Chocolate-Coconut Macaroons are chocolaty pillows of goodness—crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside—with half the fat and carbs of a chocolate chip cookie!

Do you remember the Peter Paul Almond Joy-Mounds’ commercials? I’m telling my age here, but when I was in high school, the Hershey company launched a fun, catchy jingle for this candy under their Peter Paul division. As I was mixing up this batch of Chocolate Coconut Macaroons, it popped into my head and got stuck there! Does that ever happen to you? “Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don’t. Peter Paul Almond Joy has nuts. Mounds don’t. Because… sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don’t”!

Like the Mounds candy bar, Chocolate-Coconut Macaroons combine two great flavors—dark chocolate and sweet coconut—in these yummy, easy-to-make cookies. The bonus is that they have about half the fat and carbs of a normal chocolate chip cookie.

Several years ago, Forgotten Cookies were popular. They were basically cookies made with meringue, chocolate chips, and nuts which were popped into a hot oven, turned off and left overnight. These Chocolate-Coconut Macaroons also begin with meringue, but the difference is that they bake faster and have a chewier texture.

The secret is to beat the egg whites until soft peaks form (you don’t want stiff meringue) before you start to gradually add the dry ingredients. The last step is to gently fold in the flaked coconut, then drop the batter by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheets to bake for 20 minutes.

It’s not necessary, but I like to melt a few chocolate chips and drizzle them over top of the cookies once they’ve cooled. I think it makes them seem a little fancy and pretty enough for a party platter.

Watch this YouTube video and you may be singing the Mounds-Almond Joy jingle for the rest of the day…because sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes you don’t! Enjoy!

Yield: 20 cookies

Chocolate-Coconut Macaroons

Name: Chocolate-Coconut Macaroons
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 37 min
Yield: 20
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3/4 cup powdered sugar; 1/2 cup sugar; 3 tablespoons cake flour; 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa; 4 large egg whites; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 2 cups flaked sweetened coconut

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons are chocolaty pillows of goodness—crispy outside with a chewy center—with half the fat and carbs of a chocolate chip cookie!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes

Total Time 37 minutes

Ingredients

3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cake flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
4 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flaked sweetened coconut

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper to line two cookie sheets.
In a large bowl, sift together the sugars, cocoa, and cake flour. Set aside.
Beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form. Mix in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the sugar mixture, a tablespoon at a time. Fold in coconut (a cup at a time) gently.
Drop by heaping tablespoons onto cookie sheets one inch apart. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Cool completely before removing from baking sheets.