I have fond memories of large Passover seders at my in law’s home in Kentucky when my children were young. It was a chance for my husband’s family to gather from around the country to celebrate this religious holiday and also have an informal family reunion. Our children loved playing with their cousins in the large, perfect sprawling yard with a creek running in the back, tire swings and swing set. My mother in law was a fabulous cook. She made a chocolate chip mint meringue cookie which was a favorite. I was intimidated by recipes requiring egg white whipping for years until one day my mother in law showed me exactly how it was done. Not that difficult once I learned her “secrets”. Basically, I had previously given up too early on the egg whites forming peaks.
I never did get her recipe for this favorite cookie. I missed it a few years ago, so took several recipes and experimented, also using more nutrient dense ingredients. This is NOT a healthy recipe, but it is delicious for an occasional treat. It is better than anything similar you can buy out, since it lacks green food coloring and GMO ingredients in the sugar and chocolate chips. I make it once a year for my Passover seders. It is kosher for Passover since there is no flour in it. It is gluten free for those on a gluten free diet. The healthiest part may be what you decide to do with the raw egg yolks, left over from using only egg whites. When I made this 2 nights ago, I hand mixed my egg yolks in a glass of raw whole milk, added a little Kahlua and thoroughly enjoyed. You can also add the egg yolks to milk with some raw honey and cinnamon. Hope you like this recipe!
Ingredients:
3 egg whites (preferably pastured, organic eggs)
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
¾ cup organic sugar (evaporated cane juice)
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand is dairy, nut and soy free, also non GMO project verified)
Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line two stainless steel cookie sheets with parchment paper.
3. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy 1-2 minutes. Cream of tartar makes the meringue more firm and stable.
4. Gradually add sugar and beat until soft peaks form. This may take up to 10 minutes. Once peaks form, it is important to stop beating, since over mixing will destroy the egg proteins and cause the meringues to flatten. If you leave the egg whites out for a couple of hours (prior to beating) to reach room temperature it will take less time.
5. Stir in mint extract (very important that this is not done until egg whites are whipped to form peaks).
6. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
7. Drop by spoonfuls onto prepared pans.
8. Place in preheated oven for 5 minutes and then turn oven off and let stand in closed oven for 8-12 hours. These can be stored in airtight containers for several days.
Yields: 36 cookies
The link below is a nice tutorial on whipping egg whites.
http://bakingbites.com/2005/06/cooking-school-how-to-beat-egg-whites/
