Passover Macaroons

• Yield: 15-20 macaroon cookies

• 4 large egg whites, room temperature

• 1.25 cups sugar

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tbsp honey

• 2.5 cups shredded coconut

• 1/4 cup almond flour (or make your own by processing fresh blanched almonds in a food processor until the are ground into a finie powder

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 4 oz (about 2/3 cup) chopped semi-sweet chocolate (optional)

Combine 1/4 cup almond flour with egg whites, granulated sugar, salt, honey, shredded coconut, and vanilla in a medium-sized saucepan with a heavy bottom. Place the sauce pan over medium-low heat and stir until the egg whites moisten everything, the sugar melts, and you have a gorgeous gloppy mess. Cook the macaroon mixture, stirring constantly so it doesn't sscorch on the bottom of the pan. As the egg whites heat, it will creamy and almost foamy. We want to gently cook the whites and cook off some of the liquid, so slowly heat and stir the macaroons for about 5-7 minutes. As the mixture cooks, they will go from a loose and creamy texture to a texture that's more sticky and gluey. The whole mixture will start to hold together in more of a clump. It shouldn't reach a point where it gets dry, pasty, or crumbly.

When the macaroon mixture is done cooking, scrape the dough into a bowl and press a piece of cling wrap on top of it. Let it cool at room temperature for several hours or put in the refrigerator to speed up the process. At this point, you can pause the process and chill the well-wrapped dough for up to a week, or freeze it for up to two months.

When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon to form 15-20 cookies. They don't spread at all, so you can place them close together on the baking sheet. You can bake cookies as they are or make the traditional 'haystack' shape by wetting your hands and pnching/pressing each cookie into a triangle. Don't make them too thin and pointy on top or the tops will get very dark before the rest of the cookies are done baking.

After all the cookies are formed, bake them in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes. rotating them halfway through the baking time so they bake evenly. When they are finished, the macaroons will be golden brown all over and have a crackly, glazed finish.

If you want to add chocolate to them, let the cookies cool completely. Melt the chocolate and dip the bottoms of each cookie in the chocolate, then place them back on the cooled baking sheet to set. If you have melted chocolate left over you can scrape it into a plastic ziploc bag, cut a small hole in the corner, and drizzle the melted chocolate over the macaroons for a beautful finish. Briefly refrigerate the tray to set the chocolate completely. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, or in the freezer for several months.