Coconut Macaroons

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, coconut, 3 egg whites, vanilla, and salt. Using your hands, mix well, completely combining ingredients. The additional egg white may be added, a little at a time, if the mixture is dry and doesn't hold together.

3. Use a small ice cream scoop or 2 tablespoons to form mounds; place on prepared baking sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart. Dampen your hands with water if necessary, and pinch mounds to create a pyramid shape.

4. Bake until golden brown, rotating halfway through, 16 to 17 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Cook's Notes

You can also use sweetened shredded coconut as long as you reduce the sugar in the recipe from 3/4 cup to 1 tablespoon.

Variations

Chocolate-Chunk Macaroons
Follow the recipe for Coconut Macaroons, adding 1/2 cup coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate to the other ingredients. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Chocolate Macaroons
Place 4 ounces finely chopped semisweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until chocolate has melted; set aside to cool. Follow instructions for Coconut Macaroons, increasing coconut to 2 2/3 cups and combining all ingredients with cooled chocolate and 1/4 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder. The baking time should be about the same; you will know the cookies are done when they are just firm to the touch but still soft in the middle.