CHEF JEFF — ONE BYTE AT A TIME: Almond Macaroons

This cookie is about as simple as a cookie can get.

Almond Macaroons

1 pound blanched almonds, either whole or slivered

2 cups sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

3 egg whites

Heatoven to 300 degrees. Grease 3 baking sheets. Grind almonds, sugar, salt in food processor. Add vanilla extract; pulse. Beat egg whites to soft peaks. Add to food processor; pulse 3 or 4 times. Mixture should form grainy batter. Wet hands (this keeps dough from sticking). Tear off walnut-sized pieces of dough; roll each between palms into ball. Place cookies about 2 to 3 inches apart on baking sheets; bake until they are golden, about 25 minutes. Halfway through, rotate sheets to get even browning. Remove from oven, cool.

Yield: About 3 dozen cookies

Approximate nutritional analysis per cookie: 119 calories, 3 grams protein,14 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 7 grams fat (1 gram saturated) no cholesterol, 12 grams sugar, 22 milligrams sodium.

Grab more food tidbits at the Chef Jeff blog at GrandForksHerald.com.

Tags: chef jeff, jeff tiedeman, one byte at a time, accent, updates, life, food, recipes, lifestyles, entertainment