Coconut Orange Cookies

     I know I said that I'd make coconut cake today, but when I opened my fridge and saw that I had some leftover egg whites from last week's key lime pie, I thought of something 10 times faster and 10 times healthier and got really excited about that. So I promise the coconut cake will happen another day, but today, it's time for my first real cookie recipe. Usually, I don't bake a lot of cookies because I'm just not very good at not burning most varieties. However, I do have a few favorites. These are a lot like coconut macaroons, and while I can't exactly say that they're good for you, they definitely aren't bad for you either. The ingredient list is for 9 or 10 cookies because I hate it when cookie recipes assume that you're going to eat 3 dozen at a time. Unless you're having a party, who needs that many?They're light and sweet, and the hint of orange is what really makes them special. Plus, before baking, I bet they'll take you less than 7 minutes tops.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 tablespoon flour
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
optional melted chocolate for dipping or drizzling

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 and cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. That's very important for these cookies specifically because they're so delicate.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt, and orange zest into the coconut.
3. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites with the sugar and vanilla just until combined. Don't worry, we're not whipping them today.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until all the coconut is coated.

5. Drop tablespoons full of the coconut mixture onto the lined cookie sheet and bake for 20-23 minutes until slightly browned.

6. After baking, let tem rest for a minute before transferring them to another container. If you want to dip them in chocolate, wait until they're completely cool, dip them, then let them rest on wax paper until chocolate is solidified. If you just want to drizzle them with chocolate, you can probably do that right away on the original parchment paper. If you want to preserve the healthiness of this recipe, they're still terrific without chocolate.

Enjoy! And come back tomorrow for more great ideas! (That's code for I have no idea what I'm going to pull out of my magic hat tomorrow.) But I won't let you down!