A tropical holiday treat

Tropical Almond Macaroons

Start to finish: 40 minutes
Yield: Makes 60 cookies
Ingredients:
Two 8-ounce cans almond paste
¾ cup sugar
4 egg whites
1 tablespoon dark rum
1 cup finely diced dried pineapple
Maraschino cherries (patted dry and halved) or flake coconut, to garnish
Method:
Heat the oven to 325 F. Line 2 baking sheets with kitchen parchment.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, break up the almond paste into pieces. Add the sugar and beat until smooth. Add the egg whites and beat again until smooth. Stir in the rum and pineapple.
Drop the dough by the teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheets. Garnish each cookie with a well-dried cherry half or a piece of coconut. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and dry to the touch. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Nutrition information per cookie: 50 calories; 20 calories from fat (40 percent of total calories); 2 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 1 g protein; 5 mg sodium.