Chocolate Meringue Mistakes, I mean, Crisps

Mr. Green Thumb gasped as I opened the oven and pulled out the cookie sheets. My cookies certainly didn’t look like the meringues I told him I was planning to make. Our company was arriving in less than an hour, and I didn’t even know if these would be edible.

In my hast, while helping balance measuring cups and spoons in the hands of my two little sweeties, the sugar got dumped onto the egg whites in one big heap. I watched the pillowy egg whites slump, and then completely deflate in the bowl as I mixed. I even tried beating another egg white and then gently folding it in, but was unsuccessful.

Once they were out of the oven, however, a quick, kid taste-test proved that they were more than edible, and quite delicious in fact. I served them to our guests as meringue crisps, and no one was the wiser. They were actually such a hit with the kids that I’ve made them several times since. These cookies are so simple to whip up that they make a great hostess gift, or even a birthday treat to send to school with the kiddos.

 

Chocolate Meringue “Crisps”

(An accidental, original Grow. Cook. Eat. Share. recipe)

4 large egg whites

3/4 cup cane sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut (you could add chopped nuts instead, or a combination of coconut and nuts)

chocolate chips, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 270F

Separate the yolks from the whites. (Save the yokes for making some other yummy treat, such as a custard.)

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cocoa powder, and stir to break up any lumps from the cocoa.

In a large bowl, combine the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar, and with a hand or stand mixer, whisk until very foamy, and soft peaks begin to form.

Add the sugar mixture, and continue to mix on low, until it is incorporated. (The mixture will have deflated but will still have body.)

Add the coconut, and fold in with a spatula.

With a tablespoon or two inch ice-cream scoop, measure the cookies onto parchment lined cookie sheets, leaving about an inch between each cookie so they don’t run together.

If you, like Mr. Green Thumb, think everything tastes better with chocolate chips, then sprinkle several on top of each cookie.

Bake both sheets for 45 minutes at 270F. Turn the oven off, and allow them to cool/ dry out for at least another hour before removing from the oven.

Makes approximately two dozen (24) cookies.

 

As with all of my recipes, I highly encourage the use of organic, local products when available. Talking to farmers, reading labels, and looking for only the purest, freshest ingredients possible ensures high quality, nutritionally dense foods, that help take a recipe from good to amazing!