Coconut and Nut Chews

Although these contain no butter, cream, egg yolks, or flour, they’re fantastic, and you can vary them in many ways. Use walnuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios, or hazelnuts. Or replace up to a cup of the nuts or coconut with chocolate chunks or dried cherries. In fact, as long as you keep the total volume to 3 cups, you can make a “kitchen sink” cookie that includes a bit of everything.

1 cup sugar

1½ cups shredded unsweetened coconut

1½ cups chopped nuts

4 egg whites, lightly beaten until just foamy

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch salt

1 Heat the oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well with a rubber spatula or your hands. Use a nonstick baking sheet, or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Wet your hands and make small balls with the mixture, each measuring about 1 tablespoon, and put them on the prepared sheet about an inch apart.

2 Bake until light brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet and cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before eating. These keep well in a covered container for up to 3 days.