A healthy cookie that tastes like pure decadence? One that doesn’t even require baking? Oh, and made with all nourishing and healthy ingredients. Well, hallelujah and glory be – it’s a good day.
These small mounds of chocolatey goodness may not look like much, but they are totally amazing.
They have lots of cocoa and honey. Really, how can you go wrong with that combo? I’ve heard some people call them chocolate frogs, but I grew up with my mom making a different version of these and she called them macaroons. Chocolate coconut macaroons are a staple at my house. If I need to satisfy a sweet craving ASAP I’ll make a few of these stuffed dessert dates. Otherwise, if I have just a few extra minutes, I’ll make a batch of these no-bake chocolate cookies. (Tripling it, as always, for my favorite freezer cooking method.)
Benefits of No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Macaroons
- quick & easy
- totally grain-free
- dairy-free
- refined sugar-free
- no-bake
- contain healthy fats from coconut oil- which is an excellent addition to your regular diet.
- contain fiber, protein, & carbohydrates- all essential in a nourishing sweet treat.
- totally amazing, the only drawback is that you might have to share them with your kids.
They are one of our favorite cookies and a perfect treat when you want something sweet but good for you too! If for some reason your local store doesn’t have all of these ingredients you can find all of these recipe ingredients online from places like Amazon.
Since hubby and I are currently avoiding refined sugar altogether, I made up a batch of these macaroon cookies this afternoon to satisfy my sweet craving. I only had to eat one and my craving was finished. They are great for satisfying any chocolate craving too. I’ve taken them to potlucks several times and no one has any clue they’re actually healthy. They’re that yummy.
How to Make Chocolate Macaroons
If you have been looking for the perfect coconut macaroons that don’t require baking like traditional macaroon recipes, look no further than this tasty treat.
They are packed with wholesome ingredients, so you won’t find sweetened condensed milk, sweetened dried coconut, or other refined sugars. They are even dairy-free! There is not much liquid in this coconut macaroon recipe, the raw honey and coconut oil are all you need. You don’t even have to swap coconut milk for the condensed milk.
These aren’t super chewy coconut macaroons since they aren’t baked or loaded with sugar from the condensed milk and white sugar, but they are still pure decadence, and just the right density in your mouth. I might be biased, but I’m pretty sure that they may be the best macaroons out there.
Ingredient Checklist
- Raw honey
- Unsweetened coconut flakes
- Almond Meal (can sub extra coconut flakes instead)
- Coconut oil
- Cocoa powder
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract
Basic instructions for making these delicious coconut cookies.
I love how simple they are! The full recipe for the chocolate coconut macaroons is at the end bottom of this post.
- Melt honey on low heat in a medium sauce pot, no double boiler required. Add coconut oil, salt, and vanilla, and melt all together. (If the room temperature of your house is below 75 F, then your oil will be solid.)
- Add the flaked coconut and cocoa powder, and stir to combine. Add the almond meal and stir to combine. (I do all of this in the same pot I used to melt the honey and oil. You could use a large bowl but why dirty extra dishes?)
When all of the ingredients are nice and cozy, then drop it by the spoonful onto a cookie sheet (love my stoneware!). I lined mine with parchment paper ( because I didn’t want to have to get out my chisel again in order to get them off the pan.
Place them in your freezer for at least 20 minutes, or until they are firm. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge, or in the freezer for up to 3 months in a sealed container.
Fun variations for this recipe?
I love these chocolate coconut macaroons exactly how they are, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t change things up a bit. You can use the recipe as a base and add all sorts of mix-ins! A bit of recipe testing will help you figure out your favorite way to make them. It is such an easy macaroon recipe, even with fun additions.
Here are a few ideas to get you going:
- Chocolate chips. All the kinds- semisweet chocolate, white chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, or milk chocolate.
- Chopped Nuts. Almonds, walnuts, etc.
- Chopped Dried Fruit. Cherries, blueberry, or apricots would be great.
- Dipped in melted chocolate. Dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate of course. This a sure way to let the chocolate flavor shine through.
Homemade Chocolate Coconut Macaroons: Expert Tips & Tricks
Can I freeze chocolate macaroons?
For sure! Beyond the initial brief stint in the freezer to get these to the right firmness/texture, these gluten-free coconut macaroons can be stored longer-term in the freezer if desired. I’ve only ever had them last a month or two before they get eaten, so I haven’t tested them longer than that, but I’m guessing they’d be great up to 3-4 months.
