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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Mocha Meringue Cookies


The meringue cookie, with its crispy outside and light as air interior, is like a miniature and edible version of a cloud. You can experience multiple textures in your mouth by taking just one bite! These particular clouds pack a punch with chocolate and espresso.

Ingredients
5 egg whites
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup superfine sugar (if you don't have superfine sugar on hand, just run regular white sugar through the food processor for 30 seconds)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
pinch of salt
1 shot espresso
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a glass or metal mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the remaining ingredients and continue beating until the batter holds stiff peaks. Scoop batter onto baking sheets (or use a pastry bag or Ziplock bag for fancy cookies), and bake for about 2 hours or until the cookies are stiff. Turn off the oven and open the door to continue to allow the meringues to dry out for about an hour.