Chocolate Almond Coconut Macaroons

I needed to make a dessert for a church activity and the idea came into my head that something Almond Joy-ish sounded really yummy. So, I came up with this variation of Coconut Macaroons that turned out great! Try this low-fat goody for the holidays!

Chocolate Almond Coconut Macaroons*

2 egg whites

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2/3 c. sugar

1 1/3 cups shredded coconut

Whole almonds

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli is an awesome brand)

1. Preheat oven to 325º F.

2. In a mixing bowl beat egg whites and vanilla till soft peaks form (tips curl). Gradually add sugar, beating till stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Fold in coconut.

3. Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto a greased cookie sheet. (The cookies might look small, but they puff up to almost twice their size when baking.)

4. Gently press one whole almond onto the top of each cookie.

5. Bake for about 20 minutes or till the cookies are lightly browned.

6. While the cookies are baking, melt the chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler on medium-low heat. (I used a small pot with water in it and a metal bowl placed inside. Be very careful not to get water in the chocolate! Water will ruin the texture of the chocolate.) As the chocolate melts, stir until it is smooth. Turn the heat to low until ready to use, stirring occasionally.

7. Once the cookies are done, move them to a wire rack with wax paper placed underneath to catch drips.

8. (You can use a cake decorating bag for this next step, but I didn't have one of those.) Take a regular-sized ziploc bag and spoon the warm chocolate into it. Using scissors, snip a tiny hole in the corner - just big enough for a thin stream of chocolate to come out. Squeeze the chocolate until it comes out the hole. Squirt the chocolate out over the cookies using a back and forth motion to stripe the cookies with the chocolate. You can use all the chocolate if you want, but I found I didn't need to. I guess it depends on how much chocolate you like.

9. Allow the cookies to cool completely. Makes about 30.

Variation idea: Fold in a 1/2 cup crushed candy cane with the coconut. Omit the almonds and drizzle the chocolate at the end as normal. Yummy!

*Adapted from a Better Homes and Gardens recipe.

Raw cookies before being baked.

Light golden brown.

Make-shift cake decorating bag filled with warm chocolate.

Coconut Macaroons drizzled with chocolate. Yummm!!!