Pongaroons Macaroon Cookies Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Mix together the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and almond extract or Grand Marnier, keeping the coconut as fluffy as possible.

Whisk the egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into coconut mixture.

Using a soup spoon, scoop the macaroon batter into mounds or balls about the size of a Ping-Pong ball. Place about 1 inch apart on the parchment-lined cookie sheet. The macaroon batter should be handled very gently. Do not squeeze the batter. If your fingers become sticky from sliding the batter off the spoon, dip them in cold water.

Bake the macaroons until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Allow the macaroons to cool a bit before removing them, but do not let them sit too long or they will glue themselves to the parchment.

Yield: about 2 dozen cookies

Recipe Source: The Cafe Pongo Cookbook: More Than 220 Recipes from the Hudson Valley by Valerie Nehez (Simon & Schuster)
Reprinted with permission.