The 50-Bite Macaroon

As a rule, I stay from anything described as "two bite"-- you know what I mean: those brownies/cupcakes/cookies sold in those round plastic things at the grocery store sized just small enough to keep you wanting more...and more...and more.  And you know why I avoid them? Because whoever calls something that good a two-bite anything obviously doesn't understand simple multiplication: if you eat ten, they are actually twenty-bite brownies. If you buy into this two-bite business, you're faced with the knowledge that you're consuming food packaged either by an idiot or by a control freak--and that's a risk I'm not willing to take.

But oooooo the macaroon. Often lumped in with their two-bite brethren, these coconut cookies are the definition of melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Since going off grains, these puppies have been god-sends to a texture-driven eater like me.  The problem is, I'm also twenty-bite kind of girl, and the first ingredients in macaroons are sugar, more sugar and, usually, butter, which runs the risk of turning me into a twenty-chin kind of girl.

So- here we have a cheap, easy, sugar-free version of the grocery store delight. They're pretty quick and yield about 2 dozen in a single batch--making them nearly fifty-bite macaroons. Somebody get the crane- you're gonna have to roll me outta here.


Ingredients

• 5 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 2.5c shredded coconut (3c of the real stuff is $3.99 at Whole Foods--try to avoid imitation if you can)
• 1/3c honey
• 1 TBS flavored extract, like vanilla or almond

Assembly 
1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine egg whites and salt. Beat until stiff peaks form. (NB: This means that you use an electric or standing mixer on those puppies until the whites form a foam so sturdy that when you turn off the mixer and lift it out of the bowl, the peaks stay standing.  It will take 5-7 min on high speed.)

2. In another bowl, mix together remaining ingredients.  Then fold in egg whites, until full combined.


3. Scoop out cookies using a 1 TBS measuring spoon onto parchment-paper lined cookie sheet (press the dough firmly into the spoon, then tap them out forcefully).  They can be close together, as they won't spread out into each other.


4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until macaroons are golden brown.  Let cool so they firm up--then enjoy!