Recipe: Almond macaroons

Total time: 1 hour

Servings: About 3 dozen cookies

1 pound blanched almonds, either whole or slivered

2 cups sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 egg whites

1. Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Grease 3 baking sheets.

2. Grind the almonds, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the vanilla extract and pulse to mix in.

3. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Add them to the food processor and pulse 3 or 4 times to mix in. The mixture should form a grainy batter.

4. Wet your hands (this keeps the dough from sticking). Tear off walnut-sized pieces of the dough and roll each between your palms into a ball.

5. Place the cookies about 2 to 3 inches apart on the baking sheets and bake until they are golden, about 25 minutes. Halfway through, rotate the sheets to get even browning. Remove from the oven and cool.

Each cookie: 119 calories; 3 grams protein; 14 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 12 grams sugar; 22 mg sodium.