How do I store these macaroons?
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week or in the freezer for up to 4 months, if you can manage to not eat them all before then.
Can I substitute…?
There are always those times when you start making a recipe only to realize you are missing an ingredient. Bummer right? Or maybe you need to avoid (or don’t like) an ingredient. Here some swaps to help you out.
Please note that these are personally untried. If you try one or come up with one of your own please let me know in the comments!
- Almond meal– You can substitute more coconut flakes. This would be an awesome swap for a coconut lover! Some readers have substituted whole oats or oat flour.
- Vanilla Extract– For extra almond flavor you could try almond extract.
- Coconut Oil– You could try peanut butter, another nut butter, or coconut butter. You may need to add a bit more since it is not a liquid.
- Honey– It’s not suggested to substitute the honey for another sweetener like maple syrup. This recipe depends on the stickiness from the honey as a key ingredient to bind the coconut macaroons together. For best results stick to honey. You can mix of the type of honey you use. I’ve made this with creamed honey and raw honey. In a pinch, regular heated honey would work as well. There are so many varieties out there- there is the standard clover honey, orange blossom, wildflower, and so many more!
- Flaked Coconut– Shredded coconut. There is little difference between the two.
Are these chocolate coconut macaroons healthy?
Raw honey is still a form of natural sugar but it is much better for you than refined white sugar. These refined sugar-free macaroons should still be consumed in moderation, guilt-free of course! I love that delicious dessert can actually be good for you.
These no bake chocolate cookies are sneaky little things, so no one is probably going to pick up on the fact that you are giving them a superfood. So bring them to your next potluck, super bowl party, or play date and take delight in the fact that you are getting people to eat something healthy.
Good times are to be had when people gather around a table with a love of community and love of food, and that’s an important part of healthy eating too.
If you really wanted, you could probably swap a bit of the coconut for some other super healthy add-ins, like chia seeds, hemp hearts, or ground flax, but I don’t. Not everything in life has to be healthified to within an inch of its life, right? You do your thing – just make sure you actually enjoy the end result. 😉
One extra super ingredient that I would fully endorse adding is collagen powder, which adds protein and will be undetectable in these chocolate macaroons thanks to dissolving easily and being practically tasteless. Here’s my favorite source for high-quality, glyphosate-free, grass-fed collagen.
Super Star Ingredients in these No-bake Chocolate Coconut Macaroons
- Raw Honey. Research from the Mayo Clinic, shows that raw honey contains amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It has anti-inflammatory and has antibacterial properties.
- Coconut Oil. It can improve blood lipid levels compared to unhealthy fat choices. It is high in lauric acid, an essential fatty acid that naturally has anti-microbial properties to fight off illness.
- Flaked Coconut. Rich in fiber and MCTs, it has the benefits of coconut oil with the added bonus of protein.
- Unrefined Salt. Unlike table salt unrefined salts like Real Salt and Himalayan, are actually good for you! It is full of minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
Thanks to the coconut oil and chewy coconut flakes the coconut flavor really gets a chance to shine through in these delicious treats.
What’s the Difference Between a Macaroon and a Macaron?
The macaron is a French creation that involves two beautifully round wafer-like cookies sandwiched around a layer of jam or creme filling. The round cookies are light and airy, made with egg whites and sugar.
On the other hand, the macaroon is more of an American creation. It’s a drop cookie that usually involves coconut, and is much denser in texture. This no-bake chocolate cookie recipe is a macaroon, not a macaron.
Both are delightful in their own right, but macaroons (especially this recipe) are generally way faster and easier to make, and this one doesn’t even need to be baked! I’d love to experiment with macarons someday (especially since they are typically gluten-free by nature, using almond meal and egg whites) but for now – quick and easy chocolate coconut macaroons are my jam!
If you want a few more delicious desserts, I’ve got you covered:
More no-bake desserts:
- Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
- Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
- Strawberry Coconut Chia Popsicles
- Chocolate Covered Ice Cream Bon Bons
Other cookie recipes you may enjoy:
- Raspberry White Chocolate Cookies (grain-free)
- Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (flourless)
Useful Equipment:
- Parchment Paper – highly recommended! (And I normally love my silicone baking mats to cut down my usage of parchment paper… but this recipe does tend to stick to the silicone during the freezer stage, so I use parchment.)
