My husband Ralph has British roots. This explains his ability to consume vast amounts of beer and tea. Every morning, Ralph wakes up and trots into the kitchen to make his daily pot of tea.
Being a tea drinker, also means that he is a cookie monster. He loves cookies! All types…peanut butter, chocolate chip, shortbread, molasses, hermits, gingersnaps. He has never met a cookie that he hasn’t loved.
Whenever I have a lot of egg whites around, I bake him a batch of meringues. Usually meringues are dainty little “high tea” cookies. Ralph’s are more “farm hand” style!
CHOCOLATE MERINGUES
makes 20 large cookies
Preheat oven 200*F
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 white super fine sugar
1/3 cup good quality cocoa
Sift the sugar and cocoa together into a bowl and set aside.
Place egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites until frothy.
Add the sugar/cocoa mixture, one tablespoon at a time until it is all incorporated. Add almond extract
Continue beating until stiff peaks occur…
Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Drop large tablespoons of batter 2 inches apart on lined baking sheet until you have 20 cookies
Bake in upper third of oven for 3 hours.
When baking time has finished, open oven door and leave cookies until oven is cool or over night.
Store in a tighly sealed tin.
Thanks for reading!
