Plain macaroons are heavenly, but we wanted to make the cookies look as good as they taste. These cute nest cookies are the perfect treat for Easter, or any spring gathering. They’re simple enough for kids to make, and delicious enough for their parents and grandparents to eat. We call that a win-win.
We used a chocolate coconut macaroon cookie for the nest, but vanilla works just as well. On one trial, we tinted white cookies green to look like grass, but the chocolate was our favorite. We then used a dab of melted chocolate inside the nest, and placed a few of our favorite egg shaped candies. This not only adds to the taste, but it keeps the eggs from falling out.
Macaroon Mixes
For our cookies, we used a mix. We tried some with the chocolate mix, and some with the vanilla, but you could also try the pina colada mix with tropical-flavored jellybeans as the eggs. This made it so quick and easy, as the mixes are just-add-water.
If you prefer to make your own, try one of these recipes.
Coconut Macaroon Recipes
There are two keys to making these cookies. The first is making a light egg foam with plenty of volume. We’ll explain how to do that in the directions and in the baker’s notes. The second key is to have the right consistency of batter—one that does not run and spread too much. A spoonful of batter should stand up on the pan without too much spread. If it doesn’t, simply add more coconut.
One of the challenges of macaroons is getting them to release from the pan. We’ve found the best way to do this is to use parchment paper. If you don’t have any, you could also remove them from a well-greased baking sheet with a thin metal spatula as long as you do it immediately upon taking the cookies from the oven. If the cookies are not sufficiently cooked, the centers will be soft and be difficult to peel from the paper.
Easy Coconut Macaroons Recipe
Ingredients
3 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract (optional)
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut (or more as needed)
Directions
Let the eggs sit on the counter for about an hour before separating. Prepare a baking sheet by greasing it very well. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1. Place the egg whites in a medium bowl and starting at low speed, beat the egg whites until they begin to foam. As the foam continues to build, you can turn the speed to medium and then high. Beat until the foam forms stiff, glossy peaks. Add the extract as desired.
2. With a spatula, fold in the powdered sugar and coconut until just combined. Fold both in together to minimize the handling of the batter. If you want to color your cookies, add a drop of Americolor food coloring. We used Leaf Green.
3. Spoon the batter onto the pan in rounded mounds. The batter should be of a consistency that a spoonful will stand as a mound 3/4-inch high on the pan. If the batter is too thin and tries to run, add more coconut. If the last few cookies are too thin, add more coconut again.
4. Bake for 15 minutes for small- to medium-sized cookies, 18 minutes for larger cookies, or until the cookies are a light brown color.
5. Immediately remove the cookies with a thin metal spatula by slipping the edge of the spatula under the edge of the cookie and sawing back and forth. Cool on wire racks.
Easy Chocolate Macaroons Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients3 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract (optional)
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
3/4 cups chopped walnuts
3/4 cups sweetened flaked coconut (or more as needed)
Directions
Let the eggs sit on the counter for about an hour before separating. Prepare a baking sheet greasing it very well. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1. Place the eggs whites in a medium bowl and starting at low speed, beat the egg whites until they begin to foam. As the foam continues to build, you can turn the speed to medium and then high. Beat until the foam forms stiff, glossy peaks. Add the extract as desired.
2. With a spatula, fold in the powdered sugar, cocoa, nuts, and coconut until just combined. Fold both in together to minimize the handling of the batter.
3. Spoon the batter onto the pan in rounded mounds. The batter should be of a consistency that a spoonful will stand as a mound 3/4-inch high on the pan. If the batter is too thin and tries to run, add more coconut. If the last few cookies are too thin, add more coconut again.
4. Bake for 15 minutes for small to medium-sized cookies, 18 minutes for larger cookies.
5. Immediately remove the cookies with a thin metal spatula by slipping the edge of the spatula under the edge of the cookie and sawing back and forth . Cool on wire racks.
Baker’s Notes:
1. Egg white foams have more volume if whipped at room temperature.
2. Use a metal, glass, or ceramic bowl to beat egg whites in. Sometimes minuscule fat particles caught in the softer plastic bowls can cause the foam to fail.
3. Make sure that there is no yolk in the egg whites. Even a little fat from the yolk will cause the foam to fail.
4. Once the foam has been whipped to a maximum volume, fold in the sugar and nuts with a spatula turning the mixture as little as possible.
5. For more uniform cookies, the meringue can be piped with a pastry bag.
6. Granulated sugar can be used in the meringue. Since there is nocornstarch in the granulated sugar as there is in the powdered sugar, you may need to use more coconut to absorb the moisture. Granulated sugar makes for a shinier finish on the cookies. A stiffer, drier foam will also lend to a shinier finish.
How to Assemble the Cookies
1. While the cookies are still warm after taking them out of the oven, make a small indentation in each cookie.
2. Melt 1/2 cup chocolate. We recommend chocolate wafers because they melt smoother than chocolate chips.
3. Spoon a dab of chocolate in each nest.
4. Dip your chocolate eggs or jelly beans in chocolate and arrange them in the nest so the chocolate holds them in when it dries.
