Easter Coconut Macaroons
40 min
Chewy coconut macaroons topped with little chocolate eggs — dead simple to make and always a hit at Easter.
eastercookiesdessert
Classic vanilla and cocoa shortbread cookies with that satisfying checkerboard pattern. One batch makes about 25 cookies — great for Christmas or honestly any time of year.
Instructions
- 1
Put the room-temperature butter, flour, sugar, and vanilla sugar into a food processor and blitz until it all comes together into a smooth dough.
- 2
Take out half the dough and set it aside. Add the cocoa powder to the remaining dough in the processor and blitz again until the cocoa is fully mixed in — now you've got one plain and one chocolate dough.
- 3
Divide each dough into two pieces, so you have four pieces total. Roll each one into a long log. If the dough feels crumbly, knead it a bit before rolling.
- 4
Arrange the four logs together so they form a checkerboard pattern when you look at the ends.
- 5
Press the logs gently together, then square off the sides by pressing each side lightly against the work surface. Slice into rounds about 1–2 cm thick.
- 6
Bake at 175 °C for about 12 minutes, until they're golden and set. Let them cool completely.
Per average serving
149
Calories
kcal
2.2
Protein
g
20
Carbs
g
6.8
Fat
g
0.7g
Fiber
4.5g
Sugar
1mg
Sodium
Family Portions
2portions
Adults
2
Children
No children added
Ingredients
Per average serving
149
Calories
kcal
2.2
Protein
g
20
Carbs
g
6.8
Fat
g
0.7g
Fiber
4.5g
Sugar
1mg
Sodium
Tips from the kitchen
- The butter has to be room temperature or the food processor will struggle to bring the dough together. Pull it out an hour ahead.
- When you add the cocoa, blitz until you don't see any pale streaks. Uneven cocoa means muddy looking squares instead of clean dark and light.
- Roll all four logs to the same thickness, otherwise the checkerboard ends up lopsided when you stack them. I eyeball them side by side before pressing together.
- If a log cracks or feels crumbly, just knead it back together with warm hands before rolling. The butter softens and it holds again.
- Twelve minutes is about right, but go by color. The plain dough should turn pale gold at the edges. Don't wait for the cocoa half to brown, you can't see it the same way.
Ways to vary it
- Swap the cocoa for an extra teaspoon of vanilla sugar in both doughs if you'd rather skip the chocolate and just have vanilla shortbread.
- Roll the finished log in coarse sugar before slicing for a bit of crunch on the edges.
- A little finely grated orange zest in the plain dough plays nicely against the cocoa side if you want something for Christmas.
Storage & leftovers
These keep about a week in an airtight tin at room temperature, and they stay crisp longer than you'd expect. You can freeze the raw logs wrapped tightly, then slice and bake straight from frozen, just add a minute or two. Baked cookies freeze fine too, thaw them on the counter, no reheating needed.
What to serve with it
A cup of coffee or strong tea is all they need. Around Christmas I put them out on a plate next to gingerbread and clementines.
UC
By Untrained ChefPublished 21 May 2026 · Updated 11 July 2026
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