Meringue is a great low-fat confection made of egg whites and sugar, and it is wonderful when used in desserts and cookies. There is a trick to making a good, fluffy meringue though. Separate the whites from the yolks using fresh, cold eggs. Make sure there is no trace of egg yolk in the whites when separated.
Egg whites need to be room temperature for beating however. You need to have an electric mixer and plenty of patience for beating egg whites. When beating the egg whites, do not underbeat. The beaten egg whites should form a stiff peak when the beaters are removed. Another method to check the stiffness of egg whites is to drag a spatula across the bottom of the bowl, creating a canyon of sorts in the egg white mixture. If the egg white mixture does not quickly run to fill the canyon, they are probably sufficiently beaten. However, be cautious about not overbeating the egg white either because if you do, the meringue will be flat and will spread during baking.
These delicate cookies are made solely from meringue and chocolate chips. They are light and easy, and disappear quickly. They are sure to be a hit at your next gathering. You may want to make a double batch!
Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites
- 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1-12 ounce bag of chocolate chips
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg whites in a large bowl on high speed until foamy. Pour sugar gradually into egg whites and continue beating until mixture is stiff and glossy. Do not underbeat. Stir in the vanilla, salt, and chocolate chips.
- Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray. Drop teaspoonfuls of cookie mixture about 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake one sheet at a time, for 20 minutes. Cookies should be set and golden brown.
- Remove immediately from cookie sheet to a wire rack. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray between each use. Let cool completely. Store loosely packed in an airtight container. This recipe yields about 3 dozen cookies.
Variations
For variation, use other flavor chips instead of chocolate. Substitute coconut instead of chocolate chips for a meringue macaroon. Peppermint pieces used alone or with the chocolate chips make a festive holiday cookie. Another holiday variation is to use red and green chocolate candy pieces in place of the chocolate chips.
It is best not to add nuts to this cookie recipe as the additional salt can make the meringue soft and pitted.
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