Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet with sides and bake, stirring halfway through, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are toasted and very fragrant. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

Raise the oven temperature to 400°F. Butter a cookie sheet and line with parchment paper.

After a few minutes of cooling time, transfer the pecans to a food processor and process until ground to a fine powder. Add the sugar and salt and pulse to mix. Add the egg whites and vanilla extract and process until smooth. Transfer the dough to a bowl, scraping well with a rubber spatula. Add the coconut to the dough and mix until the coconut is distributed evenly.

Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet, about one inch apart. Bake the macaroons for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are dry, but still soft inside. Let the macaroons cool for 10 minutes then remove the cookies to a cake rack to cool completely. Repeat baking macaroons with the remaining dough.