Coconut Pecan Macaroons

I'm late getting this posted, but it's December and time for Cookie Fridays. For the first Friday, I chose Coconut Pecan Macaroons -- for no other reason than I had all the ingredients in the pantry and fridge.

This is a new recipe for me that I found at http://glutenfreebay.blogspot.com and modified for our needs. Family Review: Thumbs up. It's a keeper. We gobbled up most of them the first day.

4 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
3-4 tsp Stevia*
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp ground pecans
2 cups dried shredded unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Whip the egg whites, salt and vanilla until frothy with an electric mixer. Add Stevia. Whip until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the pecans and coconut.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment (I used my baking stone, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray). Drop rounded tablespoons of batter onto the parchment (or stone) about 1/2 inch apart. Bake approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

Optional: Sorry, I didn't measure this next step. I just threw it together. Melt some chocolate chips and a pat or two of butter together, stirring frequently. Add splash of vanilla and stir. Add milk, if needed, to thin to drizzling capacity, and drizzle mixture over cookies. (I just now thought of this -- You can make more chocolate mixture, like a fondue, and dunk your macaroons. Ooh, I may need to make more.)

*Stevia brands vary. Some are not as good as others. I used NuNaturals Stevia, but I am still researching Stevia, so my views on this may change later. You can mix with a little bit of coconut crystals to even out the taste.