Today I’d like to tell you about the delicious melt in your mouth delicacy called meringue. I also figured it was about time I posted a recipe – this is supposed to be a food blog, after all!
Last Friday I was making some ice cream and set aside the unneeded egg whites, figuring I’d eventually find a use for them. The weekend passed and I had no motivation to even look for a recipe. Then I was at my mom’s house yesterday and was flipping through a Weight Watchers cookbook when I saw a recipe for meringue kisses – a perfect way to use those egg whites!
I made meringues for the first time last month after that ice cream making spree I went on. I didn’t really like the way they turned out because they practically disintegrated at the slightest touch, making them impossible to enjoy. I was excited to try out another recipe. This one worked much better!
Meringues are fairly simple, they just take a long time in the oven. Five hours, to be exact. I started these around 6:00 pm, so I had to stay up past my bedtime to make sure they tasted okay when I finally took them out. 🙂
And the verdict? These are amazing. They’re sugary and light and completely melt the second they hit your tongue. The vanilla and mini chocolate chips give them a great burst of flavor. Normally I wouldn’t pay much attention to this, but I’m trying to watch what I eat now, so I can tell you that a serving size is two cookies, which is only 80 calories. I thought they’d be a perfect lower fat dessert for me while I’m trying to lose some weight. That might have been true if I knew how to stop at two! These babies are so good you could probably eat twenty in one sitting. If you have no willpower. Like me. Okay, I didn’t eat twenty at once. But maybe six or seven. Yum.
Anyway, if you have some egg whites you don’t know what to do with (or you know of another use for the unwanted egg yolks!), give these a try. You don’t know what you’re missing!
Chippy Meringue Kisses
- 2 egg whites, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 oz. mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar and salt. Beat until stiff peaks form. Slowly add the sugar one teaspoon at a time. Mix in vanilla. Fold in chocolate chips.
Drop spoonfuls of batter on the baking sheet. Place in the oven and turn oven off. Leave cookies in the oven for 5 hours. Enjoy!
