Cranberry Almond Macaroons

Cranberry almond macaroon cookies are sweet and tart with a toasted coconut outside and soft chewy inside. These easy one-bowl cookies come together with coconut, cranberries, sliced almonds, white chocolate chips, and a white chocolate drizzle.

This post was revised on 3/10/22 with an updated recipe, tips, techniques, and photos.

Cranberry almond macaroons taste like the perfect handful of trail mix with toasted coconut, tart, chewy cranberries, crunchy almonds, and buttery white chocolate. 

This easy almond macaroon recipe stirs together quickly and easily and you don’t even need to refrigerate the dough before baking. Because who wants to wait when you want cookies NOW? 

If you’re a coconut lover like I am, then you’ll understand why I have so many coconut macaroon recipes like these Mocha Chocolate Chip Macaroons, White Chocolate Lime Macaroons, and Chewy Coconut Macaroons. I think you’re going to love all of them!

You’re going to love these

There are so many reasons to love these pretty little cranberry almond macaroons.

• So many flavors and textures -- sweet, tart, nutty, crunchy, and chewy -- in one delicious little cookie 
• Easy one bowl cookie recipe
• Naturally gluten free 
• Lovely cookies for parties, picnics, potlucks, or showers
• Make them your own by swapping out the mix-ins

Ingredients

These perfectly chewy almond macaroons come together with simple ingredients that are easy to find in your local stores.

Egg whites. The egg whites act as a binder and hold these almond macaroons together. 

I used Costco liquid egg whites. The carton warned me they wouldn’t whip, but they whipped up just fine for me. It just may have taken longer than if I had used regular egg whites.

You can use egg whites from 2 whole eggs or liquid egg whites with the only ingredient being egg whites. 

Sweetened shredded coconut. I recommend Baker’s Angel Flake sweetened coconut for making macaroons because I have found that it has more moisture than the store brands I've tried.

This 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, which tend to be thinner and can result in some pooling at the bottom of the almond macaroons.

This recipe uses ¾ cup of sweetened condensed milk, which is less than a can. If you are looking for ways to use up the rest of the can, here are some ideas.

Also, be sure to double-check the labels in the grocery store and get sweetened condensed milk, not evaporated milk. It can be easy to confuse the two.

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. 

Dried fruit. You can substitute any kind of dried fruit you love, like cherries, blueberries, pineapple — whatever you love! 

Nuts. Any kind of nut will be delicious — you’d just have to call them something other than cranberry almond macaroons :).

Chocolate chips. White chocolate chips get folded into the coconut mixture AND drizzled on top. But dark chocolate chips would also taste amazing in these cranberry almond macaroons. You can also use chopped chocolate instead of chips. 

Drizzle. For an alternative to the white chocolate drizzle, you can use a powdered sugar glaze instead.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 325. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 

Optional step: Process the coconut in a food processor for a few seconds to create more finely textured coconut and perfectly rounded macaroons. 

Step 2

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. 

Step 3

Beat in the salt and vanilla extract. 

Step 4

Add the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, cranberries, almonds, and ½ cup white chocolate chips. Fold the egg white mixture in until completely combined. 

Step 5

With a cookie scoop, portion out cookies onto the prepared baking sheet. Use wet fingers to shape the macaroons and tuck in any stray coconut shreds. 

Step 6

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. 

Step 7

Melt ½ cup white chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave in 10-second increments until melted and smooth.

Step 8

Drizzle white chocolate over macaroons and allow to dry.

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. 

Storage

Store cranberry almond macaroons in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for a week.

You can also freeze macaroons in an airtight container with wax paper or parchment paper between layers. Store them in the freezer for up to three months. 

Thaw them on the counter until they reach room temperature. 

Expert Tips

If you’re not a fan of the long shreds of coconut, you can quickly process the coconut in the food processor to create a finer texture on your cranberry almond macaroons. This step is optional. 

Use a cookie scoop to portion out the dough for even sized cookies, then use wet fingers to shape the dough into perfectly round mounds. 

Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes. Warm cookies are very delicate. Let them firm up for a few minutes on the pan before transferring them to a cooling rack. 

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

Ready for More Macaroon Recipes? 

Are macaroons your favorite cookies? Here are more easy recipes to make coconut macaroons in deliciously different ways.

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