Coconut Nests

Remember those red and green swirled chocolate chips I mentioned a few posts ago? Check it out. They really look sharp in these coconut nests.

While these turned out pretty well, I noticed when I was washing the mini muffin pans that I actually had two pans stuck together. I hope this did not affect the cooking. They seem ok. I am freezing them for gifts, so I hope they were well cooked...

I also noticed that I have been passing out a recipe missing an ingredient. I made Butterfinger mounds (see Chip candy post and change to all butterscotch chips), and many of my friends paid for the recipe, with the money going toward a food pantry. Yesterday when I was making about 6 dozen of them for various parties this week, I realized I reference vanilla but did not have it listed.

Coconut Nests
Makes about 3 doz.

3 large egg whites
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 bag (14 oz.) sweetened flaked coconut
1 package (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease 36 mini muffin cups.
In large bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Beating at high speed, gradually sprinkle in sugar until whites stand in stiff, glossy peaks when beaters are lifted. Beat in vanilla. Stir in coconut.
Spoon in coconut mixture by heaping measuring tablespoons into prepared muffin-pan cups. With end of wooden spoon handle or with finger, form an indentation in center of each cup, pressing coconut mixture up sides of cups. Place about 8 chocolate chips in center of each next. Bake nests 20 minutes.
Transfer pan to wire rack; let stand 5 minutes to cool slightly. With fork, carefully life each nest from cup and transfer to rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining coconut mixture and chocolate chips, making sure to regrease muffin-pan cups. Store in tightly covered container with waxed paper between layers, at room temperature up to 1 week or in freezer up to 3 months

Last night I read Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews - fabulous, and not just because I'm an Elvis fan. I love stories about people are into collecting and antiquing; I wonder why. Sharon Fiffer's early mysteries are like this too. When I read about her character collecting LuRay dishes, I looked them up and ended up collecting some myself too.

I had an advance copy of Forever in Blue by Brashares sent to me to review for teenreads.com. I am so excited, but I believe it's the final one in the Sisterhood series, so I almost hate to read it, knowing its over. I will feel like this about Harry Potter when the last one comes out in 2007 too.