Easy Vanilla Coconut Macaroon Mix
Make these with or without the thumbprints.
These are incredibly good and incredibly easy—just add water and bake. You can make thumbprints or make them without.
- Your questions about these cookies
- How to make thumbprint cookies
- How to use pastry fillings
- How to use leftover pastry filling
- How to make cheesecake bars
- See what others say
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I love coconut macaroons! They're incredibly good and almost effortless to make. All you do is add water and bake.
But I can't help myself. I love to embellish them with jams, fillings, or chocolate. I love chocolate. Chocolate kisses work.
They're fancy, sophisticated . . and simple. Just add water, mix, and bake.
And they're worth a lot more than they cost. You'll make a lot of cookies.
Make them for your loved ones. Make them for your friends. Make them for a special occasion. Make them for the weekend.
You should always have this mix on hand.
Dennis Weaver
Your questions about these cookies
Are they really that easy to make? Yes! Just add hot water, let sit for ten minutes, and bake. That's it. You can use a pastry bag, but the cookies in the picture were scooped with a cookie scoop. An Ice cream scoop will do. Or a spoon.
But what if I want to fill them like in the pretty picture? Find something in the kitchen with a half-inch or so handle. Press it into the cookies, fill the indentations, and bake.
How long should I bake them? It depends on how big you make them and how hot your oven is. Bake them until the edges just start to brown.
Any cautions? Yes, don't let them cool on the cookie sheet or they'll stick like crazy. Get them off while they're hot. I prefer parchment paper. That solves the problem.
Anything else? You're going to make a lot of these. Jams work fine, but consider using pastry fillings. They're larger but less expensive to use, and the flavor is more concentrated.
Why do they cost more than your other cookies? Because coconut costs more than flour. They're almost pure coconut.
How to Make Thumbprint Cookies
How to Use Pasty Fillings
How to Use Leftover Pastry Filling
lemon cheesecake bars
How to Make Fruited Cheesecake Bars
The recipe calls for eight ounces of fruit filling. That’s the size of many jams. Most commercial pastry fillings are two pounds, that’s enough for four batches.
Of course, you can use more than eight ounces of filling if you like.
This recipe makes a large 9 x13-inch pan of cheesecake bars.
The easiest way apply your fruit filling, is with a pastry bag. (If you use a pastry filling, the bag acts as a pastry bag—cut off the corner and squeeze. That's the way pastry fillings come.)
When you’re through, fold over the open end and put a clip on it. Refrigerate the bag and use the remainder within six months.)
If you are using a jam or other filling and don’t have a pastry bag, use a zipper-type plastic bag and clip the corner. If the jam is too thick to drizzle, heat it in the microwave.
For the crust
You will also need a Baby Cake Mix, which is a cream cake mix, or equal.
- 1/2 cube butter
- 1 egg
- 1 8-oz package of cream cheese
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 pound of powdered sugar
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan with shortening.
- Melt the butter and whisk the egg. In a medium bowl, stir the cake mix, egg, and melted butter together. To form the crust, press the mixture into the bottom of the 9 x 13-inch pan.
- For the cream cheese filling: In the bowl of your stand-type mixer (with the paddle attachment), beat the cream cheese until it’s soft. Add the three eggs, vanilla, and powdered sugar and beat until well-combined. Scrape the filling into the crust and smooth it out.
- Cut a 1/4-inch corner off a squeeze bag of fruit filling (you may use other fillings). Squeeze eight strips of filling across (not lengthwise) over the cream cheese filling. Create a pattern by dragging the edge of a spatula across the lines of filling at 90 degrees and at 3/4 inch intervals. That will create woven look to your dessert. The topping will melt into the cream cheese in the oven.
- Bake for 30 to 33 minutes or until the top of the bars become a pretty golden brown. Chill the cake. After it is chilled, cut it into bars with a knife or pizza wheel.
See what others say:
"These were so easy to make. The pkg says it makes 3dz but I made mine a little bigger but still got 27 cookies. I baked them the full 12 minutes but I might add another minute or two next time to get a little more browning around the edges. They are one of my favorite cookies and I’m extremely happy how easy this mix makes it to bake them."
"Coconut goodness! Easy to make. Only need hot water! How great is that! Baked mine for 10 minutes. Looked a little too plain. Toasted mine under the broiler till lightly browned. Beautiful! If you like coconut at all, you should try these."