Let Your Heart (and your cookies) Be Light

the holidays are - notoriously - a time of excess, especially when it comes to food. we had a much lighter crowd this year, so it freed up some extra time to create an exceptionally decadent and time-consuming dessert. i'd been threatening to make Chocolate Meringues for months now but never seemed to have the requisite four hours on hand to waste on what is, basically, a fussy cookie. yesterday, though, time was on my side.

meringues aren't as scary to handle as they may seem. the stiff egg whites, as long as they're handled carefully, are very forgiving. plus, there's nothing like sinking your teeth into a puffy chocolate cloud after you've gorged yourself on a holiday dinner.

the recipe is very straightforward. the main thing you have to be with these cookies is patient......not one of my strengths, especially when we're talking about chocolate chips.

Chocolate Meringues
adapted from Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook

1 c. powdered sugar
2 T. cocoa
Pinch of kosher salt (it would be a mistake to use table salt here, in my opinion. you want a more texturized salty bite to come through in these babies)
4 eggs whites
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

preheat oven to 250 degrees. line two sheet pans with parchment paper.

sift together powdered sugar, cocoa and salt. beat together the egg whites and vanilla at high speed until the form stiff peaks. fold in the sugar/cocoa mixture along with the chocolate chips, if you're using them.

drop by rounded tablespoonfuls (or my preferred method - pipe it through a frosting bag) on the parchment paper.

bake for at least 2 1/2 without opening the oven door (i know, i know. but, just breathe with me here and you'll be alright). test the meringues - they should be firm on the outside, but still squishy and soft in the center. turn off oven and leave them in there for 15 minutes or so.

just to make them ridiculously extravagant, i mixed up a chocolate ganache with a few drops of Grand Marnier added in and spooned it over the cooled cookies. then i topped them with good 'ole rainbow sprinkles and placed them on wax paper to set.




my, oh my! these were terribly fun to eat with just enough sweetness and that little bit of punch from the salt.....mmm. worth every minute - all 210 of them.

PS - my apologies for the photo quality. it was taken from my blackberry because our real camera had too much to drink at a holiday party and is still sleeping it off.