Easy Orange Coconut Macaroons

*This post is sponsored by Eggland’s Best. Thank you for supporting brands that enable me to bring you great, new recipes! As always, all opinions are my own. 

These homemade Orange Coconut Macaroons are sweet, simple, and such a perfect spring or summer dessert! 

This Orange Coconut Macaroon recipe is made with only a few ingredients, including fresh orange zest and orange juice! Whole eggs and a little bit of butter make these chewy coconut macaroons extra rich. Plus, they are naturally gluten free! Scroll down for the details for an Eggland’s Best “America’s Best Recipe” contest too!

For someone who loves coconut as much as me, I’ve come to the realization that I’m seriously lacking some coconut recipes here on this blog.

I mean, from normal standards, I probably have plenty of coconut recipes, but for my personal standards (aka I’m-so-obsessed-with-coconut-it-might-actually-be-one-of-my-love-languages), I do not have nearly enough recipes.

So, obviously, when I figured out this little tidbit of information, I had to rectify the situation asap, which I did with 3 recipes:

Coconut Lemon Bars

No Bake Pistachio Pudding Cream Pie

Orange Coconut Macaroons (probably my favorite of them all…the orange flavor is I-N-S-A-N-E 😍).

All right, so speaking of the orange flavor, let’s talk all things citrus.

Growing up in Cali, oranges and citrus fruits are pretty much staples in my life. California has a deep history with citrus, especially in the southern region of California, and oranges provided quite a stable economic front in the late 1800’s. As such, oranges are the first thing that springs to mind when I think of a food California is known for.

Conveniently, I absolutely L-O-V-E all things oranges (whether that’s from living here or years of soccer Saturdays eating oranges at halftime, I don’t know), and I loooove any dessert or baked good filled with fresh orange flavor.

I used 2 whole Eggland’s Best eggs in this recipe. In comparison to ordinary eggs, Eggland’s Best eggs have 25% less saturated fats, and they have 6x the amount of vitamin D, 10x the amount of vitamin E, and are filled with Omega-3s.

Eggland’s Best eggs, as seen through independent testing, stay fresher longer than ordinary eggs. Additionally, they are a fantastic source of B12, B5, and Riboflavin. For all of the nutrition facts on the number 1 branded egg in the U.S., head on over to Eggland’s Best website for all the deets!

All right, so, let’s talk about the 2018 Eggland’s Best “American’s Best Recipe” contest!

Eggland’s Best is on the hunt for a passionate egg fan who has the best creative and original egg recipe! EB fans across the U.S. are invited to submit their favorite egg recipes inspired by their favorite ingredient or dish native to their state (i.e., why I chose oranges for this recipe!).

Each recipe must include at least 2 whole Eggland’s Best eggs, and each recipe needs to be submitted by April 30, 2018 for a chance to win $10,000! You can enter up to two recipes within each of the categories, so you could have up to 8 chances to win!

Are you ready to get cracking?? (Get it…like cracking an egg?? Ha. Ha. Ha.)

So, how do you make coconut macaroons?

Orange Coconut Macaroons Tips & Tricks:

– As mentioned above, I used 2 whole eggs in this recipe. Most coconut macaroon recipes are made with egg whites, which give a very light and airy macaroon (like this recipe for Easy Coconut Macaroons).

– However, in this recipe, I opted to use whole eggs. Whole eggs yield a richer, slightly denser macaroon. They add more flavor and texture (whole eggs make these cookies “chewy” coconut macaroons), and help the coconut turn all pretty and golden brown.

– When making these easy coconut macaroons, you begin with mixing the orange zest with the sugar. The flavor of the zest works its way into the sugar, making these macaroons extra orange flavored.

Orange Coconut Macaroons Tips & Tricks continued:

– Additionally, the use of eggs and butter mean these coconut macaroons are made without sweetened condensed milk. Instead, melted butter, orange juice, and the eggs are mixed with the orange sugar and coconut (with a splash of vanilla extract for good measure). Viola! That’s it.

– As with all fruits, the sweetness level can vary from one orange to the next. The sweeter and more flavorful the orange, the sweeter and more flavorful your orange coconut macaroons will be. This might seem like common knowledge, but I just wanted to throw that out there.

– Lastly, the best way to scoop these macaroons is with a cookie scoop! I use a medium sized cookie scoop, which is about 1 1/2 Tbsp – 2 Tbsp in size.

These were to-die for! The orange and coconut pair perfectly (and the fresh orange gives these THE best subtle orange color!).

 

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Here are some other recipes you might enjoy:

Orange Cream Scones

Mixed Berry Orange Naked Cake

Fresh Orange Smoothie