Blonde Coconut Macaroons

by | Nov 7, 2019 | Dessert

Cashews, coconut, vanilla, maple syrup and sea salt come together to create these sweet and chewy Blonde Coconut Macaroons! Free of refined sugar, gluten, and dairy, these make the perfect treat any time of day.

Admittedly, these Blonde Coconut Macaroons look like cheese biscuits. They were a little difficult to photograph… haha! But I assure you these have no cheese, nor are they anything like a biscuit. These are the most delightful, sweet + chewy blonde macaroons. They’re also made with only 5 wholesome ingredients. 100% paleo, gluten-free, and delicious.

If you’ve ever baked anything with coconut before, you’d know the unbelievably rich and decadent scent of it as it toasts in the oven. Combine that smell though with vanilla and sweet maple syrup and you’ve got yourself a house that smells 10x better than any fancy scented pillar candle you’ve ever bought.

How to Make Blonde Coconut Macaroons

It’s extremely easy to make these macaroons. All you need is:

  • Raw cashews, ground into a powder (I blitz them in my blender. A food processor will work, too). Alternatively, if you have almond flour on hand, you can use that instead. However the subtly sweet flavour of cashew pairs beautifully with the other ingredients in this recipe.
  • Unsweetened shredded coconut
  • Maple syrup
  • Pure vanilla extract
  • Sea salt

You can whip these macaroons together all in one bowl. Simply mix everything together until firm and a little sticky — but not too dry. Then, place the batter onto a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet.

To form your coconut macaroons, you can either do it by hand by rolling about 2 tbsp batter into balls. Or, for a more proper macaroon shape, use a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop. I don’t have either of those tools in my kitchen, so that probably played a roll in why it makes mine look more like biscuits. Still delicious, though.

These macaroons are baked at a slightly lower temperate, 325F. This way they toast up nicely while still maintaining a softer centre, without being scorched or turning into rocks.

5 from 1 vote
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Blonde Coconut Macaroons

A sweet and simple coconut vanilla macaroon made with cashew and maple syrup.

Course Dessert
Cuisine Gluten-free
Keyword gluten-free, paleo
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 10 macaroons
Author Meghan Livingstone

Ingredients

  • 1 cup ground raw cashews (or almond flour)
  • 1 – 1/4 (1.25) cups unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325F.

  2. Grind your cashews into a powder by blending them in a blender or processing them in a food processor. They should be a fine powder. Alternatively, you can use almond flour.

  3. Add your ground cashews, shredded coconut, maple syrup, vanilla and sea salt to a bowl and mix thoroughly. Batter should be sticky and firm but not too dry.

  4. Form macaroons with hands or with cookie scoop using about 2 tbsp batter for each macaroon. Place side by side on baking sheet.

  5. Bake for 20 minutes. The bottoms should be golden brown and the tops should be a little crispy. The inside should be soft and chewy.

  6. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before enjoying!

Recipe Notes

Store in fridge or in container at room temperature for 5-7 days, or freezer for 3+ months.

Don’t forget to leave me a comment below or tag me @meghanlivingstone on Instagram if you give this recipe a try!

Happy baking!

by Meghan Livingstone

Note: this post may contain affiliate links. Learn more here.

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10 Comments

  1. Glenna G. Martin

    Are there any substitutions for the cashews other than almond flour. I’m not an especially good baker and I do know the type of flour matters. I am allergic so it is always a bit difficult to get recipes to work with substitutes.

    Reply
    • Meghan

      Hi Glenna! Are you only allergic to those two nuts? Or all tree nuts? Otherwise I’d suggest trying ground macadamia nuts.

      Reply
  2. Rachel

    Do you think coconut flour could be used instead of ground nuts or nut flour? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Meghan

      Hey Rachel! Coconut flour is super absorbent so their texture will be very different than if made with nut flour. You can certainly give it a try though – if you do, let me know how it turns out!

      Reply
  3. Jennifer

    Is that 3/4 cup of coconut, or 1 1/4?

    Reply
    • Meghan

      Hey Jennifer! It’s 1 1/4 (1.25 cups) xx

      Reply
  4. Michelle

    These look amazing. Would stevia and honey work instead of maple syrup ?

    Reply
    • Meghan

      Hey Michelle! Yep honey instead of maple syrup will work, although it’ll change the flavour a bit (not a bad thing!) And a bit of stevia should be fine too 🙂 Note that the syrup is what helps make them soft and chewy.

      Reply
      • Shiori Yamagata

        5 stars
        hello meghan!
        i bake this today♡

        in japan, maple syrup is so expensive so i used honey instead of it.XD
        thats sooo delicious!

        I will make it again!
        thank you wonderful recipe!!XX

        Reply
        • Meghan

          Glad you enjoyed them with honey instead! Yum!

          Reply

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Meghan Livingstone, CNP

Hi, I’m Meghan. I’m a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, blogger, and YouTuber with a passion for healthy, simple living. I’m here to inspire you to listen to your body, eat wholesomely, and create a fulfilling life.