chocolate chip meringue cookies
Every time I make these cookies and share them with folks, without fail someone always raises an eyebrow and asks, “Mmmm, what exactly are those??”
Ha! Well, they happen to be one of my favorite cookies. Our family always used to make them growing up, and I just love the alternative they provide to a standard chocolate chip cookie! They’re wonderfully light and airy and vanilla-y, and have the classic melt-in-your-mouth delightfulness of all meringues. And what’s more, with the exception of the chocolate chips, they are fat free! You can’t say that about too many cookies…
Some other fun variations on this recipe would be to omit the choco chips and sub in some crushed peppermints (plus a teaspoon of peppermint extract subbed in for part of the vanilla). Or to use sliced almonds + almond extract. Or…classic…some toasted coconut and cinnamon. It’s definitely a fun one to play around with. And although it seems like meringues seem to be most popular in the States around Christmas, I vote that we reclaim them for the rest of the year! Especially in this August heat, I think a light cookie is just the ticket. :)
(Original family recipe)
Ingredients:
- 4 egg whites
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I prefer mini-chocolate chips)
Method:
Beat egg whites, salt, cream of tartar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Slowly add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form about 5 minutes. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
Prepare cookie sheet (either with grease, or parchament paper, or aluminum foil). Drop by heaping teaspoon-fulls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Undersides of cookies should be lightly tanned.
Ali’s Tip:
In case you’ve never worked with egg whites and “soft” and “stiff peaks” before, don’t be intimidated! It’s a piece of cake (or…mmm…cookie). :) The way to test for those stages to just take some sort of spoon (or your mixing beater) and dip it into the batter and lift straight up. If the peaks curve down slightly when the spoon is lifted, you have “soft peaks”. If they stand straight up and don’t move, congrats — you have “stiff peaks”.
It definitely takes some time for the batter to be fully mixed into these stages, but that process is essential for meringues. So be patient, and enjoy the fabulous texture that will result once they’ve baked!
i made these and they turned out very well. i was just wondering if it was normal for my eggwhites to come to more of a thick , dull foam, rather than glossy soft peaks in the first step
Hi, I’ve tried making this but at a stage when i pour in the choc chips, the batter seems to change colour to brown instead of white. How is that so? Pls advise.
This sounds ridiculous, but a fantastic substitute for the chocolate chips? Cornflakes. They just end up spectacularly gooey on the inside, with an almost honey taste to them – plus it adds a really good texture. Warning, they pretty much cave in on the first bite, and once you eat one, it is impossible to stop ;)
Thanks for this recipe. Had some egg whites I didn’t know what I would do with…they are in the oven…hope they turn out as good as yours!!
Yikes! This has never happened before, but the egg whites went from soft peaks to sauce. Suggestions? Causes? I’m using my Cuisanart if that maters.The machine is warm to the touch, but I thought in whipping cream was the only time the temperature mattered.
Cacilia
You have inspired me to try making meringue *gulp*. I am super intimidated by all the egg-arts (LOL)….custards, meringues, etc. I will pick up the ingredients for this tomorrow and attempt it after work. I’ll keep you posted. BTW, found your blog through TastyKitchen.com! Great stuff!
Hi Bonnie! Unfortunately, I don’t think Splenda would work on these ones. To my knowledge, it’s the properties in actual sugar that help to solidify the egg whites into meringue. Just doublechecked online too, and the few people that have tried it said the cookies never set up. Ah…the science of baking. :S
And thanks, Megan! Look forward to hearing how your galette turns out! (And for that one — you probably COULD sub in Spenda or another sugar substitute to make it a touch healthier. :-))
After 3 attempts, we discovered the ‘secret’ in making them set-up; DO NOT add sugar until you whip the crap outta the eggwhite/salt/tartar mixture. It has to get to the ‘soft peak’ point before you add sugar or it will NEVER stiffen up after words. Frustrating, yet delightfully rewarding after figuring it out ;-)
Wow, I love your recipes! I can’t wait to make one. I think I am going to try out your rustic fruit gelate first. I am always looking for good, relatively “healthy” recipes. So glad you started this blog! Keep it up. :) Oh, and your photos are great, good work.
pardon my ignorance, but is meringue at all possible using Splenda?