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Ah, I love the holiday season, with its wonderful smells of delicious things baking in my kitchen.
Of course I bake many of the traditional favorite Christmas cookies – chocolate chip, peanut butter, peanut blossoms – but my specialty, if you will, is meringues. About half of the two dozen kinds of cookies I make use just egg whites, rather than the whole eggs.
When I share these cookies, I like to tell people that they’re no-fat, no-cholesterol cookies. The response is often “and no taste,” but I quickly assure them – and one bite tells them – that these cookies definitely have a great taste.
Chocolate Meringues
3 egg whites
¾ cup sugar
¾ tsp. cider vinegar
¾ tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. Dutch process cocoa
Beat egg whites until frothy, using medium speed of electric mixer. Add half of sugar gradually, beating constantly; beat 5 minutes after last addition of sugar. Beat in vinegar and extract. Add remaining sugar gradually, beating constantly. Increase speed to high; beat until very stiff peaks are formed, about 3 minutes. Do not overbeat.
Sift cocoa evenly over meringue; using a flexible spatula, carefully fold in the cocoa until almost blended. (Mixture will be streaked.)
Force meringue through a pastry bag and star decorating tube, or drop meringue by heaping teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets covered with unglazed paper; swirl to form rosettes.
Bake at 250 degrees for 1 ½ hours.
Note: I use brown paper grocery bags to line the cookie sheets.
To submit a recipe for this feature, send an e-mail to townguide@springfordonline.com. Please include a brief explanation of what makes your dish special.
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