These Easter Egg & Nest Macaroons are perfectly crisp yet chewy macaroons that are packed with coconut and are not too sickly sweet. They are a perfect Easter dessert.
I found a vintage egg mold pan at Goodwill a few weeks ago for a few bucks and was excited to bake with it. But, after trying to make sweet eggs out of vanilla panna cotta and lemon curd and it ending in failure, I was a bit discouraged. That is until I saw Susan Spungen’s post on how she used her vintage egg mold to make coconut macaroons, and thus these Easter Egg & Nest Macaroons were born!
I don't bake with coconut often, but when I do I make coconut the star of the dessert. My Raffaello Mille-Feuille centers coconut alongside white chocolate in this patisserie-worthy dessert. Another coconut-centric dessert I love to bake is a Coconut Frangipane Tart.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- There is no waiting time — this recipe is quick!
- You can make these macaroons without sweetened condensed milk (in case you don't have any on hand!)
- Sweetened coconut shines through, without being overly sweet.
- The shape and garnishes are easily customizable.
Ingredients
- Sweetened coconut flakes provide structure and sweetness
- Egg whites bind the macaroons and give rise
- These are also sweetened with granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour provides a bit of chew on the inside and crisp on the outside
- Kosher salt balances the sweetness
- I use vanilla extract to round out the flavors
- Cornstarch provides structure
- Robin eggs and white chocolate are used to garnish
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here's how to customize these to your liking:
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- Dark chocolate — use milk or dark chocolate to dip and drizzle instead of white chocolate
- Food coloring — color these pastel with a few drops of food coloring in the whipped egg whites before adding the rest of the ingredients
- Different extract — swap vanilla for coconut or almond extract
- Different shape — form these by hand or drop them with a large cookie scoop to make nests or a plain round shape
- Gluten-free — Replace the wheat flour with gluten-free flour, almond flour or coconut flour.
- Unsweetened coconut — if you use unsweetened coconut, you may consider upping the sugar to ½ cup
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make egg shaped macaroons
Step 1: Whip the egg whites while gradually adding granulated sugar to stiff peaks. Add vanilla extract and whip again until incorporated.
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients and the shredded coconut to the meringue. Fold gently until thoroughly mixed.
Step 3: If using an egg mold, press batter into the greased mold and remove gently with a rubber spatula. Transfer to a lined baking pan.
Step 4: Garnish baked macaroons with white chocolate and sprinkles, if desired.
Hot tips
- Grease the egg mold and mini muffin tin liberally, if using, as well as the spatula.
- Shake off the excess melted chocolate from the bottom of the macaroon before cooling on wax or parchment.
- Use a small round piping tip in the piping bag if piping drizzled chocolate on top for clean lines.
Store baked macaroons in an airtight container for 3-5 days at room temperature.
Yes, but the texture will not be the same.
Yes, but consider increasing the amount of granulated sugar to ½ cup.
More recipes you'll love
Lastly, if you make this Easter Egg & Nest Macaroons recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram or TikTok if you post!
📖 Recipe
Easter Egg & Nest Macaroons
Ingredients
Coconut macaroons
- 2 egg whites room temperature
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 7 oz sweetened coconut flakes
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Garnish
- white chocolate
- sprinkles
- mini robin egg candy
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Begin to whip egg whites on high speed (with a stand mixer or hand mixer with a whisk attachment). When foamy, slowly add sugar, about a tablespoon at a time. Be careful not to do this too fast. Continue whipping until stiff peaks.
- Add vanilla bean paste (or extract) and whip to combine.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together flour, salt and cornstarch.
- Add coconut flakes and flour mixture to the egg whites and fold until combined.
- Spoon mixture into egg mold, mini cupcake pan or into balls.
- If using an egg mold, pack the mixture in and then take a small rubber spatula or spoon to gently scoop out the now molded macaroon egg. Place them on a lined sheet pan.
- If using a mini cupcake pan to make nests, make a small indention where your robin egg candy will go. But do not place your robin eggs until after they are baked or they will melt.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown all over. Remove from the pans to cool completely on a cooling rack.
- Garnish with melted white or dark chocolate and sprinkles.
Notes
- If you follow a gluten free diet, you can replace the wheat flour with almond flour or coconut flour.
- Macaroons will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
- If you do not have sweetened coconut flakes, you can use unsweetened but you may want to up the amount of sugar.
