Ingredients

• 6 oz pecans (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup potato starch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Scant 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• parchment paper

Instructions

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Coarsely chop 1 cup pecans and set aside. Pulse remaining 1/2 cup pecans in a food processor with sugar, potato starch, salt, and cinnamon until finely ground (be careful not to pulse to a paste), then stir into egg whites. Stir in remaining cup chopped pecans.
3. Drop 1/2 tablespoons of batter 2 inches apart on baking sheet and bake until cookies are lightly browned and slightly puffed, 15 to 17 minutes. Slide parchment onto a rack and cool cookies completely (cookies will crisp as they cool), then remove from paper. Bake and cool 2 more parchment-lined sheets of cookies in same manner.