Cranberry Almond Macaroons | More Sweets Please

Cranberry Almond Coconut Macaroons

You know when they say “don’t mess with a good thing”?

Well sometimes the “they” people are stupid.

A macaroon cookie is a beautiful thing, and has the oomph to stand on its own. But it’s kind of like The World’s Greatest Fudge Brownie in that it can also act as a base for you to get creative, and add in what you’re craving… so in many cases, it does pay to mess around with a perfectly good coconut macaroon.

In this recipe, I chopped up the remaining cranberries I had lingering around and then toasted and chopped up some almonds. Throwing them into the gooey macaroon cookie batter I knew I had a winner in the works. A good macaroon has texture going for it- crispy and chewy on the outside, and soft and coconutty on the inside… so imagine a chewy bit of tart cranberry and a crunchy, toasty almond in the mix? The combination works.

These cookies are unbearably easy to make (meaning you’ll want to make them all the freaking time), so go slowly at first. And if you’re too lazy to scoop and bake individual cookies, go ahead and make a massive cookie with half of the cookie ‘dough’ (you can call it a “pie” if you’re so inclined) and slice it into pieces when serving- inspired by the Coconut Macaroon Pie recipe here. The bottom line is- these cookies are versatile, easy enough for a moron to make, and really, really good. Why aren’t you making them right now?!

Adapted from my Coconut Macaroon recipe…

1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

10 cups Angel Flake coconut (or sweetened shredded) (equal to 2 of the 4 oz. bags)

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries, chopped

1 cup almonds, slivered or sliced and toasted & chopped into smaller pieces
1. Preheat oven to 325° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. (If using tin foil, be sure to grease well or use a lot of non-stick spray.)
2. In a large bowl, pour half the sweetened condensed milk in and add half of the vanilla and half of the almond extract, stirring until well combined. Mix the other half of the vanilla and almond extracts in the can with the remaining condensed milk, stirring until well combined.
3. Add half of the coconut to the bowl, then pour the remaining condensed milk mixture overtop, then remaining coconut. Stir until combined, and then stir in cranberries and toasted almonds.
4. Scoop tablespoon size cookies onto prepared cookie sheets.
5. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes (until golden on tops and bottoms) and cool on racks. Store and devour at room temperature.
Tips:
- The marriage of the coconut macaroon and The World’s Greatest Brownie was a big celebration. And the relationship is still going strong. Try the Macaroon Fudge Brownie recipe here.
- You can switch the nuts from almonds to any other, if you’d like. Pecans and coconut go well together for sure. Just make sure to toast them before you stir them into the batter… bake them on a baking sheet for about 6-8 minutes in the hot oven.
- Want a dairy-free option? Click here for a version that is made with egg whites instead of sweetened condensed milk.
- Of course these freeze well! I just thawed some I had around at Christmas. Maybe a bit past their prime, but still amazing.
- Enjoy!
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March 6th, 2014 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: Coconut, Cranberry, Gluten-Free, Nuts