Mint Chocolate Chip Meringues
October 16th, 2007
I just love making these cookies and an added bonus — there is very little guilt involved with eating them!
Not much more than an over-baked glob of pie meringue, containing no fat or cholesterol, and only a bit of sugar, Meringues can satisfy that urge for a treat without ruining your diet.
Last weekend, we made some of these - a few for us and a few to share, and I was experimenting a bit so we added some mint extract and broken up chocolate bits. Delicious!
Mint Chocolate Chip Meringues
makes 2 dozen
3 large egg whites, room temperature is best
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. cream of tartar
1/2 t. peppermint extract
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. broken or chopped semi-sweet chocolate
To start with, set the oven to 225 degrees (that’s correct, not a typo - really low heat for this) and line two cookie sheets with foil.
Next, separate the eggs and discard the yolks or set them aside for something else, like noodles. I’m not a great noodle maker, so mine generally get tossed. Drop the whites into a medium-sized bowl. (No yolks allowed - if you get a bit of yolk mixed in with the whites, you have to start over, this recipe will NOT work with yolks, even a tiny bit.) Add the salt and cream of tartar. You will have to get out your mixer and go to town beating those egg whites up. Beat and beat and beat them - on high. They will turn white and fluffy, but keep on beating until they form peaks when you pull the beaters out.
Now it’s time for the sugar and mint — add the mint, but just a little sugar at a time, and lower the speed on your mixer to medium. Once all of the sugar is added, your meringue will be smooth, fluffy, and glossy. Gorgeous. Slow the mixer way down and fold in the chocolate bits.
Great - now plop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake these at 225 for 1 1/2 hours. (Again, not a typo - an hour and a half.) No peeking! They might fall if you do. The final result should be a slightly browned, crispy, airy meringue cookie.
ENJOY!