- Cookie Scoop – I love having different sized scoops, like in the set I linked here. I use the smaller scoop to make treats like this so that I can magnanimously allow my children to have seconds and thirds – without consuming any more than they would have if the cookies were “regular sized”. File that under Mom Life Hacks. 😉
No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Macaroons (Honey-Sweetened)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup cocoa
- 3.5 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup almond meal
Instructions
- Melt honey on low heat in a medium sauce pot. (No double boiler required.) Add coconut oil, and melt all together, then add salt, vanilla, and cocoa powder and stir until combined.
- Add the flaked coconut and almond flour/meal, and stir to combine. Mixture will be sticky, and should hold together fairly well.
- Use a small scoop or spoon to form the macaroons into small balls (size can be adjusted according to your preference) and place on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet, then freeze for at least 20 minutes, or until firm.
Notes
- Lined baking sheets make clean up much easier for this recipe. The chocolate coconut macaroons are a bit hard to remove when they are frozen solid without it.
- Store the macaroons in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Almond meal/flour can both be used, or you can also sub more coconut flakes instead. Some commenters have successfully used oats as a substitute as well.
Cynthia Licharowicz
Omg add almonds and this is like a chocolate inside of an almond joy. My new go to for my sweet tooth.
Tracy
This is almost exact to my grandmother’s recipe 🙂 Only difference or option shall I say, is that we use old fashioned rolled oats instead of the almond meal…
Valerie
Anyone know the calorie count per macaroon or ballpark
Julie
Could you tell me what kind of cocoa you use? These sound so good I can’t wait to try them.
Emily
Your recipe was hilarious – I was wondering what the cold box on top of my fridge was. I’m trying these tonight!
Jenna Weiner
If you make your own almond milk, you can take the pulp that is left and dehydrate it (I used my oven). When it’s all dry, you can blend it to get the fine texture, just like store-bought almond flour…. but using something that you’d normally just throw away.
Allie
These cookies are amazing!! I made them to bring to a friend’s house for dessert. One of the kids is gluten and dairy free, but loves chocolate, so this was the perfect fit. While cooking, I realized that I didn’t have enough cocoa powder, so I added about 2 tablespoons of organic chocolate pudding powder (dairy free). After freezing the cookies, I read the pudding box, which said the pudding “powder” shouldn’t be eaten uncooked. So I took the cookies out of the freezer, mashed them up in a bowl, added a whisked egg, reformed them into balls (much easier to form this way, too!) and baked them in a 350 oven for about 14 minutes. While they were still warm, I carefully rolled them in a bit more unsweetened coconut. They look like snowballs and taste like heaven! I’ll serve them room temperature, but they’re amazing if eaten while still warm. My son must’ve eaten three already! 🙂 Thanks so much for the recipe. This one is a keeper!! 🙂
Evelyn
I added oatmeal instead of almond meal and they were delicious!
Lori
I was wondering if you ground your oats before adding them? I’d like to try oatmeal in place of the almond flour too, since my son has a nut allergy.
Beth
You could actually just use a slight bit extra shredded coconut. As long as they’re sticking together and you can form balls, it’s fine. 🙂
Colleen
These were AMAZING!!!! I am new to AIP and was so happy that they turned out so well. Now I can have my sweet fix and not feel guilty.
Kelly
I just made these, are they are delicious! I actually must confess that I ate some of the “batter” while it was still warm. Muahahahaha! 🙂
I used organic regular honey (not raw) because I am on immunosuppressants and cannot have certain raw items like honey, milk, cheese, etc. I know the heat processing that is done ruins the nutrients, but I can’t risk the alternative…..
Anywho, thanks for the recipe! It cured my aching sweet tooth. 😉
ZD
Hi Beth
I have been devouring your blog for th past few days. I love this recipe. Cant wait o finish rough oat bars and pancakes o try it out. I am just starting to dip my toes into he greener waters. Im also following your no poo story, have to say I nearly didnt read it as my kids r big and I thought topic was sth else… Anyhow, I only wash my hair once tops twice a week, using bad commercial stuff and I dye it so I was just wondering if anyone tried no poo on dyed hair? I know that shouldnt e in this topic, sorry.
brilliant blog. Keep on. I am truly enjoying reading your posts!!!
ZD
sorry T is broken on laptop…
Jill Gehring
I was wondering if I can use coconut flour in place of the almond meal? I am not sure of some substitutions.
Thanks!
Ioanna
I did. It absorbs a lot of moisture/liquid so start with less and work your way up
Stacy @Stacy Makes Cents
Uh, yum. Thanks for linking up! 🙂
Jen
How is honey “healthier” than sugar? Essentially it IS sugar. Once you eat it it affects blood glucose and insulin just like sugar.
