Yummy coconut pistachio macaroons are naturally gluten free, super simple to make and they taste amazing. They are chewy with a little bit of crunch and an optional dunk in chocolate makes them extra delicious.
If you are looking for a super simple dessert, you are in the right place. The mixture of coconut and pistachio makes for such a lovely flavor and the batter is ready to bake in about 5 minutes.
We recently hosted a small Christmas party for my husband’s business. One of the guys is dating a really nice woman who is gluten-free, so we wanted to make sure to have plenty of options for her as well.
Little Dude and I got busy making treats like chocolate cheesecake jars and strawberry topped no bake cheesecake jars. Then we got a request for pistachio macaroons and we couldn’t say no.
Luckily they are super simple to make. We adjusted our existing recipe for condensed milk macaroons to make them gluten-free and nutty.
I have to say the resulting cookies are beyond delicious. The outside has a bit of crunch that adds to the crunch of chopped nuts.
The inside is soft and gooey. The combination of textures is such a perfect treat.
If you dunk the bottoms in melted dark chocolate you get another layer of texture and flavor. The results are practically perfect!
What is the difference between macaroons and macarons?
Macaroons are simple coconut cookies usually either held together with egg whites or condensed milk, or sometimes both! They are delicious plain but also fabulous with chocolate or nuts.
Macarons are a sandwich cookie with French roots. They have meringue cookies that are dried a bit before they are baked so they form a little foot on the bottom.
The meringue cookies are held together by a layer of buttercream or other filling. They are really light and airy.
Now that we know the difference, I highly suggest you make some macaroons. They are really simple and tasty.
If you like this pistachio version, you are going to love my caramel pecan macaroons as well. There are so many tasty ways to change them up.
Start with these first, though. The pistachios and coconut are so good together!
Pistachio Macaroons
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted pistachios
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 14 oz bag sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Grind 1 cup unsalted pistachios in food processor to the point of small crumbs, stop before you get to a paste. Alternatively, chop the nuts as finely as possible.
- Stir together the chopped pistachios along with ½ teaspoon salt, 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk, 1 14 oz bag sweetened shredded coconut, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon almond extract.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop about 2 Tablespoons of the mixture onto lined pan.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Allow to cool completely.
- If desired, dip the bottoms of the cookies in melted chocolate.
Did you try this recipe?
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These were delicious and everyone loved them😻
Yay! Thank you!