Coconut Macaroons

And this finally concludes the epic morning of baking that I decided to embark on the other day. I had already made banana bread, chocolate chip cookies, and whole wheat pita all in the span of about 2-3 hours. But then again, if I was making so much rich, fatty foods...then I should probably counter it with a lighter, healthier snack, shouldn't I? Not that coconut macaroons are exactly "healthy", but in the world of cookies, I think it's pretty high up there. After all, there's no butter, fat, oil, or anything. The only real villain in the recipe is sugar - which I admit there is a lot of...but then again, it's a cookie...give it a break.

The recipe is slightly more complicated than the one for chocolate chip cookies, but still very simple, as are most cookie recipes.

Coconut Macaroons (adapted from Joy Of Baking)

Ingredients:

-2 egg whites, at room temperature
-1/2 cup granulated white sugar
-1/8 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-1/4 cup cake flour, sifted
-1.5 cups shredded, dried coconut

1. Place the egg whites, sugar, and salt in a stainless steel bowl, positioned over a pan of simmering water.
2. Stir until the mixture is warm and creamy.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients.
4. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours
5. Drop equally sized portions of the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure they are faily far apart from each other.
6. Bake at 325F for about 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.
7. Leave out for about 10 minutes, before transferring to a cooling rack and eating.