In celebration of Passover, to honor those with celiac disease and to placate girls everywhere trying to cut carbs, I wanted to share my mother’s recipe for chocolate macaroons. A cookie traditionally made during Passover when Jews are supposed to stay away from leavened baked goods, macaroons do not suffer from the problems that other gluten-free baked goods face, such as being too dry and tasting like cardboard. These babies are addictively chocolatey, chewy and moist – rivaling any traditional cookie and making the Passover diet (or life more generally) much more bearable.

If you think you don’t like macaroons because the only variety you’ve ever sampled have come in a Manischewitz box, I beg you, give them another try. While store bought varieties can often be too cakey and overwhelmingly sweet, this recipe uses whipped egg whites as a vehicle to showcase chocolate and coconut in their purest forms. The only problem you will face with these cookies is a loss of self-control when they come out of the oven.

RHODA’S CHOCOLATE

MACAROONS

1 1/3 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips (divided)

2 large egg whites

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flaked coconut, preferably unsweetened

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 1 cup of the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 15-second intervals until the chocolate is almost completely melted. Stir until fully melted, and cool to room temperature.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and salt in a cold bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, then vanilla, beating until the egg whites are thick and glossy. Fold in the melted chocolate and coconut, then the remaining 1/3 cup of chocolate chips.

3. Drop the batter by heaping teaspoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake cookies for 8 minutes and then rotate the sheets. Continue to bake the macaroons until the tops are dry and cracked and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 8 more minutes. Cool the cookies on their baking sheets so they can set and then store them in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes about 30 macaroons, so make sure you hit the gym accordingly.