Cherry Almond Macaroons

The cookies I decided to make last night... Cherry Almond Macaroons

Original Recipe from Cooking With Paula Deen, 2005 :

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup AP Flour

4 egg whites at room temp.

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup sliced almonds

3/4 cup chopped dried cherries

4 cups sweetened flaked coconut

B-Healthy Recipe 2008:

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup Organic Whole Grain Flour

4 egg whites, semi room temp. ( with impatience)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sliced raw almonds

3/4 cup chopped Frozen Cherries (Thawed in microwave, baked for a few minutes, cooled, chopped. ), I didn't feel like buying a $4 bag of dried.

3 cups Unsweetened flaked Coconut

Directions:
Preheat oven at 325, ( I used my toaster oven)... Nonstick spray my cookie sheet ( original says to grease or line w parchment).

Stir together sugar and flour.

In separate bowl, beat egg whites at high speed with electric beaters until foamy. Add mixture of sugar/flour 1 Tablespoon at a time while beating egg whites. Beat until stiff peaks form ( this never happened? I don't know why). I gave up.

Folded in vanilla, almonds, cherries, and coconut.

Dropped mixture by tablespoon onto prepared cookie sheet.

Baked until edges began to brown. ( original called for 15 minutes oven time, but since I use my toaster oven as usual- the sheet is smaller so it took just over 6 minutes).

Cool on wire rack. (I took pictures and then ate all of them)

.....just kidding, I had a few bites of ones that stuck.

sooooo good... jeff hates coconut. oh well. i will have no problem "gettin em gone"