Coconut Macaroons

I grew up in a country where the coconut is a part of daily life.  The coconut tree in our country is very helpful to the people who live in the countryside. The leaves from the coconut tree can make a roof for their house, and the coconut tree trunk when dry can be burned as fuel for cooking. The young coconut juice is a delicious drink, and coconut milk is used for cooking in Vietnam, India, and Burma, and the flesh from the coconut can make many tasty desserts: coconut flan, coconut candies and coconut macaroons, which are one of my favorite desserts. Grated fresh coconut is available in some Asian supermarkets, but if you cannot find this fresh coconut near you, then use coconut flakes, which is commonly used for making this snack in America.

Ingredients:

2 cups coconut flakes

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar*

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Egg white from 2 eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°

Lightly toast the coconut flakes

Lined a large baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, and spray with cooking oil or butter to prevent the cookies from sticking,. And set aside.

In an electric mixer, whisk the egg white , and alternatively slowly add the sugar,flour and salt until the mixture begins to stiffen. Add in the toasted coconut and vanilla, and mix well.

On the baking sheet, drop a teaspoon of the mixture spaced 1 to 2 inches between each cookie.

Place into oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes.

When it's done, the outside should be golden-brown but the inside still moist.

*If you prefer unsweetened coconut flakes, increase the amount of sugar used to 1/2 cup