Sweet and tender keto macaroons, chock full of coconut, almonds, and sugar-free dried cranberries. Dip them in some low carb chocolate for a delicious and easy keto dessert!
This keto macaroon recipe is my low carb, sugar-free take on the famous cookies from Au Bon Pain. They’re perfectly chewy and sweet, and dipped in dark chocolate, just like the original. But with only 3.4g of carbs per serving.
When I first moved to Boston for work, I frequented Au Bon Pain quite regularly and I had a weak spot for their cookies. I shudder to think how much sugar they contained.
So I had to try my hand at making keto coconut macaroons that could live up to the sweet and chewy treats in my memory.
I first published this recipe in 2012. It was really good back then but now I’ve made it even easier to make!
Keto Coconut Macaroons
Macaroons are an ideal recipe to convert to keto, as they are already completely gluten-free. Classic macaroons usually take egg whites, sugar or sweetened condensed milk, and plenty of shredded coconut. That’s about it.
When I first created my own keto macaroons, I went through the process of making my sugar-free condensed milk. Then I realized I needn’t go that far, that I could simply heat the cream and add sweetener and a little thickener to get the same consistency.
And they have that perfect chewy coconut macaroon texture!
Ingredients
Keto macaroons take only a handful of basic ingredients:
- Heavy whipping cream – It also works with coconut cream
- Powdered sweetener – I recommend Swerve Confectioners
- Extract of choice – vanilla, almond, or coconut
- Xanthan gum – to thicken the cream and help bind everything
- Egg whites
- Salt
Now if you want to get fancy and make my Copycat Au Bon Pain version, you can add:
- Sugar-free dried cranberries
- Sliced almonds
- Sugar-free dark chocolate (I love using ChocZero)
How to make chewy keto macaroons
- Simmer the cream. This takes the place of sweetened condensed milk, and you don’t need to simmer it too much. About 5 minutes will do to help it thicken.
- Stir in the sweetener, extract, and xanthan gum. I recommend a powdered erythritol sweetener here to avoid grittiness. The xanthan gum helps thicken the cream and gives the cookies more of that chewy quality.
- Fold in the coconut.
- Beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Then fold in the coconut mixture.
- Stir in the cranberries and almonds, if using.
- Bake until just golden. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- Dip in melted chocolate! I like to melt my keto chocolate with a bit of cocoa butter to thin it out, but you can also use a bit of coconut oil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! I have made similar keto macaroons with coconut cream in place of the heavy cream and it works perfectly.
I have only made these keto macaroons with Swerve Confectioners so I can’t guarantee the results with other sweeteners. My concern is that allulose or BochaSweet would make them too soft and they wouldn’t cook through properly. But if you do try, please let me know the results!
You make them! Trust me, it’s easy. You can purchase unsweetened dried cranberries on Amazon but they are expensive and, since they have no sweetener at all, they aren’t as tasty.
These cookies should be fine on the counter for up to 5 days, or stored in the fridge for 10 days. They can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
More keto coconut recipes
- Keto Coconut Cream Pie
- Creamy Keto Coconut Flan
- Dairy-Free Keto Chocolate Fudge
- Keto Coconut Cheesecake
- Keto Coconut Cake
Keto Cranberry Almond Macaroons
Ingredients
Macaroons
- 3/4 cup (178.5 g) heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup (91 g) powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tsp almond extract, (or vanilla extract)
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) xanthan gum
- 2 cups (160 g) shredded coconut, unsweetened
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/8 tsp (0.13 tsp) salt
- 1/2 cup (60.61 g) Sugar-Free Dried Cranberries, chopped
- 1/2 cup (118.29 g) sliced almonds
Chocolate Dip
- 2 1/2 ounces (70.87 g) dark chocolate chips, sugar-free, chopped
- 1/2 ounce (14.17 g) cocoa butter, (or 2 tsp coconut oil)
Instructions
For the macaroons:
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook until reduced and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Whisk in the sweetener and almond extract. Sprinkle the surface with xanthan gum and whisk vigorously to combine. Stir in the shredded coconut and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until they hold stiff peaks. Gently fold in the coconut mixture until well combined. Gently stir in the cranberries and almonds.
- Drop by rounded teaspoons onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until just barely browned around the edges and just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool completely on the pan.
Chocolate Dip
- In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and cocoa butter together until smooth.
- Dip each macaroon halfway into the chocolate and set on a waxed paper line baking sheet. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.
Nutrition
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My husband, daughter, and I all loved these.
I made these as my husband is a coconut-nut????. ever since I had covid in Aug my taste buds aren’t reliable. I made these and apparently they weren’t sweet enuff. when they were ready to eat my husband said they’d be better if they were sweeter. So I did the only thing I could do, I dumped them in a saucepan and melted them added a little heavy cream and more sweetener, 2oz of unsweetened chocolate, more coconut and sliced almonds to thicken batter. dropped on wax paper. ???? he said they reminded him of a soft chocolate oatmeal cookie..
Are theseGluten Free?
Yes. Just make sure your chocolate is entirely GF.
Easy to make. More candy-like than cookie, but very tasty.
Made these today and they were delicious and super easy. Made them with coconut cream instead of heavy cream.
These macaroons are absolutely addicting! I want to eat them all myself, so yummy!
I can’t believe something so delicious is also Keto friendly! The cranberries and the chocolate are the best!
Ok, these are amazing & the fact that they are dipped in chocolate, takes them to a whole new level!
You had me with the word “keto”. This was heavenly, Carolyn! I did a test run yesterday and I can’t wait to share it with my friend later for our Post-New Year get-together. I love how chewy it turned out. I used my favorite dark chocolate to complete the dessert. Would you recommend a particular keto chocolate for this recipe? Thanks!
I think I did talk about that in the blog post… ChocZero is an excellent choice.
i’d love to make these today but only have “flaked” coconut. will that work?
I would maybe grind it up in a food processor to make it smaller and more like shredded coconut.
These were incredible! This is a great recipe for sharing with non keto friends, they’re so pretty and taste normal/delicious. I debated whether to halve the almond extract and was glad I hadn’t because they were perfect as written. Thanks for a “forever” recipe!!
So glad to hear it!
Thanks for all the wonderful recipes, they have truly saved me. Type 2 diabetes on pills & 2 types of insulin, board to death, started KETO & your recipes, within 6 months off ALL my meds
Do you have to use the cranberry and almonds thanks love your recipes ????
Please read the blog post.
Things to make tomorrow – this has definitely made the list
I was sure I was finished making deserts for Christmas ( husband said I was going to wear out the oven) but what’s one more. These look heavenly. Thank you for all the work you do for us. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Sorry! But not really sorry either! 😉