Forgotten Cookies, or as they say in Jersey - Fuhgettaboudd’em cookies. Whipped egg whites, sugar, chocolate and nuts. Put them in a hot oven, turn it off and BOOM, that’s it! Crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside, a plate of these should be a mandatory presence on every dessert table. These also make great (dare I say it?) Holiday Cookies - is it too early to be thinking about holiday cookies?
I don’t know why I have so many egg whites in my freezer. It’s not like I’m constantly making custards or pastries requiring just the yolk, but I have a freezer compartment dedicated to frozen egg whites. I pop unused whites into little ziplock bags and label them 1, 2 or 3 depending on how many whites are in the bag. To defrost, I place the baggie in room-temperature water for 15 minutes. I use the singles as added protein in scrambled eggs, and the multiple whites are great for frittatas, pavlovas or these little treats. And there’s always a good excuse to make cookies, right?
Whenever I see the freezer compartment in danger of overflowing, I think meringue 🌟. These are not complicated so don’t let the word ‘meringue’ scare you off. There’s no whisking over a steaming pot of water, or candy thermometer involved. Just straight up beaters in a bowl until that kitchen magic happens and you get billowy, white clouds, just make sure the bowl is squeaky clean or you will have to start over.
Ingredients for around 30 cookies
2 egg whites
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup (120g) superfine (caster) sugar, but granulated sugar works too at a pinch if that’s all you have!
1 cup (120g) almond slivers. Walnuts or pecans work well too!
3/4 cup (150g) dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Put the egg whites in a very clean, glass bowl. I swipe the cut side of a lemon around the bowl to get rid of any traces of grease, which would prevent the whites from stiffening.
With an electric beater, whisk the whites on high speed with a pinch of salt until they start to stiffen up. Trickle in the sugar and keep beating until the meringue is thick and glossy. Gently fold in the chocolate, nuts and vanilla with a large metal spoon.
Spoon heaped teaspoons of the mixture onto the baking sheets, leaving an inch or so (2.5cm) between them. Put the baking sheets in the oven, close the door, turn the oven OFF, and leave them for at least 3 hours or overnight, until the oven is cold. No mater how tempted you are to peek, do NOT - under any circumstances, I mean it! - open the oven.
Remove the cookies from the parchment paper and store in an airtight container for 3-4 days at a cool room temperature.
Enjoy!
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