Coconut Clouds

Coconut Clouds

I love coconut in my cookies, but other than that I really am not that big of a fan of it.  These cookies are pretty dang good though.  Inspired by Skinnytaste's To Die For Coconut Cookies, these cookies are the perfect mixture of crunch and softness.  The base of this recipe is very meringue-like so it is super healthy and very fluffy.  No need to feel guilty after eating them!  On a side note, I tried making this my very first time by hand, without an electric mixer, and it's not possible to do.  To form the perfect peaks, you will need an electric mixer.  Hands are just not fast enough to get the right consistency.

One of my friends happens to love these cookies (I brought it to her after my first successful batch), and because she was spending the night at my house, I decided to make this as a special little treat for her.  Hopefully, now that I am posting this she will go and give it a try on her own!

Ingredients (about 24-26 cookies):

3 egg whites

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp lemon juice

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes

2 cups corn flakes (or 3/4 cup corn flake crumbs)

1/8 cup semi-sweet chocolate (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Crush corn flakes with a food processor or a blender.

3. Whip the eggs whites until they are slightly frothy on low with your electric mixer (about 1-2 minutes).

4. Add in sugar and lemon juice to the egg whites.

5. Whip, on medium-high with electric mixer, until hard peaks form (about 9-10 minutes).  The mixture should remind you of meringue.  (On a side note, a peak is basically when you lift up your whisk, the mixture stays risen where the whisk was.)

6. Fold in coconut flakes and crushed corn flakes, making sure to not over mix. 

7. With a spoon, drop cookie mix onto a cookie sheet (lined with wax/parchment paper) by the spoonfuls.

8. Bake for about 18-20 minutes just until they are golden.

9. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

10. Drizzle with chocolate to add a decorative touch. For the drizzle, melt semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave for about 1 minute, making sure to stir every 20 seconds. Take a fork and drizzle the chocolate on top of the cooled cookies.

11. ENJOY!

Kid Approved!