Pecan Meringue Cookies

I was first introduced to homemade meringue cookies by my friend April. After my first bite into one of her cookies I knew I had to get the recipe. These meringue cookies are so much better than the dry ones you can buy in a store. They are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, and they melt in your mouth. Then you just have to pick up another one so that it can melt in your mouth as well. The other great thing about these cookies is that they are relatively low in calories and fat-free except for the pecans. That is what I keep telling myself as I eat five in one sitting.

Normally I think chocolate makes everything better, and I started off by adding chocolate chips to the cookies. However, Michael and I both agree that these cookies actually taste even better with chopped pecans instead of chocolate chips. The nutty flavor of the pecans provides a nice contrast to the sweetness of the cookie. However, if you can't decide whether to make the cookies with pecans or with chocolate chips, I recommend making a batch of each so that you can decide for yourself which you prefer.

Pecan Meringue Cookies
makes 15 to 18 cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 egg whites at room temperature
• 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract that does not have any corn syrup and is preferably alcohol-free, since the alcohol could come from corn.
  
• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans. Check to make sure that the pecans have not been roasted or coated in corn oil. Or you can use 1 cup of chocolate chips instead of the pecans.
  

Instructions:

Separate the eggs so that all you have are the egg whites. Remove any trace of egg yolk because if any of it remains, the egg whites will not whip up properly. If you want to make several batches of meringue cookies, the easiest thing to do is to buy a carton of pasteurized egg whites. Let the egg whites sit on the counter for about an hour to get to room temperature. This will also help the eggs to whip up as they should. In addition, anything that touches the egg whites should be completely dry because water will prevent the eggs from increasing in volume.

After letting the egg whites reach room temperature, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer with the whisk attachment. Start whisking first at low speed and then gradually, over the course of a minute or two, increase to medium-high and then high speed. When the egg whites have formed soft peaks, add the vanilla extract and slowly add the sugar while continuing to whisk. Mix on high speed until stiff peaks form. The entire process usually takes me about 15 minutes.

When I first started cooking with eggs, I had no idea what "soft peaks" and "stiff peaks" meant. The key is to lift up the whisk or beaters of the mixer every couple of minutes. If the "peak" of egg white that had been connected to the whisk bends over deeply when it disconnects from the whisk, you have a soft peak. If the "peak" stands fairly firmly and bends over just a little, you have a stiff peak. For more detailed instructions and some pictures, go to the following link.

I don't know about you, but baking with eggs intimidates me. Even though I have successfully made several batches of meringues, I'm still nervous that something won't turn out. Often, like tonight, I'm too impatient. I don't wait long enough for the egg whites to reach room temperature. Or I don't wait for the soft peaks to form before adding the sugar and vanilla. Fortunately, I have found these cookies to be fairly forgiving. Even though tonight's batch stubbornly stayed at the soft-peak stage and refused to form stiff peaks, the cookies still turned out just as well. So if your egg whites also won't go beyond soft peaks, just proceed with the instructions and the cookies will probably turn out fine.

After the egg whites have formed stiff peaks, or at least soft peaks, fold in the chopped pecans. Place heaping teaspoonfuls of the cookie batter one inch apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before eating.