A dozen or so days out of the year I find it completely acceptable to slather buttercream frosting on anything and everything in sight and go to party town. Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, promotions, finding a really good sale at Target. Go ahead, girl. Celebrate. But then for the other five 353 days out of the year we need something a little lighter, right? A little, less-than-1,000-fat-grams-per-serving. I’m not saying frosting is bad. In fact, if you say that, I say shun you, non believer. I’m just saying, we could use a healthier one in our arsenal once in a while for when the healthy mood strikes us. And for those times, I have just the solution.
Guess what?! Shredded coconut and macadamia nuts whirled together make frosting! A creamy, coconut-y, vanilla frosting that goes perfect on sugar cookies, pancakes, waffles, angel food cake and anything else for that matter. And there’s no butter and very little sugar involved.
The buttery, creamy goodness of macadamia nuts + the rich flavor of coconut is kind of perfect in this frosting.
If you are a coconut fan you will LOVE this recipe. I colored mine for frosting sugar cookies with, but you could just as easily leave it plain and dress it up with colored sprinkles or sugar.
The important part: What’s it taste like?
Buttery
Not too sweet
Infused with vanilla
Smooth with just a little texture from the coconut flake
& Perfect for piping!
Plus, with only 4 ingredients and a virtually endless shelf life, it’s the perfect “frosting” to have on hand for both special and everyday use. Enjoy!
4-Ingredient Coconut Macadamia Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups macadamia nuts
- 2 1/4 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 4-6 Tbsp powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and place macadamia nuts on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the macadamias have a bit of golden color and become fragrant. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.
- Add nuts to a food processor and blend into a meal. Remove and set aside.
- Add coconut flake to the processor and blend until creamy and smooth. This will take anywhere from 5-10 minutes depending on the strength/blade of your food processor. Scrape down sides as needed.
- As soon as you have your coconut butter, add macadamia nut meal and vanilla and blend again until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar 1 Tbsp at a time until you reach desired sweetness. I found that 5-6 was perfect for me, plus helped it thicken up a bit (amount as original recipe is written).
- At this point it’s perfect for adding to a squeeze bottle or piping bag and piping onto your baked good. Otherwise, you can refrigerate it to make it thicker. Will keep stored in the refrigerator for up to a month. Recipe (as originally written) makes enough to frost at least 3-4 dozen cookies + leftovers.
Notes
*If you can’t find or don’t like macadamia nuts, sub a similar nut such as cashews.
*Make chocolate frosting by adding ~ 1/2 cup melted bittersweet chocolate.
Toni says
Hi Dana, this is the most creative icing recipe I’ve found and I can’t wait to try it. Any chance I could sub cashews as I do t have macadamia nuts? Thanks so much!
Hi Toni! We haven’t tried that so we cannot guarantee results, but we do have a cashew buttercream that you might like to try instead? Let us know how it goes!
Jessica Gambill says
Can this be used to frost a cake?
Yes!
Amanda says
Can you use store bought coconut butter instead of using shredded coconut flakes?
We haven’t tried it but it could work! Let us know how it goes if you try it. xo
Aravinda says
Does this icing solidify and retain shape on the cookie. Like if place the cookie vertically as a cake topper, will the icing just flow away?
It doesn’t “flow away” but it does not harden like traditional icing.
Michelle says
Do you think this frosting would work well with gingerbread cookies?
I do!
Nettie says
This recipe comes out wonderfully! It kept for many months in the fridge and was fresh and usable for many different toppings . . . great on pancakes!
Angelena says
Curious of what you think about making it without roasting the nuts?
I think it’d be fine!
Diana says
Just finished making it . While it tastes great it is very runny. I dont want to add more sugar. How do I make it thicker?
You can thicken with a little starch, such as cornstarch or arrowroot. Or coconut flour!
ChronicMasterBaker says
According to the pictures, it looks runny :.( If it is going to be runny, it may as well be served on the side as a dip, not a topping that will smudge up against and stain stuff it touches. Does it “set” AT ALL?
Jeff says
Do you bake the cashews the same way you would the macadamia nuts?
EvasionTeam says
Further strengthening of the shape is a variety of weapons and armor which might be open
and bought to help, how are sites.
Zara says
Hi Dana! I was wondering if this frosting goes hard?
Suzy says
I’m wondering the same thing too…?
Daniela says
Hi Dana, I will try this! Do know if we can substitute sugar for anything else? Im doing a sugarless birthday cake for my suns first birthday, an this frosting sounds sp easy and yummy!:)
Perhaps you could sub powdered stevia or honey? Hope that helps!
Minis says
Sounds good. How long does it take to dry up?
Jessica says
This is brilliant! I’m trying it now to decorate our sugar cookies for Christmas :)
Suzanne @ hello, veggy says
Genius!! I love this healthy twist ;)
Sophia says
I’ve been repinning tons of your posts, thanks!!! Do you used reg food coloring to color your frosting? Do you know of a good/easy ‘alternative’ food coloring?
Thanks Sophia! As for natural food coloring, simply search “natural food dyes” for a plethora of results. You’ll also find some DIY tutorials in there. In a pinch, I’ll use berry juice for shades of blue/purple and red. Hope that helps!
Kate says
This frosting is so genius! Reminds me of some toasted macadamia and coconut butter I made a while back. I wouldn’t thought to spread it on cookies!
Jenny @ BAKE says
This sounds delicious! I’m not a huge fan of overly sugary frosting so this sounds perfect!
Kristi says
Ummmmm… yum! I never thought of making frosting like this, but I can’t wait to try it.
Christine @ Gotta Eat Green says
So simple, and looks sooo delicious. I was going to make some vegan sugar cookies tonight and this would be heavenly layered on top!
Cassie says
Plus for those of us with a dairy allergy, we need yummy, easy options too!
Katherine says
I just wanted to comment that this should firm up if refrigerated. The coconut oil will harden and stay hard as long as below room temp.
Abbie @ Needs Salt says
Oh man I have a weakness for frosting. This one looks amazing, though, and so simple! (and pretty healthy, too.) Gorgeous!
Pinning!
Thanks Abbie!
Lee says
FitFoodie_Dana.
Nuff said. LOVE THIS.
haha, thanks friend!
Sarah | The Sugar Hit says
Coincidence: I literally just bought a ton of macadamia nuts. It’s fate.
TOTAL FATE ;D