Mint Macaroons

These mint macaroons are a meringue-style cookie loaded with shredded coconut and chocolate chips, flavored with just a quarter teaspoon of peppermint extract. That small amount is enough. Peppermint is potent, and a heavy hand turns cookies into toothpaste.

The base is a classic meringue: egg whites beaten with cream of tartar and salt until foamy, then sugar added one tablespoon at a time while beating continues to stiff, glossy peaks. The “do not underbeat” warning in this recipe is real. Underbeaten meringue collapses when you fold in the coconut and chips, giving you flat, chewy cookies instead of crispy, domed ones.

Folding the coconut and chocolate chips into the stiff meringue requires a gentle hand. Use a rubber spatula and cut through the center, scrape the bottom, and fold over. Stirring destroys the air structure you just spent 10 minutes building.

The low baking temperature is essential. These bake at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes, which dries the meringue slowly into a crisp shell around the chewy coconut center. A single chocolate chip pressed on top of each cookie before baking gives them a polished, bakery-case look.

Pro Tips

• Make sure your bowl and beaters are completely grease-free. Even a trace of fat prevents egg whites from whipping properly
• Room temperature egg whites whip to a greater volume than cold ones
• Line your cookie sheet with parchment for easier release. Meringue sticks to greased metal more than you’d expect
• Cool the cookies on the sheet for a full 10 minutes. Moving them too soon and they crack

Variations

• Dark chocolate mint: Use dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet for a more intense, bittersweet chocolate-mint combination
• Candy cane macaroons: Fold in 2 tablespoons of crushed candy cane pieces along with the chips for a festive holiday version