CAFE PONGO PONGAROONS AND VARIATIONS

1 pound sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/4 cups sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
1 1/2 tablespoons almond extract or Grand Marnier
2 large egg whites
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Mix together the coconut, condensed milk, and almond extract, keeping the coconut as fluffy as possible; set aside.

Whisk the egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into coconut mixture.

Using a soup spoon, scoop the macaroon batter into mounds or balls about the size of a Ping-Pong ball. Place about 1-inch apart on the parchment-lined cookie sheet. The macaroon batter should be handled very gently. Do not squeeze the batter. If your fingers become sticky from sliding the batter off the spoon, dip them in cold water.

Bake the macaroons until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Allow the macaroons to cool a bit before removing them, but don't let them sit too long or they will glue themselves to the parchment.

Note from source: These macaroons store beautifully in tins and are great in Christmas gift boxes. You can assemble boxes of assorted macaroons by making the variations of this recipe.

VARIATIONS:

CHERRIES IN THE SNOW:
Carefully pit 2 to 2 1/2 dozen fresh cherries, leaving their stems on. Soak them in Grand Marnier, Cognac, or any other booze you fancy overnight. Use just enough liquor to half cover the cherries, and add a little sugar. Cover tightly in plastic wrap and shake the mixture around at least once during the soaking time. You can use canned sour cherries, or maraschino cherries if you must, but do not add sugar to the maraschinos. The next day, drain the cherries. Gently, as if you were making a snowball, form the macaroon batter into a 1-inch ball around each cherry so the stem sticks out of the top. If you use canned cherries, you probably won’t have a stein. Bake as directed for Pongaroons.

JUNGLE-ROONS:
Fold in as much broken-up Heath bar, macadamia nuts, and pecans as your heart desires. Hint: Break up the heath bars in a plastic bag with a wooden spoon or the bottom of a heavy glass. Bake as directed for Pongaroons.

CHOCOLATE-DIP-A-ROONS:
Melt 4 to 6 ounces semisweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Dip the fully baked and cooled macaroons one at a time in the chocolate and allow the chocolate to set.

CHIP PONGAROONS:
Add semisweet or white chocolate chips to the macaroon batter and bake as directed for Pongaroons.

Makes 2 dozen
Source: The Cafe Pongo Cookbook: More Than 220 Recipes from the Hudson Valley by Valerie Nehez