Jen
one of many reasons:
“One thing that should be noted is that honey’s sugars are (independently) fructose & glucose, which are monosaccharides. Sugar (sucrose) is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose. The difference? In digestion, monosaccharides are absorbed in our intestinal tracts, while disaccharides have to first be broken down to monosaccharides to be absorbed. Our bodies naturally have enzymes to break them down. However, not all sucrose molecules are broken down in digestion and they reach the gut bacteria.
This poses an issue with people with digestive diseases such as Ulcerative Colitis, like myself. The bad bacteria in our guts feast off of undigested sugars, which pretty much happens with everyone. However, if there is an over-population of bad bacteria (in my case a result of long-term antibiotic use which messed up the gut flora, or bacterial mix in the intestines) the intestines become inflamed to fight the infection resulting in severe symptoms. By using honey as a sugar substitute in everything I eat I am limiting the sugars that reach the intestinal flora, therefore starving out the bad bacteria over a long period of time to help restore a normal balance of flora.
When the bacteria in our gut gets to feed off of sugars, some of their by-products are different gases, including methane. If you substitute honey for sugar in much of your diet, a funny result is that you fart substantially less.”
Do a little reading and a whole new world is opened up to you.
Jen
Really interesting! I had no idea (obviously!). My personal concerns are how sugars affect insulin, get stored as fat, etc. so that’s what was on my mind. My husband, however, also suffers from Ulcerative Colitis, and when I read this to him he commented that when he was avoiding sugar, he noticed his gut feeling better. Thanks so much for all this info.
Dea
What a fantastic response! So interesting!
Would you mind if I copied this into a personal facebook info status (citing you commenting on this post)? I think such a concise and informative response would be so helpful!
tina
Have you tried using Sunflower Seed flour in place of Almond? We soak, sprout and dehydrate organic raw sunflower seeds, and then grind them into either meal or flour depending on the needs. Organic sunflower seeds are much less expensive than almonds, and they work exactly the same.
“-)
Teresa
Hello. Could you send me directions in how to do the flour you make?/ thank you so much.
Shirly
Just made these for the first time – they are SO yummy, thank you so much for this amazing healthy recipe. We love it <3
Shannon Brown
I should have posted before now. I’ve made these three times and taken them to two functions where they were gobbled up by young and old. I make them as written but use a mixture of Tropical Traditions shredded coconut and coconut flakes so some is finer and that suits my taste buds. People have asked about honey and I’m using a raw honey that’s liquid, not creamed, so just like any honey you might buy in the store. I think people asking questions might not have realized that they have to keep stirring when they add the coconut – it looks like there isn’t enough liquid but if you keep stirring it suddenly changes and comes together.
Thank you!
Tammy
These are the best I have ever tried, LOVE THEM
J Brittney
LOVE these! And I especially love that you call them frogs!! Are you from the east coast? I am and recently moved to the west coast…where NO ONE knows them as “frogs”. This was SO easy, I kept everything on the burner until I was ready to spoon them out! (oh, and I used oats instead of almond meal….just starting my conversion to gf/df/sf and still learning about all of the other possibilities).
Laura S
I just made this recipe tonight, but I had a hard time with it being to dry to stick together. I used all the quantities the recipe called for, but in the end ended up adding at least another 1/3 cup coconut oil. Have you ever had this problem? DO you transfer the honey/coconut oil mixture to a mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, or do you add them all to the pan on the stove while the heat is still on low? Maybe that would be part of it…
Beth
Hi Laura,
So sorry you had troubles with the recipe! That is always so frustrating when you try recipes from the internet, eh? I do in fact add the dry stuff to the still warm stuff after it’s melted, so maybe the heat helps bind it together. Also, I find that the kind of honey can make a difference. When I posted this I lived very near a honey farm and had awesome organic raw creamed honey. Now I just have the regular grocery store honey, and it does act differently in recipes, though I haven’t yet tried it in this one (we moved just a few months ago).
Next time you could try adding more honey as well so that the coconut oil isn’t too overwhelming. It’s also stickier than oil, so maybe it would stay together better.
I do have to squeeze them together in order to form balls. It’s not until they’re in the freezer that they really firm up and don’t fall apart.
You could also skip the almond flour – that would make them stickier.
I hope they taste good anyway tonight! 🙂