Quick and Healthier Coconut Macaroon Recipe

This lighter version of a coconut macaroon recipe omits the condensed milk that my usual recipe calls for and it’s easy to jazz it up however you like. Plus, the added convenience of using AllWhites Egg Whites speeds up the preparation because there aren’t any eggs to crack and separate. These are 100% liquid egg whites with zero yolk… and you can’t have the latter at all in a macaroon recipe. I’ve never used a product like this before and can understand the appeal after making this recipe, adapted from the AllWhites Almond Macaroon recipe. The only difference is that they used almond extract, which I swapped for vanilla extract.

It’s possible to have a batch of these coconut macaroons whipped up from start to finish in less than an hour, which is perfect for last-minute guests.

I was even able to do some work on the computer during that time while waiting for the cookies to bake. You don’t need to bust out an electric mixer either as a simple whisk will do. Clean-up was a breeze.

Basically what you do is mix the egg whites, coconut, sugar and salt until the sugar dissolves which took several minutes.

Then, you whisk in the flour and coconut.

Put the bowl in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Begin preheating the oven to 325 degrees F.

Try not to eat the dough… it’s pretty tasty! Drop by rounded tablespoons on to the cookie sheet. Next, time I think I’ll double the size though so that the cookies are larger.

I decided to top one batch with sprinkles before putting them into the oven. However, next time, I would just mix them into the batter. AllWhites suggests using dried cherries in their recipe however small chocolate chips or anything else would work, too. I will say though that they are awesome plain.

They took 15 minutes to bake in my oven. Do not over-bake!

If you want to drizzle the tops with melted chocolate or candy melts, all you need to do is fill the corner of a Ziploc bag, microwave it for a few minutes and snip a small hole in the corner when the chocolate feels soft enough to pipe. Wad it up and squeeze.

Yield: 2 dozen

Recipe: Quick and Healthier Coconut Macaroons

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) AllWhites® egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups sweetened flaked coconut
• (optional) For Cherry Almond Macaroons stir in ½ cup chopped dried cherries into the coconut mixture before refrigerating and use almond extract instead of vanilla extract.

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil; spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk together AllWhites, sugar, almond extract and salt until sugar is dissolved. Stir in flour and coconut. Refrigerate mixture 15 minutes.
3. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, 1-inch apart, on prepared baking sheet. Press firmly to create mounds.
4. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until bottom of cookies are light golden brown. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes; remove to cooling rack.
5. Pipe chocolate on top (optional).

Enjoy!