Drop Cookies: Coconut Macaroons

Everyone loves coconut. Except my oldest son. He hates coconut. But everyone else loves coconut. If you're a real coconut lover, these Coconut Macaroons are divine. They're simple, with only a handful of ingredients, and they bake up beautifully.


You can buy macaroons at the store, of course, but they're not nearly as good. These guys are purely delicious. You do need egg whites, not yolks, for these cookies. If you're not very good at separating eggs, crack 2 eggs in a small bowl. Do this gently so as not to break the yolks. Then scoop out the yolks with your hand. Your fingers won't break the yolks the way a fork might. Keep the yolks for another recipe, cook them, or simply add a little water and use them as an egg wash when making breads such as the Basic White Bread.


Ingredients


2 egg whites
⅓ cup sugar
2 tbsp all purpose flour
¼ tsp almond extract
dash of salt
2 cups coconut, shredded or flaked


Preparation


Heat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a cookie sheet, or use a really good nonstick liner. You can also spray the cookie sheet with baking spray. These cookies do stick, so prepare for that.


Beat the egg white with an electric beater until they are foamy. You don't want them forming peaks, but you do want them good and foamy. Put aside the electric mixer and use a basic wire whisk. Add sugar, flour, almond extract, and salt. Mix well until everything is nice and smooth. You want the sugar and flour to be completely dissolved in the eggs.


Add the coconut and fold in gently. Mixture will be very damp. This is normal. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheet. Try to keep the macaroons neat and tidy on the sheet to avoid burning.


Bake for 15 minutes, until the Coconut Macaroons are lightly browned. Remove immediately from cookie sheet and cool on a wire rack.


This recipe makes about 1 dozen macaroons.