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Pistachio Coconut Macaroons

These easy homemade pistachio coconut macaroons are chewy and soft and made without sweetened condensed milk! A hint of rosewater makes these so special! Perfect for Christmas! Dark Chocolate makes these so special! Great homemade coconut cookies for the holidays 

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword coconut mararoons with chocolate, pistachio Christmas cookies, soft coconut macaroons
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 20
Calories 120 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut flakes see
  • 1 1/2 cups skinned pistachio nuts see notes
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 tsp rosewater or orange flower water or vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg white
  • Pinch salt
  • 9 oz dark chocolate

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. In this recipe, you can use either grated fresh coconut or dried coconut flakes. If using dried coconut, rehydrate it by pouring it into a bowl and covering it with warm water. Let the coconut soak for 5 minutes, then drain. Squeeze all the excess liquid out firmly with your fingers. Proceed with recipe. If using fresh coconut, no need to prep it-- simply proceed with the recipe.
  2. Skinning the pistachio nuts will result in a brighter green color and a prettier end result, but if you are short on time it is not required. You can learn how to skin them by searching my blog for "how to skin pistachios." Place skinned pistachios into a food processor. Process for a few seconds until the mixture becomes a mixture of fine crumbles. Don’t over-process and let it turn into a paste… it should resemble crumbs.
  3. Beat the egg and egg white together in a small bowl. Stir the processed pistachio crumb mixture into the rehydrated coconut along with the sugar, potato starch, rosewater or vanilla, beaten egg and egg white, and salt. Stir with a fork well to combine, making sure all ingredients are evenly dispersed.
  4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Place rounded tablespoonfuls of the coconut mixture onto the baking sheet, evenly spaced, forming the mounds into rounded haystack-like shapes. They will feel very loose and delicate at first, but will firm up as they bake.

  5. Place the macaroons in the oven and let them bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the bases turn light golden brown. Don’t overbake or they will become dry. Remove the macaroons from the oven and allow to cool directly on the baking sheet. Do not try to move them before they are cool as they are super delicate, but they become firmer as they cool.

  6. Melt 9 oz dark chocolate, either in the microwave or in a double boiler. If using the microwave, heat at 50% power for 1 minute, stir, then continue to melt in 15 second bursts at 50% power until the chocolate becomes smooth. Grasp each macaroon at the top and dip the top into the melted chocolate, twisting it into the chocolate and coating it about 1/4 inch up the sides. Place back on the baking sheet.

Recipe Notes

  • I added orange peel to the chocolate ganache and it was delicious! 
  • Orange water is a superb stand in for rose water. 
  • You should use raw pistachios for this recipe. They have a nicer color and they will hold together better because they have more moisture.
  • You can use potato starch instead of cornstarch.
  • For a greener color, add some drops of food color.
  • If you want, you can use skinned almonds or hazelnuts instead.