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup white chocolate chips (divided)
- 1 teaspoon shortening
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Optional step: Process the coconut in the food processor for a few seconds to create more finely textured coconut and more evenly shaped macaroons.
- With a whisk, stand mixer, or hand mixer, beat the egg whites in a large mixing bowl until thick and foamy and soft peaks begin to form -- this means when you lift up the beater or whisk, soft peaks will barely hold their shape and curl over onto themselves.
- Whisk the salt and vanilla extract into the egg whites.
- Add the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, cranberries, almonds, and ½ cup white chocolate chips to the bowl of egg whites. Fold the egg whites into the rest of the ingredients until completely combined.
- With a cookie scoop, portion out cookies onto the prepared baking sheet. Use wet fingers to shape the macaroons into round balls and tuck in any stray coconut shreds.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let the macaroons cool on the pan for about 3 minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Melt ½ cup white chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave in 10-second increments until melted and smooth. With a spoon, drizzle white chocolate over macaroons and let them set. I like to place the cookies on a wire rack over a baking sheet to catch the chocolate drizzles and to keep from creating a pool of chocolate at the base of the macaroons.
The cookies were delicious, but......they stuck to the parchment paper and the dough was very runny. I put it in the fridge for two hours and added additional coconut, but it was still very wet.
Hi, Virginia, I'm so glad you enjoyed them, but so sorry to see that the dough was runny! I have not run into this with this particular recipe. I know some recipes call for using the whole can of sweetened condensed milk, which can definitely make a runny batter. This recipe uses just 3/4 cup, so I would make sure the whole can didn't accidentally get used. The other causes could be related to the egg whites -- either not beaten quite enough (and therefore runny) or beaten too much that they deflate and become runny. If you decide to try this recipe again, I hope these tips will help you troubleshoot this from happening again. Thank you, again, Virginia! Cara