Mint Merengues

I have such fond memories of making these cookies as a kid. They are such an unusual cookie and the “dough” is unlike any other I have made. I remember being fascinated as we beat the egg whites for so long and equally puzzled when we had to leave them in the oven overnight with it turned off. It all seemed so strange, but it was also so magical to see how they came out the next morning. I remember being so excited to make these with my son for the first time. He had such a blast making these! He has always enjoyed cooking and baking with me and is very curious, so I knew he would love all the unusual elements of this recipe. He was thrilled to be able to come down bright and early the next morning and see what they looked like! Definitely try these out with your kids this year (or just for yourself) and experience the unique, fun and delicious surprise that they are!

Mint Merengues

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Course Dessert

Ingredients

  

• 2 egg whites
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. mint extract
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3-4 drops green food coloring (optional)

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Cover 2 large cookie sheets with aluminum foil.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer beat egg whites until fluffy and stiff peaks form.
• Add sugar and beat again until stiff peaks form. You should be able to lift the beater out of the egg whites and a point forms that does not collapse.
• Add chocolate chips and the mint extract right on top of the chips as well as the food coloring. It helps if the liquid does not hit the egg whites directly as it could start to collapse them.
• Gently stir in the chocolate chips, mint, and food coloring until combined, being careful not to stir too hard as the egg whites are fragile.
• Scoop up the mixture with a teaspoon and place on the prepared cookie sheets about 2 inch apart.
• Once all the cookie sheets are full and all of the mixture is used up, place the cookie sheets into the oven. Close the oven door and wait three seconds. Turn the oven off and leave the meringues in the oven for at least 3 hours, or overnight. The foil will retain the heat and dry the merengues completely as they rest.

Notes

If you are like me and cook a lot I like to do this overnight so I don’t need to use the oven.  I also often put a sign on the oven door and/or the oven controls so that I don’t accidently forget they are in there and turn on the oven. 🙂