Growing Out My Bangs

I've given up on the barettes, because they don't stay in my slippery straight hair, and they make me feel like I have a comb-over. This is at least the 20 millionth time I've tried to do this, but this time I'm determined to not give in to the urge to cut these stabbing hairs from out of my contact lenses. Here's hoping it's worth it!

Cookie Conundrum

So, my beautiful little niece turned two last week. It was alot of fun to see her all dressed up and feeling like a little hot shot. It was a really nice party, too.

These are the cookies that I made for the occasion! They are from a very unusual recipe that I found and adapted from epicurious, they're a cross between a meringue and a macaroon. I heard that there were going to be guests at the party who are wheat and gluten intolerant, so i needed to find something that didn't include any wheat flour. !!!! Cookies without FLOUR?

I was skeptical that a cookie without any flour could be any good. I like my cookies to have that chewy-ness that (I thought) only flour can do. Well, these were delicious. If you love almonds, coconut and sugar, these little babies are like a chewy piece of heaven! YUM.

Here's the recipe. It's a little fussy to make, but I think it's worth it!

5 large egg whites
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract
1 1/3 cups sugar
7 ounce package sweetened coconut lightly toasted
3/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted, cooled, ground

To toast almonds, spread out evenly on a baking sheet and bake on 375 for about 8-10 minutes, or until they start to turn golden brown and fragrant. Cool completely and grind up with a food processor if you have one. (I used a parmesan cheese grinder, and it worked great, though not as fast!)

Toast coconut the same way, but stay right on top of it, stirring with wooden spoon so it doesn't burn. Cool completely.

Preheat oven to 275°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place egg whites in large bowl; add vanilla and almond extract. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until meringue is very thick (similar to marshmallow creme), about 5 minutes. Fold in coconut, then almonds. Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing mounds 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake macaroons until pale beige outside and dry-looking (insides will still be soft), about 25 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to racks; cool macaroons completely.

If you really want to go crazy with it, you can melt down semisweet chocolate to dip them in. I didn't bother with it, but next time I might see how that works!