Almond Joy Macaroons

Almond Joy Macaroons capture everything great about the candy bar — toasted coconut, whole almonds, and a chocolate coating — in a homemade cookie that's actually made with real ingredients. They are the kind of Halloween treat that adults secretly prefer over anything from a candy bowl.

Dessert Nov 1, 2025 0 109 Add to Reading List

Halloween this year called for a costume-free celebration no parties, no trick-or-treaters making it up to the apartment so I channelled all that seasonal energy into making something worth eating instead. Almond Joy candy bars were the inspiration. That specific combination of sweet coconut, whole almond, and chocolate coating is one of the better things the candy world has produced, and I wanted to recreate it as a proper homemade cookie.

These Almond Joy Macaroons are exactly that. The base is my standard coconut-oat macaroon the same one I've been riffing on with different flavours for months. For the Almond Joy version, I pressed a whole toasted almond into the centre of each macaroon before baking, then dipped the bottoms in melted chocolate once cooled. The result looks and tastes remarkably like the candy bar, but made from ingredients you can feel good about.

The chocolate component here is intentionally simple just melted dark chocolate with a tiny bit of coconut oil to keep it fluid and glossy. Dark chocolate works better than milk chocolate for dipping because it sets firmer and provides more contrast to the sweet coconut. But if you grew up on Almond Joy and associate it with milk chocolate, absolutely use that instead.

One detail that makes a difference: toast the almonds before pressing them in. It takes 5 minutes in a dry pan and transforms them from bland to nutty and fragrant. It's the kind of step that feels optional but really isn't.

Assembly Tips

Press the almond in firmly before baking so it doesn't roll off
Let the macaroons cool completely before dipping warm cookies will melt the chocolate
Dip just the base, not the whole cookie, for the best Almond Joy look and ratio
Set on parchment and refrigerate for 10 minutes to set the chocolate quickly
Check out the white chocolate version for a seasonal variation

Name:	Almond Joy Macaroons
Cuisine:	Fusion
Prep Time:	15 minutes
Cooking Time:	18 minutes
Total Time:	33 minutes
Servings:	24
Yield:	24 macaroons

Ingredients

2 2/3 cup full fat shredded unsweetened coconut (one 8 oz package) OR 1 cup of coconut butter
1 cup reduced-fat shredded unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup unsalted dry-toasted sliced almonds
3/4 cup pure maple syrup, preferably Grade B
2 tsp pure almond extract
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1 cup chopped chocolate (dark, milk, semi-sweet, or grain-sweetened <– what I used)
chopped sliced almonds for dipping chocolate-covered macaroons, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
In a food processor, process 2 2/3 cups full fat shredded coconut for about 5-8 minutes, until a thick, smooth coconut butter forms, scraping down the sides as needed (this will yield about 1 cup of coconut butter).
Combine the coconut butter and the remaining ingredients through salt in a bowl. Stir until well-combined.
Using a mini ice cream scoop or a small spoon, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet (no need to leave much room in between as they do not spread out). Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the bottoms of the macaroons are lightly browned. The macaroons will be very soft at this point.
Allow the macaroons to sit at room temperature on the baking sheet for about 30 minutes, or until they firm up and cool down.
While the macaroons cool, melt the chocolate either in the microwave using 30 second intervals or over a double boiler. You can either dip the cooled macaroons into the chocolate, covering the flat bottoms, (then dip the chocolate-covered macaroons in the chopped sliced almond, if using), or you can drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the cooled macaroons. Place chocolate-covered macaroons on a parchment or waxed paper-lined plate and place in the fridge until the chocolate has hardened.