Rich and Sweet by Bia Rich: Guest Blogger - Basilmomma a busy Mom who likes to cook "Heather Tallman"

I have been a fan of Heather's page for quite sometime now, probably on of the first pages i laid eyes on when i decided to start blogging. She's a great person and virtual friend. Hope one day to get together with her!
She's sharing her recipe for Coconut Pineapple Cookies, which reminds me of pina coladas while seating at a Caribbean beach....

I was flipping through my stack of library books the other day and I stumbled across a book that Jacob and I had gotten. We were looking for a bit of unique fruit dessert inspiration. We picked up Ripe for Dessert by David Lebovitz . I just like him.

We flipped through his book and marked several that we wanted to try. I admit, I have made 4 and 1 did not turn out. It was my fault as I am not a patient baker. This one though, it came out on the first try. It was not hard or complicated. I hope you try it! It is like a tropical drink, fresh and light. All it needs is a good soaking in Carribean Rum before you pop one in your mouth :)

Best of all I loved that his friends would get on him for using canned pineapple but they could just get over it. I cannot imagine the steps that would have been added if you did use fresh. As I am not a big fan of 'popping open a can' here I did, gladly. These took me a bit of time to reduce the pineapple then 35 minutes to bake them. Other than that they are so easy my 9 year old could make them. I know this because he was my assistant! Did I mention that these are gluten-free?

Similar to a macaroon, it's ok if they toast. It makes them better!

Coconut Pineapple Cookies

1 20 oz can of crushed pineapple, do not drain

1 C of sugar

3 1/2 C of unsweetened coconut flakes

3 egg whites

1/2 tsp pure vanilla

In a small skillet add the pineapple and sugar. Heat to a low simmer and reduce until the pineapple sticks to the pan a bit and lightly browns. The key is that the moisture had reduced away. Remove from heat. This may take 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment (important or they will stick).

In a large bowl add the pineapple and coconut. Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer OR, like I did, use a standard mixer, stir to just combined. Add the egg whites and stir to just combines and the texture is flaky and almost sandy, 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and combine.

Using a spoon, scoop out 1 1/2 inch balls of this mixture on the sheet leaving just a tiny bit of space around each one. Then using your fingers, shape each ball into almost a pyramid. This is to make the tops pointy. This is easier than it sounds, really.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until starting to brown. Make sure to rotate the pan halfway through to help them bake evenly.

**These are best eaten the same day. They will start to soften the longer they sit. I wouldn't know though. Mine were gone right after they hit the table**