France - Dessert - Chocolate Meringue Cookies

I added this recipe to my repertoire after making the gelato. I had 5 eggs worth left of egg whites, and my mom said I could make meringue cookies. Growing up, we always had coffee meringue cookies lying around the house, and once in a while my mom would give me one as a treat. You can make any flavor out of the meringue base, but because I am a chocoholic, I decided to do chocolate (adapted from this recipe). If you want, add some espresso powder for mocha, chocolate chips or just have them as plain vanilla! I'm sure lemon juice would make a nice lemon meringue, along with other fruit extracts. Meringue cookies are so, so easy to make and super fun to. I love whipping them up and seeing the peaks form. The photos don't do them justice!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup egg whites (approx. 3 eggs worth) - room temperature
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (or whatever you want as your flavor!)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 300F˚ degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large, clean, bowl beat together egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form.

3. Gradually add sugar, a little at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Beat in vanilla until the sugar is dissolved, stiff peaks form, and the mixture looks glossy.

5. Sift in cocoa powder and gently fold into the egg whites.

6. Drop heaping tablespoons of the meringue onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about an inch in between each meringue.

7. Bake 34-40 minutes, just until they look set and dry. Cool for 2-5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (or eat them right away like I did... oops). Store, covered, at room temperature for up to 5 days.