Christmas Tree Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
• Green food coloring
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Put the coconut in a large bowl and add several drops of green food coloring. Mix with a wooden spoon, or use your hands with gloves, until the color is worked through evenly. Add more dye as needed, stirring after each addition, until the coconut is the shade of green you want.
2. Add the sugar, flour, and salt, and stir with a wooden spoon until everything is well combined. Mix in the egg whites and vanilla, stirring again until the mixture is thick, moist, sticky, and evenly blended. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator and chill it for about 1/2 hour.
3. As the chilling time is nearly finished, heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
4. Scoop the dough onto the prepared sheet in rounded teaspoonfuls, spacing them about 2 inches apart. With your hands, form each mound into a Christmas tree shape as best you can, pinching the top into a point. They will spread slightly in the oven, but the shape should mostly remain. If you like, add red sprinkles so they look like ornaments, and place star-shaped sprinkles on the tops.
5. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until the cookies feel firm when gently touched. Since the green color makes pale browning difficult to see, use that texture as your cue. Take the cookies out of the oven and leave them on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely. After they are cool, decorate however you like, such as adding garlands or lights with writing icing.