Chocolate Chip Meringues... if you've got 10 minutes


If there is a better way to celebrate making it to Friday other than changing into the most comfortable pair of track pants that you own and laying on the couch watching 10 minutes of your favourite soap opera while eating one or two of these... then I certainly don't know about it.  For the record, all I can stand watching is 10 minutes of any soap opera.  But I've found that 10 minutes is all I need to catch up.  It might be once a week that I'll get my ten minutes in... it might be once a month... doesn't really matter,  I still get adequately caught up.  10 minutes and the tv goes off.  It's a beautiful thing really.
IF there is a more productive and satisfying way to spend 10 minutes and 3 egg whites than making these cookies... then I certainly don't know about it.



I haven't made meringues before.  The idea never really appealed.  Plus they sound fancy and finicky.  They're not.  They're easy... And FAST.  I couldn't believe how quickly these came together.  Here are some scenarios that came to mind after I found out how easy this recipe is and how few ingredients it needed:
Scenario 1:  You decide - like an idiot - to have people over for dinner.  A last minutes kind of thing.  Instead of making yourself crazy trying to find the perfect cake or sweet for dessert you could make these.  provided you have about 2 hrs to kill before they arrive.
Scenario 2:  You want to have some cookies in the freezer (or not even in the freezer) ready for a 'just in case' people come over occasion.
Scenario 3:  You made ice cream 3 days ago and have been consistently forgetting to put the egg whites left over in the fridge.  What do you do with them now?  Make these of course.
Scenario 4:  You want to prove to your friends and kids that cookies without flour can actually work.  Make these.
You know, I could go on but I won't.  I think you get it.  I'm still in a little bit a shock over the whole experience.



So here I am on friday night, after school, after work, with one kid upstairs throwing a tantrum because she has homework to do on a friday (I'm evil.  Everything you've heard is true.), the other kid is already naked and wrapped up in a blanket (don't ask), I've got two hours to kill before I go out with a couple of friends and leave the 'crazy' that is my house right now, I'm in my track pants, on the couch, watching GH and letting crumbs from two of these cookies drop onto my shirt... like a total friday night bum.


Chunky Chip Meringues adapted from (Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy by Alice Medrich)
made about 20 cookies for me but they were pretty big

4 oz dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup lightly toasted pecan pieces
3 lg egg whites at room temperature (maybe even for a day or two at room temperature)
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
2/3 cup sugar


Line two cookies sheets with parchment.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Combine egg whites and cream of tartar in a stainless steel mixing bowl (absolutely clean and dry).  Beat at med/high speed until the whites are creamy and hold a little shape when you lift the beaters. Continue beating at medium speed and add the sugar a little at a time.  I took about 3 - 4 minutes to do this.  The egg whites should form stiff peaks after this.
Use a spatula to fold in the chocolate chips and the pecans.  Fold in only until everything is combined.
Drop heaping spoonfuls (I used about 2 tbsp at a time - maybe a little more) onto the parchment.  These don't spread so you can place them quite close together.
Bake 10 - 15 minutes (until the cookies begin to look golden at the edges) then turn the oven down to 200 degrees F.  Rotate the pans (I forgot to do this p.s.)  Bake at 200 for another hour and a half (yup 1 1/2 hrs).  Turn off the oven the let the meringues cool completely before storing.   Will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 months (!)

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St Michael's Choir School is celebrating it's 75th anniversary year of service to St Michael's Cathedral. Part of the school celebration is a trip to Italy where our boys from Grades 5 - 12 will be performing and celebrating Mass. This blog will be chronicling our adventures. Wanda Thorne is the Vocal Coach at St Michael's Choir School. Gerard Lewis is the Grade 7/8 Homeroom teacher at the Choir School.

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Wanda Thorne
St Michael's Choir School is celebrating it's 75th anniversary year of service to St Michael's Cathedral. Part of the school celebration is a trip to Italy where our boys from Grades 5 - 12 will be performing and celebrating Mass. This blog will be chronicling our adventures. Wanda Thorne is the Vocal Coach at St Michael's Choir School. Gerard Lewis is the Grade 7/8 Homeroom teacher at the Choir School.
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